Spring 2016

The long Easter weekend, ah, who doesn't like it after long, dark and uninspiring winter days? For me, Easter weekend formally signals Spring. The longer days, warmer temperature and unstoppable sings of life, everywhere you look, how can not anyone feel cheerful?

Today is Easter Monday, the last day of the long weekend. The sun is out and the wind (thanks Storm Katie) has subsided. Time to get the flower seeds in the ground!

I planted Zinnia and African Marigold in three pots each. Also, I put two begonia corms in the ceramic pot on the terrace, and sowed some tomato seeds which were thrown in for free by the vendor. Our world may still be going through some turbulence but at least in my 15-sq meter garden I can toss my worries away for a moment to have a sense of pure joy, just being alive.

Weekend dinner - 26/03/2016

To all Belgian people, the shock and horror does not lessen a bit when the news crossed the sea. Our thoughts are with you.

Belgian beef stew/Carbonnade a la flamande

Carrot and tarragon puree

Blanched broccoli

Bread of the week, 20/03/2016

Sesame and linseed bread

Variations done to the basic recipe include:

1) 50% of the flour is all-purpose
2) 2 tablespoons of white sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of linseeds added in the beginning before autolyse.

The all-purpose flour seems to absorb less water than high-protein bread flour. It was so sticky that I had to add a couple of tablespoons of bread flour. I am not sure whether the high ratio of all-purpose flour is a reason as why the crumb structure is not as open as before.

The plus side is the flavor is nice. The sesame seeds came through nicely.

My simple versatile loaf

I learned a great deal of bread making by reading and re-reading Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet. It's a great book and a good reference for almost anything baking. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about baking. I also benefit much by several bread forums across the internet. They are truly useful source of information and experiences to learn bread baking.

There are two things which improve my bread baking tremendously. The first is "autolyse" and the second is "stretch-and-fold". By harnessing both techniques, not only does it make dough handling a lot easier and pleasurable (machines not needed!), but also produces satisfying outcomes. Especially with "stretch-and-fold" technique, it regularizes and strengthens the gluten structure. As a result, the dough holds bubbles much better and gives an attractive look of an open crumb structure in the baked product.

Below is the recipe I use for a basic white loaf. If you are a beginner, start with 65% hydration. It's less sticky and easier to work with. If you are more experienced, go up to 70% (or even higher). This basic recipe is highly adaptable for different flavors, shapes and flexible with processing time. The pictures below are all based on the same recipe, with different variations (shown at the end). I hope you give it a go.

Plain white

Cranberry and linseed

Rye and caraway

Cranberry loaf

My simple versatile loaf

Basic recipe

400g white bread flour
260-280g tepid water (65%-70% hydration, water/flour ratio)
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp diastatic malt powder/flour (optional)
1 tsp table salt

oil to manipulate the dough

Mixing

In a large bowl, mix together tepid (bloodwarm) water, yeast and sugar. Stir in flour and diastatic malt powder (if using). Gently knead a few times to form a ball. The dough doesn't have to be smooth but has to come together as a ball without visible dry specks of flour. Rest the dough in a covered bowl for at least 30 minutes. Longer time is fine. I sometimes leave it overnight in a cold room (15-18C). This step is called autolyse, a process when gluten starts to form. Gluten forming is a chemical process, with or without kneading. I find kneading much easier and quicker when the dough has autolysed for at least 30 minutes. It is important not to add salt at this stage as salt greatly inhibits gluten formation. Traditional autolyse does not include yeast but I find no discernible difference when adding yeast at this stage.

After 30 minutes (or longer), the dough is relaxed and stretchy at the same time. Knead in the salt now. It usually takes me kneading 20 times to incorporate the salt fully. Gentle does it. There is no need to be violent with the bread dough. The dough should become less sticky and quite smooth now.

After the salt is well mixed in, rest the dough for 10 minutes. After that, lightly oil the dough all over, inside of the bowl, your hands and working top. This helps the following the short kneading step greatly. Lightly knead the dough for 30 seconds and shape it into a ball. Cover the dough. You are ready to start the first stage of fermentation/proofing.

