Critique my recipe
So I'm writing a recipe for everyone. Its intended so that anyone, regardless of experience can try to make bread. So far, I've been told that the recipe reads as a technical document. As yet, I'm not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing.
But please read and tell me if its not detailed, too detailed, or in general too wordy.
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4.00 Cups Bread Flour
1.00 Cup Water
4.00 Tbsp Water
1.00 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1.00 Tsp Salt
3.00 Tbsp Melted Butter
Notes:
Bread flour has protein content of between 11-14%, the bag should say which, but all purpose works too (generally the more protein the better)
Instant yeast can be mixed directly in with the flour, bread machine yeast works, but if all you can get is active dry yeast use 1.5 tablespoons, and proof it in water with some sugar first, it should bubble (use some of the water you have measured for the bread).
Water at around body temperature is great, around 80-90F (25-30 C), but any hotter and you risk getting the water too hot for the yeast. Use your finger as a thermometer (finger test!), if you can't tell if the water is hot or cold, use it.
(the instructions to this recipe may seem long, but I am describing everything from start to finish in as much detail as I can, really the process is quite simple)
Procedure:
1.) Melt your butter.
2.) Measure out all your ingredients. Mix the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl, then mix in the salt.
3.) Pour the water and melted butter into the mixing bowl on top of the dry ingredients.
4.) Using one hands, scoop and fold the ingredients in the bowl; with the other hand continuously turn the bowl.
After a few minutes the dough will come together into a sticky mass.
5.) Turn the dough out onto a table and knead the dough by stretching it away from you and folding it towards you.
6.) Seal the fold by pushing the dough against the table.
6.) After sealing the fold give it a quarter turn (turn it 90*) and repeat until the dough is smooth and tacky.
You will know the dough is finished when it is smooth, and just slightly grabs your fingers (tackiness). By this time your hands should be no longer covered in dough (the gluten has settled).
7.) Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent oxidation, and boil a small pot of water
8.) Put your mixing bowl into a turned off oven, put the steaming pot of water below it
9.) Let the dough ferment until it has doubled in size (this takes about one hour)
10.) Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into sixteen equal sized pieces
11.) Beat one egg with salt to make egg wash.
12.) Line a baking pan with parchment paper (dusting with semolina flour, or oiling up the pan also works)
13.) Lay the dough onto the paper seam side down, and brush it with egg wash
14.) Boil some water in a small pot; cover the dough with plastic wrap
15.) Put the baking pan in the oven (with the oven off) along with the steaming water for about 15 min
Press Test: press the dough, it should spring back halfway, thats when you know its proofed
16.) Preheat your oven to 400 F, bake the rolls until they are well browned and sound hollow when thumped
When baking, you must always bake it until it is done!
17.) Let the dough cool before cutting into it
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Thanks
--Gabriel
Comments
Hi Chauslubao
This is a good start. If this were converted to weight and bakers percentages, I believe the hydration level might be at about 52%. Kind of low. Based on about 4 1/2 oz per cup of flour and 8 oz per cup of water plus 1 1/3 oz for 4 TBSP. Depending on what kind of bread you are trying to represent here, 57% - 59% might be more appropriate. 1 1/4 cups plus 1 TBSP - 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tsp. I haven't used active dry yeast in many years but I believe water temps as high as 110 - 114 deg are recommended. I find that hot tap water is usually hot enough to ferment and proof dough if using oven chamber!
John
We're talking 10 oz water/18 oz flour, so thats around 55%, which you're right, is kind of low. I was going for 60%.
It appears I lost a lot of water in converting from grams to ounces, and from weight to volume.
4.00 Cups Bread Flour
1.00 Cup Water
6.00 Tbsp Water
1.00 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1.00 Tsp Salt
3.00 Tbsp Melted Butter
I decided to round up to fix the problem, so I'm going with 11.00 ounces of water this time. Thats equal to a 61.1% hydration.
But what I was really looking for was a critique of my writing rather then my formula, as that is something thats easily fixed, bad writing, thats a little harder to fix.
Thanks,
Gabriel
If all the numbers are whole numbers, why use a decimal? Easier to read 4 Cups, 1 Cup etc.
I'm just kind of anal with the spacing between the numbers and the measurements. So I use .00 as a place holder so that theres an even amount of space between the numbers and the measurements.
Its a convention I use.
More to the point, what's with using volume measurements for flour anyway? Total beginners are much more likely to get volume measurements "wrong" than weight measurements. And if they do, they won't have a sense for what the problem is.
Jeremy
Would a beginner have a scale?
Thats the main problem. I'd be perfectly happy giving weight measurements, but I don't feel the average person that wants to try out baking has anything that can measure weight.
But its not like adding weight measurements is all that difficult. So I could just add it in.
But here's a question, do you think it would be easier to try this recipe if a different amount of scale of the recipe was used? I could just push the water up to 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups of water) for ease of measurement.
Hi.
in my opinion fats should always be added last (when the dough has already formed) bevause when they touch the flour they form lumps that take longer to loose. As long as fats are in small amounts, as in your case, you may not see a difference, but if you use more fats you could incur into troubles.
Gluten forms with water and flour, thus anything that hinders it formation (like fats) should be added only when gluten is already well developed.
Thanks for the feedback!
I personally have no doubts about the merits of my formulas, rather I was concerned about the technicality of my language and wording.
Generally softened butter has no problem getting incorporated, which is all the easier when added in small pieces, you're absolutely right.
--Chausiubao
Title of Recipe
This is a little recipe (introduction) I came across you all might enjoy, it's easy and quick to throw together and the chance of failure is small if you follow the easy steps. Serves 10, 2 hours of preparation and ready in 4 hours.
Here is where you can choose how to organize the outline using words such as Prepare, Mix, Bake etc. (Notes are added to the end of the recipe, your own experiences) You decide if you want to number the steps like below or simple write in a paragraph style.
Maybe add a space between preparation and mixing. Nice touch!
Notes: The pan seemed too small pan, so I used a larger one 12 x 15 inch. No thermometer? Use your finger, bla bla bleep. The Bla Bla seemed too strong but if served with strong coffee, it's excellent!. The top seemed to brown quickly so half way thru the bake, I reduced the oven temp to 180°C (350°F). The recipe can easily be done ahead of time and frozen for up to two weeks. That kind of stuff belongs down here.
That is one format, there are more. Most want to see the ingredients and amounts listed and easy to read. Photos can come just about anywhere, during step by step or the finished picture at the top with the title. There is a lot of freedom but it should be easy to read thru quickly and easy to relocate your place when interrupted. Make it interesting to read and have fun!
Mini