Yippee's blog

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

Recently, baguettes have been a hot topic on the forum. So I am posting this entry to join in the fun. 

I usually don't make baguettes because they require more hands-on work than making boules or batards. The last time I made baguettes was a few years ago. I was so busy then that I hardly had enough time to sleep. Therefore, I could only upload pictures of baguettes and ignored all the details. To fill in the gap, I took pictures of my baguette workflow today.

I used Rus's baguette formula that uses CLAS. I wish I had learned about CLAS sooner. It would have saved me a lot of work, and the outcome would have been just as good, if not better.  

Rus's formula and procedures are as follows:

97% AP

70% water 18-20°C/64.4-68F (not higher) I reduced the hydration to 65% because Beehive can't absorb 70% of water!

3% CLAS (cold +4-+5°C not fresh, at least 2-3 days in the fridge)

1% dry yeast

1.5-2% salt

3% malt

yields three 343g baguettes

Initial dough temperature 25°C/77F 

Mix

I mixed the dough in a spiral mixer for 8 minutes until it reached windowpane.

Bulk

45 minutes, fold

45 minutes, fold

45 minutes, fold

keep dough temperature at 25°C/77F 

Divide

into three pieces; roll, and rest for 15 minutes 

Shape 

Proof 

45 minutes 

Score 

bake 20-22 minutes with steam at 250°C/482F 

Straight forward, isn't it? Per Rus, 25°C/77F is the optimum temperature for yeast multiplication. At this temperature, LAB produces more acetic acid than lactic acid, and yeast also produces a small amount of acetic acid. LAB is slow at this temperature, so it's suitable for creating the flavor of traditional baguettes.  

Speaking of temperature, my friend's wife bought a Brod and Taylor proofer, unfortunately, according to my suggestion. She complained that the proofer could not reach her target temperature. I forgot to remind her that the proofer's internal temperature rarely matches the set temperature. Because its plastic panel is flimsy, the proofer's insulation is poor. Its temperature usually fluctuates with the ambient temperature. Using different thermometers to monitor the proofer's internal temperature and reset the temperature back and forth, especially when making CLAS, is what I have to do to ensure my sourdough's quality. It is a pain to use, but I am stuck with it because there is no better product on the market.

I pretty much followed Rus's procedures except one step - I divided the dough after the first 45 minutes of bulk, and I "pre-shaped" the dough in a rectangular container that would facilitate shaping later on. 

I followed the School of Slow's baguette shaping method. It worked well for me a few years ago, and it still worked perfectly today!   People often complain that household ovens are too small to make baguettes. However, I found this to be an advantage. Because the baguettes usually reach the maximum length suitable for household ovens after they are shaped, and they often look quite presentable at this stage, there is no need to extend/roll out the dough! I used the chopping board (15 inch/38cm) to gauge the length so that I was able to bake the baguettes vertically in the oven. 

 It'd be easier to shape it in this form if we start with a square dough.

I proved and loaded the baguettes separately so that they were "social distancing" from each other in the oven after loading. 

To score, I used the "magic wand" shown in the picture.  It works wonders! When I scored the first baguette, I was a bit lost.   Then things got better, and I am most satisfied with the tapered one. 

That's it! 

Oh, wait, the end products:

I also want to tell you something exciting. I harvested my first tray of black gold. I used the worm castings to brew my first bucket of compost tea and fed it to my plants. I'm sure that my garden plants are pleased because my kumquat tree is blooming in the second round, which is unprecedented! The aroma of blossom wafts in the air.  Many bees and hummingbirds are buzzing around to collect nectar—what a happy scene! 

Before the California wildfire broke out, I could see beautiful clouds in the morning and stunning sunset at dusk. I hope the terrible things surrounding us will disappear ASAP, and our lives can return to normal.

This post has nothing to do with bread, but I thought Benny might like it. 

Super easy to make:

Ice cream

100% whipping cream 

41% condensed milk 

9% high-quality matcha powder

blend in Vitamix

freeze until firm/semi-firm

Azuki red beans

100% H2O

50% dry Azuki red beans

20% sugar

10% honey

Instant Pot high-pressure x 100 minutes

natural release

I didn't mix the red beans in the cream to preserve the ice cream's green color. 

