Isand66's blog

A new breakfast place just opened up in town and my wife took her Dad who is visiting with us to eat some brunch the other day.  They went without me, so that will need to be remedied in the future :).  They came home with some leftover cheesy grits which were screaming to be added to a some dough.

I had made a version of this bread a while ago and decided to change it up a bit using some fresh milled whole wheat and spelt.  I used some roasted fingerling potatoes which added to the super soft and moist crumb.

I love the way this one turned out.  The bread is full of flavor and makes some killer toast or grilled bread.  Give it a try if you get a chance.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours in your mixer or by hand along with 385 grams of the water, until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 30 minutes or longer.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), potatoes, grits and the balance of the water and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours (If you use a proofer set to 78 degrees you can finish in about 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1  hour.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 535 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 2 minutes lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

  It's been too long since I made some bialys.  Bialys seem to be the forgotten stepchild of bagels it seems :).  My original formula and procedure is here.

I decided to use around 28% freshly milled and sifted spelt flour along with First Clear flour in this bake.  I also use freshly caramelized onions instead of dehydrated onions and added some balsamic vinegar to finish them off.  I under-estimated how much onions to sub for the dehydrated and did not have enough for all the biayls so I used some shredded cheese instead.  Not a bad replacement if you ask me.

I also bulk fermented the dough instead of shaping the bialys and then refrigerating them.  Other than that you can follow along with the original instructions.  For the dough I bulk fermented after 3 rounds of S & F's every 25 minutes and let the dough sit out at 78 degrees for 1.5 hours total.  The next day I took the dough out and let it sit for around 1.5 hours at 78 degrees, shaped them into balls, let them proof for 1.5 hours, shaped per original recipe and baked.

The fresh caramelized onions really added a nice sweet flavor to these and were worth trying.

Download the Formula here.

I bought some "Organic Madagascar Pink-Red Rice" at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and wanted to use some of the leftover cooked rice in a bread.  I overcooked the rice a little bit when making it for dinner but it worked out perfectly in the bread.  You can see the grains in the crumb and it added a nice subtle but rich flavor to the final bread.

I haven't used any Kamut lately and figured spelt would be a nice compliment and add some extra nutty flavor.  The lemon honey and Parmesan with sun-dried tomatoes olive oil added another layer of flavor.

I made 2 loaves but I'm only showing one in the main photo since the second one stuck to the basket and was a bit flat and misshapen.  I did use that one to photograph the crumb shot which you can see is nice and open and moist. All in all this one may not look perfect, but it tasted fantastic.  I had a piece with some nice hard cheese as a snack and it was just right.  This one you can eat with nothing on it and tastes that good.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours and cooked rice together in your mixer or by hand along with 385 grams of the water, until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 30 minutes or longer.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), honey, olive oil and the balance of the water and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours (If you use a proofer set to 78 degrees you can finish in about 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1  hour.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 535 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 2 minutes lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I just received my delivery of 25 pounds of spelt berries so obviously I needed to use some in my next bake.

I combined the fresh spelt sifted once after milling with my Mock Mill 200 with some French style flour from KAF, left-over mashed potatoes, pecans and fresh cherries.  I made one big miche this time and was very happy with the results.  The crumb is nice and open and moist and the 57% spelt in this formula really shines through with a nice nutty flavor to go along with the pecans.  This one is a keeper and worth trying.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 1 hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and mashed potatoes and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Next add the chopped nuts and cherries and mix until incorporated.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 535 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Here are a few garden photos for those of you interested.

   I have not made a porridge bread in a while and I have not used eggs in any bakes either for quite some time.  I like the extra flavor and moisture eggs add so why not use them in a porridge bread as well?

Whole eggs are around 76% water so in this bake 150 grams of eggs equals 114 grams of water which is why the total liquid amount is not higher.

The bread turned out very tasty and makes great grilled bread or just toasted with some cheese or butter.  All the goodies packed into this one along with the fresh milled whole wheat and rye  made this extremely flavorful.  The small amount of maple syrup added just enough sweetness to round out the flavor profile.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, eggs, maple syrup and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.   Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

This one is a keeper.  The depth of flavor added by the Guinness,coupled with the grilled onions and freshly ground rye is amazing.  The added freshly made yogurt provided a nice soft crumb as well.  All in all, this one is worth trying.  It's the perfect grilled bread as well as sandwich bread.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

[caption id="attachment_4862" align="alignnone" width="490"] New Hydrangea we found last week....one of our new favorites![/caption]

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, yogurt, honey and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  During the last minute add the onions to incorporate.   Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 535 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

This is a pretty simple bread made with 55% fresh milled and sifted Durum flour along with a little fresh milled whole wheat and KAF French style flour.  The Instant Pot yogurt was added to soften the crumb and roasted sweet potatoes add some extra tenderness and flavor.