First fermentation

During the first stage of fermentation, I aim to proof my dough at least risen twice as large. It will take about 2 hours depending on the room temperature. If it volumes up too quickly, deflate the dough slightly by kneading it back to a ball and start again. During the first stage of proofing, perform the "stretch-and-fold" technique (at least) three times, at regular intervals. Grease your hands and the dough if it's sticky. Here is the video example of "stretch-and-fold".

Shaping and final fermentation

When the dough has risen twice its starting size, tip it out onto a floured surface. Pat the dough out into a rectangular shape. Roll it up (like a swiss roll) or fold it like a blanket into a batard. This is the easiest shape for me as a beginner. Remember to roll along the short side of the rectangle. Here is a video for batard shaping.

After shaping the dough into a desirable form, let it proof the last time, in a proofing basket (banneton) or a floured surface. Cover the dough with greased cling film. I like to proof my bread again almost twice its starting volume here. Some say you only need 50% larger. I get better results when I final proof my bread twice as large. Feel free to experiment.

Baking

When the dough is about twice as large, preheat the oven as high as your oven would allow (>200C) for 15 minutes. If you have a baking stone (or pizza stone), put it inside the oven now. If you only have baking sheet pan (as I do), put it in as well. 10 minutes into preheating, pour 1 cup of freshly boiling water into a baking tray (or a skillet) and stick it into the oven. The location doesn't really matter. The aim is to create steam in the oven before the dough goes in. Steaming creates a crackling and chewy crust which many of us like.

After preheating the oven for 15 minutes, slash or score the bread dough if you like and put it on top of the pre-heated baking stone or sheet pan. Some people suggest spritzing water on top of the bread dough to encourage an “ear” formation - a raised flap of crust at the edge of a cut. Brushing the dough with water before slashing is another way to create crust,if you don't have a spritzer (I don't).

Bake the bread at 200C/fan for 15 minutes with the pan of water in. After 15 minutes, remove the water tray, reduce the temperature to 180C/fan and bake for another 20 minutes. If the bread browns too quickly, cover the top with a sheet of foil. When the total baking time reaches 35 minutes, reduce the temperature to 100C for another 5 minutes. The total baking time is 40 minutes. After that, turn the heat off and leave the oven door ajar to let the bread cool slowly in the turned-off oven.

The above baking procedure is based on my electric fan-assisted oven and also to create my preferred final look (not dark brown, just golden bronze). You may need to adjust the baking time/temperature for your oven and to create the loaf you like.

Variation 1: playing with the flour mix

Mixing different flour brings depth and taste to the final product. I try to keep the white bread flour at 75% of the total flour weight. This is to ensure a good rise in the final product. The more wholemeal wheat or rye flour you add, the less dough will rise. Experiment with different flours and find your favorite combo.

My favorite combo is to use the following flour combination and follow the rest of the basic recipe.

100 g wholemeal spelt flour (sometimes 50 g rye + 50 g spelt)
300 g white bread flour

Variation 2: playing with different liquid and spice add-ins

One of my favorite recipes from Dan Lepard is his Black Pepper Rye Bread. The genius behind this recipe is to use coffee instead of water to make the dough. There is no need to use expensive espresso. The instant will do. The end product doesn't taste any coffee, but has a nice delicate toasty flavor, perfect with caraway and black pepper add-ins.

Follow the basic recipe but with the following changes.
260-280g coffee Americano in place of plain water
2 tsps caraway seeds
1 tsp ground black pepper

You can also add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt to the mixing water. Or go as far as you dare like in this Yogurt Bloomer recipe. This will create a light sourdough taste. Or, use milk or soya in place of water to create a more tender crumb.

Variation 3: playing with dried fruits, nuts and seeds

Simply add in a handful of dried cranberries to the basic recipe will change your daily loaf to a nice breakfast toast! I try to avoid raisins unless I can make sure I can hide them well inside the dough. They tend to char more severely than cranberries.

Follow the basic recipe or Variation 1 with a handful of dried cranberries (and 1 tablespoon of golden linseeds) added in during mixing.