Enjoy!

Please see here and here to learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS). 

Because of COVID, we all minimize traveling. I haven't seen my friends for a long time, especially those who live afar. To reconnect with them, I made Rus's Ukrainian loaf and sent it to them with other homemade goodies. The bread was well received. My friends' wives all want to learn how to make it, but some are somewhat confused about the process. I summarized the steps to the bare minimum to help them start using CLAS ASAP to bake.

1. Understand how concentrated lactic acid sourdough ("CLAS") works. Read the following blog post up to the point where video clips appear.  

     https://brotgost.blogspot.com/p/clas.html

2. Then, watch the following videos in which the baker demonstrates how to make CLAS. You may choose either one of the two methods to make it, depending on the available ingredients. 

a. Video 1 - the preferred method, watch up to 6:51

                 https://youtu.be/iPQV8qcwK1M

b. Video 2 - watch from 2:30 to 8:41

Temperature control in the required range is crucial for successfully producing a flavorful loaf. 

I set up a water bath in the Instant Pot, support the container with a trivet, and use the Instant Pot's yogurt feature to make CLAS:

then cover it with the lid. 

Unfortunately, I developed this water-bath method when I constantly deal with my annoying proofer's inability to maintain a target temperature. It drives me crazy. You don't need to do it this way when using an instant pot, but it ensures a stable temperature of the medium, and I don't have to monitor it with (multiple) thermometers. 

P.S. 20230722 

I can also make CLAS in the Zo using its 'Rise 3' feature because it operates within the same temperature range as a yogurt maker. I can either take out the bread pan, place the container with CLAS in the bread machine, supporting it with a trivet, or ferment the CLAS directly in the bread pan.

To make CLAS with rye, you will need:

Rye or any other malt: 25g

 Whole-grain rye flour: 75g

 Water T. 45°C: 180 ml

 Vinegar (5%acidity): 10 ml

 Fermentation temperature: 40°C±2°C

 Fermentation time: 24-36h

 Hydration: 190%

 End pH: around 4

To refresh rye CLAS

1:10 (rye flour in CLAS : new rye flour), 190% hydration @ 40+-2C x 12 hours

To make CLAS with wheat, you will need:

wheat malt: 25g

 Whole grain wheat flour: 75g

 Water T. 45°C: 140 ml

 Vinegar (5% acidity): 10 ml

 Fermentation temperature: 38°C±2°C

 Fermentation time: 24-36h

 Hydration: 150%

 End pH: around 4

To refresh wheat CLAS

1:7 (wheat flour in CLAS: new wheat flour),150% hydration@38+-2 C x 12 hours

I usually make about 500g of CLAS at a time with 200g of grains. It stays in the fridge until I need it to bake, and I stir it thoroughly before use. I usually warm it up with one of Zo's fermentation features while I prepare the remaining ingredients. When I've used up most of the 500g of CLAS, I refresh it using the 1:7 ratio to make another 500g, give or take. 

 4. If you are new to bread making, read the "What do you need to purchase to get started?" section in the following blog post before proceeding further. 

1. Watch the following video in which Rus shows how to make Ukrainian Palyanitsa with CLAS. 

         https://youtu.be/tpNqhC5s_Ck

2. Formula and procedure

CLAS 101.5 g (hydration 190%, 35g wholemeal rye, and 66.5g water)

(can be fresh or from fridge pre-warmed up to 30C/86F

Flour 665 g (high gluten flour German 812/or use bread flour)

Water 350 g (30-35C/86-95F)

Dry yeast 4.6 g 

Salt 10.5-14 g(table salt use10.5g, kosher salt use 14g) 

Total 1,144.5g

65% hydration = water weight / flour weight

(Dough temperature 30-33C/86-91.4F)

Bulk fermentation

90 minutes at 30-33C/86-91.4F 

Fold 

the dough according to the video

Rest 

30 minutes at 30C/86F

Shape

Final proof

25 minutes at 32 C/89.6F

Preheat the oven to 250C/482F

(It may take an hour+ to preheat the oven with the baking stones, so plan accordingly)

Score

Bake 

8-10 minutes 250C/482F with steam

then 40 minutes 190С/374F

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

Before I show you my bread, let me introduce my new friends to you.       I've started a new hobby - vermicomposting - during the COVID quarantine.  These red wigglers will produce "black gold"  that will be very beneficial to my plants.

