Bread Machines

[bigbubbacain]

Thanks GadgetGary!

For mentioning Donna German's cookbooks! I swear by her pizza dough recipe (the one with the oregano in the dough) and her sourdough starter! The woman is a BREAD GODDESS! My take on this bread machine issue: they're great for kneading (as it's been said here already), but the recipes that come with these machines haven't given consistent results for me. I always tweak things a little here and there. My partner's mother (whom I affectionately call my "commonlaw inlaw"), gave me a Römertopf clay pot for my birthday. I fell in love with hers. Basically, it's a terra cotta pan that you soak in water for 15 minutes before adding the ingredients and cooking. Mine is configured for a bread loaf, but they have them in many different shapes. Hers is a roaster (complete with lid)that will cook a whole chicken, but it makes the most beautiful huuuuuuumongous loaf of bread! For those of you who prefer your bread in the traditional loaf shape, this is a 'must see'. My mother had one when I was a child, but she never used it. (what a waste!) Anyway, here's the link: www.claypot.com

 

[jeffg]

John, what kind of crust do the clay bread pans produce? Thick, light, dark etc? Also, do you grease the pans, and if so, with what?

Also, could you post German's recipe for sourdough starter?

Thanks!!

 

[bigbubbacain]

The crust basically depends on the recipe. I tend to stick to the French sourdough recipes, so I get a really thick, crispy crust. The clay helps with that because of having been soaked in water before baking. It's not foolproof, though. I do take precautions to keep the top from browning too quickly, and the clay pot does require greasing.

Ok, JeffG, here's the paraphrased version of Donna German's starter recipe:

*2 cups bread flour
*2 cups lukewarm milk
*2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Use a hand mixer on low and slowly blend these ingredients. Put the mixture in a large container with a lid. A large Tupperware type works best.
Let it sit out at room temp for 4-7 days. Stir it once a day. A helpful hint during this period (that's not in the cookbook): find an occasion to leave the top off for at least one day. 2 days is even better. Reason being, the flavors of sourdough starters are influenced from one region to the next because of airborne bacteria and fungi. It's humid where I live in South Texas and my starter has a flavor a lot more robust than my inlaws up in North TX, where the air is drier. Then of course, there's the world famous San Francisco sourdough.
(Talk about humidity!)

After 7 days, you can refrigerate the starter to slow down the growth. You can even freeze it if you leave town.

Your starter needs to be fed once a week, that means that once a week you need to remove a measured amount (whether you're baking or not) and replace it with equal parts bread flour and liquid (e.g. remove 1 cup starter and replace with 1 cup bread flour and one cup liquid). Alternate your liquids between milk at one feeding and water at the next.

Just remember: if your starter changes color, better toss it out. If it's turns blue or purple, that's not good.

Hope this helps.

 

[jeffg]

Thanks again John. Much appreciated!

 

[launderess]

Sorry for joining late, but here is my view on the matter.

While one loves baking bread making dough in either my Bosch or Kenwood mixers, there are times when a bread machine is the way to go. Such as when one is pressed for time, but still wants good homemade bread, without paying vast sums at the shops. Also when it is very humid, the closed chamber of the bread machine seems a better option than letting dough rise in my usual spots around the kitchen or house. Bread machines are also good for making pizza dough.

My bread machine is a discontinued Phillips model, which IIRC was being sold at Target, and when it was discontinued started showing up on eBay in droves (persons were buying the discounted machines in lots, then reselling on fleaBay). Happily pour moi, local Goodwill at that time received merchandise from Target, so one day peeped in and there it was, MIB.

The Bread Lovers, Bread Machine cookbook is a must! Have used several recipies, but always change a few things to suit.

Yes, some bread machines can produce odd shaped loaves, the Phillips makes one about the size of a small bakery loaf, which is fine since bread really should be eaten the same day it is made (no problems there).

Back to mixers: IMHO nothing matches a Bosch Universal for bread doughs, especially large batches, and or heavy doughs like whole wheat or those with lots of grain. Mine can easily handle dough with four or even six cups of whole wheat flour, and still beg for more! Bosch's kneading action is streets ahead of of any mixer, even Kenwood (which I also own). Really gives doughs a workout which means more gluten.

When it comes to yeast, there is only one choice, SAF! Managed to nab a case off fleaBay years ago, and though the stuff is past it's sell by date on each packet, it rises dough like there is no tomorrow!

L.