This was a very tasty bread, perfect grilled with some melted cheese brushed with a good olive oil.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, yogurt, sweet potatoes and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but very manageable.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 525 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

    I finally had a chance to use the blue pea flowers I bought a month or so ago after seeing several people on the Facebook bread groups as well as here recently post their versions.  Naturally I had to try and put my own spin on it.

For my first attempt it came out pretty good, but I almost had a disaster in the making.  The formula below is not 100% accurate since I forgot that I used extra water to soak the flowers in and in my haste to mix up the 2 dough's needed and cook dinner at the same time I never re-weighed the water :(.  This caused me to add some extra French flour and a bit of Rye flour so I didn't end up with soup.  The dough was still very slack but I think if you follow my formula below it should be fine.

I made 2 different dough's using one starter.  The blue dough was mostly made with the KAF French style flour with a bit of rye per above and yellow roasted carrots.  The second dough was fresh milled whole wheat with fresh milled rye and purple roasted carrots.  I made a few rolls as well as you can see in the photos.

I think all in all, the bread turned out beautiful and it tasted great.  The roasted carrots add a bit of sweetness and extra color.  The whole wheat and rye part actually turned orange looking for some reason.

Note: use 50% of the Levain for each dough.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Blue Water Directions

Soak the pea flowers in boiling water for an hour or longer.  Strain flowers out before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Peel and cut the carrots into medium to small size pieces and toss in some olive oil.  Place on a sheet pan and roast at 425 F until soft and slightly charred.  Let cool until ready to use and cut them up into small pieces.

Blue Dough Directions

Mix the French Style flour or AP or Bread Flour with the Blue water and let rest for 30 minutes.  Next add the starter (see note above) and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Add the carrot pieces (50% of total amount listed) and mix for one more minute until incorporated.  Place in oiled bowl and cover.  Do some stretch and folds every 15-20 minutes 3 times.  After 90 minutes place in refrigerator overnight.

Whole Wheat/Rye Dough Directions

Mix the flours with regular water and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  Next add the starter and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Now add the other 50% of the carrots and and mix for about a minute until incorporated.  Per above, place in bowl, do S & F's and place in refrigerator when done.

The next day, let the 2 bowls sit at room temperature for around 1.5 hours or if you have a proofer or it's hot in your house you can let it sit for an hour or less ( I set my proofer at 78 degrees).  Take both dough's out and form into a rough rectangle.  Place the blue dough on top of the brown dough and then shape into a ball and place into your basket to proof.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 535 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Below are some photos of the echinacea starting to bloom in the gardens.

 This is a version of my go to hamburger/hot dog bun/rolls formula.  Last time I made this with fresh milled rye so this time I used fresh milled whole wheat instead.

As usual they didn't disappoint.  I made these around 160 grams so these will fit the biggest burger you dare to use.  They are nice and soft and flavorful and perfect for burgers, sandwiches or just with some eggs and cheese for breakfast.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm formula here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for at least one hour.  Next, add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), cream cheese, softened butter and mix on low for 5 minutes.    Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1 hour.  Remove the dough and shape into rolls around 160 grams each.  Cover the rolls with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap Sprayed with cooking spray and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  If you want seeds, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle on your toppings.  I used poppy seeds and smoked sesame seeds.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

After you place the rolls in the oven and add your steam lower the temperature to 445 F.   Bake for 25 minutes or until the rolls are nice and brown.

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist.

       Following on the path of my West Coast baking friends DA and Lucy, I was inspired to make a mostly white bread with a few twists.  I had not used Kamut for a while, so in went some fresh milled and sifted once with a #40 sieve into the mix along with a high percent of pecans and a healthy dose of buttermilk.

The dough was very hydrated coming in at just under 85% hydration but was still very manageable to shape.  I decided to follow the resident baguette expert at TFL Mr. Donnie Bags and shape part of the dough into the aforementioned shape.

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

The dough baked up nicely with a nice golden brown crust and yellow open and chock full of nuts crumb.  A great bread for some cheese or brushed with  fresh olive oil and grilled.

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.  Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and the buttermilk together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer.    Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and the water, and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 78 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 465 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Now for something completely different for those of you who are interested!  Some late spring garden photos for your viewing pleasure.