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

Today, I made a lovely round bread with "growth rings" on it. In Hong Kong, we call it "wheel bread"(車輪包）. When I was a kid, I was often responsible for buying freshly baked "wheel bread" for my family from a nearby bakery. Back then, the wheel bread was either plain or with raisins.  For a child, it smelled delicious no matter which flavor. Sometimes I couldn't help but started nibbling it on the way home.

Today, decades later, the "wheel bread" has become less popular in Hong Kong. However, to my surprise, it still appears on the menu of Japanese bakeries. In addition to the "original" flavor, the unique Japanese matcha-red bean combination is also a popular choice. Some bakeries such as Moashikisaikan use wormwood for coloring. 

pain-moa.com/menu/

Since I didn't have wormwood, I used matcha powder for coloring and replaced 5% of the flour in the formula with CLAS.  

Cutey "wheel bread" brings back childhood memories.

It's made in this heavy-duty mold. 

My mom sent it to me from Hong Kong. The shipping was super expensive. Fortunately, you can buy it online now, or if you are in Canada, you can check with this store in Toronto. This store is a branch of a well-known Hong Kong cutlery/baking equipment company. It's a fun place to visit. I shop there every time I am in Hong Kong.

Dough

95%  Ultimate Performer

5%    WW CLAS

63%  water

10%  heavy cream

5%    whole eggs

5%    butter

1%    dry yeast

2.2%  salt

11%  sugar

3%    matcha powder

Total dough weight without filing ~ 550g

Filling

55% cooked red beans ~ 150g, made in the following ratio (independent of the flour weight)

100% water

50%   raw, unsoaked red beans

10%   honey

20%   sugar

Instant Pot high-pressure x 90 minutes + natural release to the doneness shown in the pictures

Cook longer if you like mushier red beans. 

Bulk

77F x 45 minutes

shape

Proof

86F x 90 mins

Bake

482F x 30

I probably would lower the temperature in the future to reduce browning.

Here's another delicious chocolate bread from Chef Michaud's book, "La Boulangerie Baking at home".  I made it with CLAS, of course. I followed the original formula except that 3% of the flour was from WW CLAS. To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

97% Beehive AP

3% WW CLAS

1.7% yeast

5% milk powder

13% white sugar

10% egg

1.7% salt

41.7% fresh milk

25% liquid cream

21.7% chocolate 

10% icing sugar

8.3% pearl sugar

egg wash as needed

Total dough weight ~ 600g for a 9x4x4 tin

Bulk

89F/32C ish x 45 minutes 

Shape

Proof

89F/32C ish until doubled

Bake

374F x 34 minutes, no steam

Semisweet chocolate tastes better than the bittersweet one that I used in the previous chocolate bread.

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

Lance and Pul had asked me how acidic the bread made with CLAS is.  My answer: It depends.   One can create aromatic, full-flavored, but mild-tasting loaves by using a small amount of CLAS.  One can also make sour bread by manipulating the amount of CLAS used, temperature, timing, and ingredients. And the critical control is straightforward--the temperature.

Because all the sour loaves I previously made with CLAS contained a high percentage of rye, to compare apple to apple, I used only wheat flour in this bake to experiment.  What I made was the mild-tasting Ukrainian loaf that I had made before.

The plan of this bake was:

Pre-dough

3% WW CLAS

30% Beehive AP

50% water

Main dough

pre-dough

67% Beehive

10% water (I forgot to add the remaining water, so the bread ended up with a 50% hydration)

2% salt

0.8% dry yeast

Preparing the pre-dough the night before, the pH of the mixture was 5.1.

After ~ 10 hours @ 30C/86F (it might have been ready in less than 10 hours, but I wasn't checking in the middle of the night), the pH dropped to 3.7.

pH 4.7 - fully-fermented main dough after about three hours @ 31C/88F - 33C/91F ish.

The 50% hydration loaf had less volume than the 60% hydration loaf.

The crust was more crackly because of the lower hydration.

