Spring should be here soon. It is still cold but there's a certain promise in the air. Am I imagining that? I hope that with better weather my bread baking mojo will return as well. To let you know I still bake -some- bread, here are a few pictures. No recipes just images.Haven't been baking much bread lately, thinking back it started with tossing 10 kg of flour (ouch!) when we returned from our summer vacation, I accidently left the bags on our concrete basement floor and the damp crept in.
Then I had to toss my new 10 kg bag (plus more 1kg bags of special flours) because I found "company" in them. I guess the creepy crawlers came in from the mill because the bags were still sealed, closed and in a plastic covered bin, I couldn't see any holes in the outer bags. Fortunately they were still happily munching away on my flours and did not travel to the pasta/rice section of my pantry.
I was not amused. Below are slices of poolish based french bread that made me very happy!
I do believe I can bake bread. I've done so before. So somewhere a grain of bread-sense should be left in me. *trying to convince myself*Because I can't believe I just tossed an entire loaf of bread. I finished shaping late last night and decided to leave it in fridge and bake this morning. Not good. Huge airbubbles in the crust and very moist interior.
The one below however was a success, it got eaten so fast I had no chance of photographing the finished loaf.
Now the question of today is the following:
There's a bucket (!) of potato-dough in the kitchen, eager so very eager to proof. It rose to overflowing twice already and I keep pushing it down. Why? Because it's not the right consistency to make a decent loaf and I am at a loss of what to do with it.
It has all components already: salt, water, yeast, flours. So if I keep adding flour I will ruin my percentages.
My preference is to use it as a starter and build a bread with it. Adjust the salt from the weight of the added flour. Would that work? What would you do?
Oh no! Bad bread luck.
ReplyDeleteWhat you need is something new.
A new brotform, fancy apron, bread book, gourmet flour... something to get you excited to bake and symbolize a new start after your bad luck.
I would go ahead and play with the odd dough you have going. Mary or Tanna are probably better able to tell you how to "doctor" it than I, though.
Bon chance!
xo
For the Potato, maybe you make donuts, I heard potato donuts, the are really nice.
ReplyDeleteHi Baking Soda, this is the potato donut recipe, they said this a good recipes,
ReplyDeleteDonat Kentang - Potato Donuts
Original recipe by : Fatmah Bahalwan
Ingredients:
500 gr high protein flour ( I use plain flour )
50 gr milk powder
11 gr instant yeast
200 gr potato, steamed, mashed and let it cool
100 gr caster sugar
75 gr butter
½ tsp salt
4 nos egg yolk
100 ml lukewarm water
Coating : icing sugar (optional)
Method:
1. Mixed together : flour, sugar, milk powder, yeast,
2. Add mashed potato, then eggs & water, mixed or rub with hand until made a dough.
3. Add butter & salt, mixed until the dough elastic & soft. Leave it aside to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough at 50 gr each, and leave it rest again for another 20 minutes.
5. Heat Oil in a pan. Make a hole in the middle of the dough, fried till golden brown.
6. Coat with icing sugar and ready to serve.
Aardappelbroodjes. They're a little sweet. Otherwise, definitely use it as a starter for other bread.
ReplyDeleteBtw, the extension to your house looks great. Looking forward to seeing the final picture, when it's all done.
well you could use it as a poolish, that would be good, but how large is this bucket of yours??
ReplyDeleteTry some buns from the dough (you have the BBD for this month at the same time) Buns can't go wrong as easy as a bread....
Did you know that wheat bread can help you lose weight?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you suffer of an acute breadbakers block; like the famous wrightersblock. This happens every serious bread baker now and then.
ReplyDeleteThe cure: lots of rest, reading new inspiring breadbaking books and eating bread of the local supermarket.
The dough on the picture looks terrific. Maybe you can divide the potatodough in portions and use it as old dough?
Sheeeeze, no help from this quarter, I'm days late with any answer ... I think I'd try using it as old dough and add some of it to a new bread ... percentages elude me here, I'd have to go on feel.
ReplyDeleteLove the dough twist.
I'm thinking if you find your mojo soon perhaps mine will follow along shortly thereafter ...
Thanks all for your help, I have to admit I shoved the bucket in a corner in the very cool pantry (Lien it's a real life bucket; the original thought was two 1.1/2 pound loaves so...)
ReplyDeleteOld dough seems to be the best option, otherwise it's the bin.
Marjoke, really? Everyone has this some time or other? Phew... At the moment I can't imagine how I used to bake all these breads, incorporating the baking in my daily schedule. At the moment I keep butting my head into the breads' schedule.
Tanna... shake hands.. I know!
I'd make rolls. They always work out, I think... Keep my fingers crossed that your bad bread luck is over soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your suggestions. Guess what I did?
ReplyDeleteUsed it as "old dough" and made 5 pizzas for dinner last night. Made another batch to make stromboli, and again some more to make a regular loaf of bread.
The rest I tossed... too bad. But the potato/whole wheat pizzas were great, the stromboli was yummy. The loaf of bread is still here, see if I can get a decent picture.
Dont worry about the block, I think it will pass. Ive been on a bread block since Ive been pregnant, 6 months now. I have finally gotten round to making my husband sandwich bread on a sunday for the week, but I cant bring myself to make anything else, or even to eat any bread. I am positive it will pass for everyone! The coming of my daffodils has really helped, perhaps you just need some colour!
ReplyDeleteThat's dreadful. I keep my flour in the freezer to avoid this, but I have had a mouse in the house, and I had to throw out a lot of food!
ReplyDeleteAi, tossing away all that 'almost food' (invaders not included).
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling. My baking-karma died when I made dough and buns while on the verge of being Ill (stomach flu)...no succesfull baking after that. But I trust this will pass.
Perhaps it is the season. After lots of loaf bread baking during the winter I find that I'm baking rolls, pizza, waffles, pancakes, English muffins...but not full loaves. Easter is coming so a bread braid might happen soon...
ReplyDeleteBaker's block is a new problem for me.Spring can't come soon enough!