The up and downs.
Again I made my quick bread. The treacle whole wheat loaf.
It again was a success! I think I have hit the nail on the head! This time the Whole wheat/white ration was 75 WW and 25 White. I kneaded it for 15 mins and even got a windowpane! *falls over in shock*
Heres a picture of the finished loaf. This time slashed and it rose so beautifully. I could cry!
and a front on with slices shot....
woo hoo! :)
So if thats the ups whats the down?
Well, I decided to make a fruit loaf...with a marzipan swirl.
It tastes great but it loooooks like something from the swamp! I called it the glop monster.
It would have been great IF I had have made it into two smaller loaves, but after I shaped it,
it just grew........
and grew.......
and grew!!!
Its hanging OVER the bakers stone here, and I thought I'd have a right horrid mess! Isnt it ugly?
It had good oven spring, (hence growing MORE)
Its not the most aesthetic loaf, but it sure did taste good :)
I soaked the fruit in apple juice and mixed spice. I used currants and cranberries and the treacle loaf dough.
Next in like is more ciabatta, more treacle loaf (hopefully 100% WW version) some bagels perhaps and BBA Multi-grain bread.
Keep an eye out, as I seem to be enjoying my picture posts :D
thegreenbaker
Comments
Greenbaker, that treacle loaf is picture perfect, and the slashing is beautiful.
Your swamp monster looks friendly enough to me.
Thanks browndog :)
I think I have hit the mark with the treacle loaf. :) but, it may be time to do some experimenting :)
The Monster tastes quite good though, so it makes up for the size and lack or aesthetics !
Wow Greenbaker! You were pretty brave fitting that bottom loaf on your stone ;) I think I might have abandoned the stone after that - glory goes to the brave!
~Tablebread
lol Thanks Tablebread :)
I think I figured it might juuust fit....I didnt realise how big the thing grew!
Yet, we learn from these things and make beter bread because of it :)
I think you really did a good job!
Thats a great looking bread to me.
Well done...
TT
Thanks TT,
It tastes great :) but Marzipan always tastes great :D
You should get the Press On Regardless Award for your "glop monster". It "emerged" very nicely. Both of your breads looks terrific. Nice going.
holds99
Thanks Holds99.
It certainly was a bit of an effort getting this thing off the baking shet onto the stone and for a moment there it stuck to the oven door when I cosed it, but, after some fiddling, it fit. lol. :)
Next time....smaller loaved!
G.B.
I swear I was going to ask you how you managed to get your stollen off the back of the baking sheet and onto the (round) pizza stone without losing it, but thought I better stay away from that one. You did good, very good with your "transfer" to the round stone.
Don't know if you're interested but what I did, in my oven, was purchase 2 large square pizza stones from a cooking store in the outlet mall. I measured the dimensions of one of my oven racks and as it turned out the demensions of the oven rack was (approximately) the same size as 1 1/2 of the pizza stones I purchased. So, I measured and marked one of the stones so that when it was cut approximately in half it (along with the full size stone) they would fit nicely onto the oven rack covering 95% of the rack. At Home Depot here in St. Augustine, FL (in the ceramic tile department) they have a water saw (a ceramic tile dealer or installer might also be willing to do the cut). Home Depot will make a cut for $.50us (50 cents). Anyway, I took the newly purchased pizza stone to Home Depot and had them make one cut, to the correct size, using their water saw, which keeps a steam of water flowing over the area being cut in order to keep it cool and prevent dusting, cracking or breaking while the stone is being cut. I put the full size stone and the cut piece onto the oven rack where I do my baking and it works very nicely. You'll have to heat them up prior to baking for about an hour. If either or the pieces of stone get gummed up from baking I just take them out of the oven and scrape them and with a metal bench scraper to clean them, then put them back onto the oven rack. The stones keep any spill-over off the racks and oven floor. Periodically, I leave the stones in the oven when I run the oven on "clean" cycle and all the spills and marks just turn to ash and (after the stones completely cool) they can be brushed off, leaving them nearly like new. You will have a seam where the two stones meet but it will be a smooth seam that fits together tightly, if you have your cut made with the water saw. The square stones are typically slightly thicker than round stones, which make them more durable. I have seen a stone that they make that has sides on to ceate a hearth effect in the oven but my guess is they're expensive and it looks like you lose some oven space, on each side, when using it so I opted for the flat, square pizza stone for my solutiion and they work great. This arrangement gives you the option of baking either round or larger square pizzas and more bread baking capacity in your oven. Good luck and, as I said before, thanks for posting your stollen recipe. I plan to try it this weekend.
holds99