This loaf had a much stronger and long-lasting tangy aftertaste than the one made without pre-dough. One can easily create a sour loaf with CLAS by playing with the variables. 

When you see the title of my blog post, you might wonder, "Who is Yvonne Chen?" You may not know who she is, but you must have heard of Tangzhong.  Ms. Chen is the author of "65C Tangzhong Bread", which had generated a rave for Tangzhong bread making in the Asian baking community over a decade ago. Back then, I just started learning bread making.  The first bread I ever made was the Hokkaido Tangzhong milk bread from her book, and this was also the first bread I shared on TFL!  Today, I will share with you another excellent bread recipe from her book--the ham and cheese toast. 

From my experience, I know that Ms. Chen's formulae produce delicious bread.  Therefore, I want to maintain her recipe's integrity as much as possible--I only changed her formula minimally to suit my procedures. As you know, lately, I have "CLASified" all the bread I make; this one is no exception. CLAS is a life-saver for a busy mom like me--generating flavorful loaves has never been easier. I can't tell you how much I enjoy the peace-of-mind in breadmaking that CLAS has brought me.  Here it is, another excellent loaf made with CLAS:

95% Ultimate Performer

5% WW CLAS

39% water

24% egg

5% butter

10% sugar

0.9% salt

0.9% yeast

Total dough weight ~ 390g for 9x4x4 tin

Filling

ham, diced

Havarti cheese, diced

Topping

lightly rehydrated chopped onion

mayonnaise

Mozzarella cheese

chopped parsley

Bulk:

88-91F ish x 30 minutes

Divide

3 pieces, split each into 2 after incorporating the filling

Rest

Shape

Proof:

91-93F ish x 120 minutes

Bake:

365F x 35 minutes

 Place the dough cut-side up after you cut each piece in half

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

This bread is from one of Chef Michaud's books, "La Boulangerie Baking at home". 

My family finished the 2-lb cranberry walnut bread that I made yesterday. So, I made another dessert bread today. I used good quality chocolate and cocoa powder. The loaf turned out very chocolaty just as I like. The crust was very crispy, and the crumb was so moist that its mouthfeel was almost like a brownie. However, it did not taste sweet. Instead, it left a slightly salty, buttery aftertaste. It was tangier than any of the CLAS white bread I have made-- maybe because I used a whole rye CLAS and rye flour in this bread. My family loved this bread. Half of the loaf was gone before I had a chance to take pictures. 

I followed Chef Michaud's overall formula as much as possible. I only reduced 5% of the water and substituted 3% of the rye flour with whole rye CLAS. Oh, I also reduced the amount of yeast.

85%     Beehive AP

12%     medium rye

3%       whole rye CLAS

8.5%    cocoa powder 

7.3%    butter

0.7%    dry yeast

3.39%  salt

70%     water

23%     dark chocolate trunk 

17%     frozen cherries

Similar workflow as yesterday- finished in about three hours. 

I can hardly keep up with the demand if my family continues to eat bread like today and yesterday. 

I am a chocolate addict.  I love King Arthur's Bensdorp Dutch-process cocoa--I can't live without it.  I mix it with KA's espresso powder and Guittard's dark chocolate to make hot chocolate--at least two cups a day.

Can someone please explain why generally the formulae of this dessert bread use so much salt and no sweet ingredients (the dark chocolate is not sweet)?

To learn more about concentrated lactic acid sourdough (CLAS), please see here and here. 

A super delicious dessert bread made in about three hours with CLAS!

Whenever I see how much my family appreciates and enjoys my bread,  my heart is filled with gratitude. I cannot thank Rus enough for teaching me how to use CLAS to effortlessly create yummy bread. How lucky I am to have learned this invaluable technique!

CLAS is truly magical!

90%  Beehive AP

  7%  WW 

  3%  WW CLAS

61%   water   

0.7%   dry yeast

38%    dried cranberry, plumped

38%    walnut, toasted

Bulk: ~ 100 minutes at 88-91F ish

Proof: ~ 30 minutes at 91F ish

Bake:

need to perfect it next time, as a few cranberries on the surface were burnt.

440F x 10 + steam

425F x10

400F x20