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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Bread - What are you baking today…..

    Hobbies and Pastimes
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    • GilesG
      Giles
      IHUK Crew
      Joined:

      I perhaps did not post this link.

      If I did, I would have said the guy is super irritating, but this really is a great place to start.  His approach is to start simple and then move up through a couple of levels of complexity.  And you will learn a lot.

      The 3rd level makes a really great prefermeted bread.  Once you have that one dialled in, then you can start experimenting with different flours.

      I would 100% steer clear of 100% wholewheat to start with (unless you want to make bricks)  😉

      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • ChrisC
        Chris
        Raw and Unwashed
        Joined:

        @Giles:

        I would 100% steer clear of 100% wholewheat to start with (unless you want to make bricks)  😉

        I can confirm this outcome.

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • zhivagoZ
          zhivago
          Raw and Unwashed
          Joined:

          Like most things in married life so much of what I decide to do is out of my hands…[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
          Dr. Zhivago is slightly or should I say quite opposed to white bread. Right or wrong reasonable or not it’s what I’m working with. The battle for 100% white bread will be won but it’s gonna take a few calculated efforts

          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

          Zhivago

          MM: "we all got to start somewhere"

          G: "Never once did he bitch, moan or complain.  He just motivated the team and got on with it"

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • neph93N
            neph93
            見習いボス
            Joined:

            @zhivago:

            The battle for 100% white bread will be won but it’s gonna take a few calculated efforts

            With all due respect to the good doctor, there is a long way and many variations between 100% white and 100% wholemeal. I would argue that as soon as you leave 100% finely milled wheat flour, it is no longer white bread. Even then, there are «white» wholemeal flour variants with lots of fibre and less gluten, like spelt or other heritage corn.

            The main argument for doing at least one 100% white will be research. You need to know how it behaves so you can get the best possible bread when you start doing blends.

            Cooncidentally I’m doing a 100% white full levain bread and a full levain bread with about 25% whole wheat today. 25% isn’t masses but it ups the fibre meaningfully. You can use that and then add bran germ and wheat germ, even some seeds. This will give you a whole meal/granary loaf which still uses more that 50% white flour. You’ll have a light airy crumb, masses of fibre and taste. No other ingredients than FWSY.

            Here are the two doughs after mixing, bulk fermenting and shaping. It will proof in the baskets for another couple of hours:

            “Some of those that work forces
            Are the same that burn crosses”

            • Virginia Woolf
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            • neph93N
              neph93
              見習いボス
              Joined:

              While I’m waiting for the proof to finish, I’m indulging my Britishness with PG Tips and the Cornish Fairings I made yesterday…

              “Some of those that work forces
              Are the same that burn crosses”

              • Virginia Woolf
              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • zhivagoZ
                zhivago
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                Definitely agree and dang do those doughs look lovely!! I am feeling confident I've got enough ammo to pull off a 100% white loaf this week, it's research after all 😃

                Zhivago

                MM: "we all got to start somewhere"

                G: "Never once did he bitch, moan or complain.  He just motivated the team and got on with it"

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • GilesG
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  Here is an interesting article about whole grain bread….

                  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/what-makes-whole-grain-bread-so-hard-to-bake-63878/

                  I am making a 50% poolish today (the poolish was mixed last night and comprised 500gms strong organic white, 500gms water 0.4gms yeast).  Here is the poolish when I came downstairs:

                  To make the final dough, I added 200gms white, 150gms 8-grain 150gms dark rye, 250 gms water, 3 gms yeast and 21gms salt.

                  8-grain:

                  Dark rye:

                  So there is plenty of fibre in the dough and no unnatural stuff added to make it rise.  @Chap was the inspiration for this mix (though I think he made a biga not a poolish), saying it was the tastiest bread he had ever baked….

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • neph93N
                    neph93
                    見習いボス
                    Joined:

                    Totally support the use of seven or eight corn flour. Tasty, rich in fibre and easy to get on with.

                    Here are the 100% white loaves just out of the oven:


                    “Some of those that work forces
                    Are the same that burn crosses”

                    • Virginia Woolf
                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Matty123M
                      Matty123
                      Raw and Unwashed
                      Joined:

                      you guys are bananas. i love it

                      Maybe so. Maybe not

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • endoE
                        endo
                        見習いボス
                        Joined:

                        @neph93:

                        Here are the 100% white loaves just out of the oven

                        that looks so good! I think I can smell it over here …

                        si tacuisses

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • neph93N
                          neph93
                          見習いボス
                          Joined:

                          @endo:

                          @neph93:

                          Here are the 100% white loaves just out of the oven

                          that looks so good! I think I can smell it over here …

                          It was pretty tasty I have to admit. One loaf gone already [emoji15]

                          “Some of those that work forces
                          Are the same that burn crosses”

                          • Virginia Woolf
                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • neph93N
                            neph93
                            見習いボス
                            Joined:

                            @zhivago this is the 25-30% (can’t be bothered with the math [emoji1]), wholewheat.

                            Different crumb and colour to the white, but still airy and light. It has lovely earthy taste.


                            “Some of those that work forces
                            Are the same that burn crosses”

                            • Virginia Woolf
                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • GilesG
                              Giles
                              IHUK Crew
                              Joined:

                              My very rudimentary way of keeping track of the rise…..After a couple of hours, I'll make a mark where the dough has risen to, then I just keep on marking the new height until either there is no more movement, or I get bored...

                              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • GilesG
                                Giles
                                IHUK Crew
                                Joined:

                                Then, I did get bored…..

                                And turned the pancake onto the working surface…

                                Shaped and tensioned….

                                And now for an hour or so of proofing….

                                "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • dinobarnesberlinD
                                  dinobarnesberlin
                                  啓蒙家
                                  Joined:

                                  😃

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                                  • GilesG
                                    Giles
                                    IHUK Crew
                                    Joined:

                                    And complete….

                                    "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                                    • endoE
                                      endo
                                      見習いボス
                                      Joined:

                                      This is my first experience with breaking my own bread. I like a good bread and always toyed with the idea of baking. After reading all the nice posts here I dared to give it a try, another good result of this forum.

                                      And what shall I say, it's gotten quite well. Prepared the starter yesterday, then some work this morning and later a great smell all through our flat. (That alone was worth it.) It's a brown bread, ¾ wheat and ¼ rye. The crust is very nice, the crumb I would say ok. It's not sticky and doesn't fall apart, but could be somehow nicer. The underside did not develop much of a crust. But anyway, not bad for a first try. The taste is really nice, just had a slice with some butter and emmentaler. 😋

                                      si tacuisses

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                                      • GilesG
                                        Giles
                                        IHUK Crew
                                        Joined:

                                        Great first attempt…

                                        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                                        • vaquero357V
                                          vaquero357
                                          Banned
                                          Joined:

                                          …lot's of good info @Giles and @neph93! Certainly up for the wheat variants! Fantastic! Thank you! 🙂

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                                          • endoE
                                            endo
                                            見習いボス
                                            Joined:

                                            Just some Madeleines for breakfast - nice smell of vanilla and lemon.

                                            si tacuisses

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