Brioche
I'm fascinated about the lovely brioche doighs I see on videos, and in pics here. Can a brioche dough be used in the same way as any other dough? That is, can they be baked in loaf pand, as well as on baking stones? Why is brioche so often braided? Can o si ply make rolls, cinnamon bums, etc. With the same basic brioche dough?
I know these are basic, questions, but I really want to know about brioche.... I'm not even sure I understand just what it is.
Thanks
Sandy
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 21, 2011 at 3:14 am
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Brioche dough is a rich, sweet dough with eggs and butter in it. Great in loaf pans, as buns or braids. Often braided, just to make it look pretty. Because of the high sugar and fat content, it is usually baked at a lower temp than normal plain breads. Sometimes flavoured with spices or almond extract, it has many variations from the true French Brioche to other more exotic forms.
Also because it is a rich dough, it will take longer to rise than usual, so don't be impatient with it!
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 21, 2011 at 5:33 am
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Sandra.... I'm such a beginner.... Do you think Brioche would be too tricky for me? The Blog article, with accompanying pictures are very encouraging.
Actually, brioche dough looks so soft and lovely, I just want to get my hands on some. I'm looking at all the brioche related vide os I can find.
Sandy
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 21, 2011 at 11:57 am
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I'm sure you would be fine! Read and re read the recipe and the instructions and then read again. Have the recipe and blog either in front of you or printed out and follow it.
Follow any specific instructions like having soft or hard butter, don't substitute anything in a recipe until you have made it successfully at least once.
Personally I don't like to ice my brioche, just glaze and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
It tastes really good and is lovely with preserves or just as is or buttered.
Go for it!
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 21, 2011 at 12:02 pm
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Just because you are a beginner doesn't mean you will have a problem with this dough.
Yes, it is buttery and soft and enticing to look at and feel. And, in my book, that means you should jump right in and try it! Go slow and be patient. Plan what you want. Rolls (the easiest), a loaf (braided, a little more difficult or panned), sweet rolls (a little more time-consuming)? The list can go on indefinitely, but if I were you, I would make the dough and then portion out rolls into round pans (so they will rise close to each other) and make these wonderful rolls for dinner.
I have used brioche dough done like this, par baked them and frozen them for later baking and consumption. But that is a later story. For now go ahead and do it. You will not be disappointed!
Oh, yeah, let us know how it went. Have a great Sunday dinner!
Oh, and no baking stone. This dough is too rich for the stone. It will probably stick to the stone and I'm sure it will burn because the stone has to be so hot. So, no stone.
~Cindy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 21, 2011 at 1:57 pm
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Cindy, Sandra, Paddy... Thank you so much for encouraging me. I've spent the last hour watching videos re. Brioche.... millissamakesmbread has the best one. I plan to watch that one a couple more times.
I plan to ise txhe basic brioche recipe (KA) when I finally do this... I think I will do a regular loaf, and some rolls. MBB did the little tete rolls, and an unbraided loaf. They looked wonderful.. So rich and yummy. How would a large round loaf do? I could bake it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I think the simple round loaves are so pretty.... Should I score it?
I will probably start Monday afternoon/evening, so the dough can rest in the fridge overnight... I don't work on Tuesday. That will give me plenty of time to be prepared!
Today is my regular day to make my husband's favorite bread.... The Country White, with one to one Ana half cups of KAWWW. He's a white. Read kind of guy, so.....
Oh... I noticed that Melissa used KA Bread Flour.... Is BF the recommended flour for brioche?
Thanks again.... I will let you all know how it goes... I promise to have all instructions and my fav video at hand. Love my iPad... I usually work from it when following a recipe... I can make the print nice and big, which is a godsend.
Sandy
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 21, 2011 at 3:33 pm
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Sandy, a few thoughts, and I'm sure other people will have some.
1. This bread is very soft so I don't think it would do well as a free-form round loaf. I'm afraid it would spread out too much without some support. Braiding tends to tighten up the loaf to keep it from spreading. I have not tried a round free-form loaf, so this is just my opinion. Maybe someone else can comment from experience.
2. And scoring it would just release the fragile, surface tightness of the loaf and make it spread and flatten out even more. Again, just my opinion.
3. I would not use bread flour. Not sure why that was recommended. I would be interested in hearing the reasoning. I would stick with all AP flour. This is a gentle dough, don't forget.
4. And I, too, love my iPad. I'm using it now! :-)
~Cindy
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 21, 2011 at 3:59 pm
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I agree about the free form, probably not a good idea, especially for a beginner. Freeform usually is a problem for beginners anyway, without the complication of a soft rich dough!
As for the flour, in the UK I used to make brioche happily with what was labelled at 14% protein, here I make do with 10% with no problem, so it can't be too fussy!
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 21, 2011 at 4:51 pm
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Cindy... Thanks for the tips... I'll keep them all in mind when I start my new adventure into brioche-land. I'm a little apprehensive, because I know this is a gentle dough... Even the "punching down" is more like a gentle lift.
But, nothing ventured gained..... So, I am going to give it a try....
I am in the middle of making my Country White Bread... It's a Taste of Home recipe, and is so good. There are two eggs and a half cup of sugar in it... My husband loves it, so I make at least two loaves every week. I sometimes give one to my daughter, or my son. Our elderly neighbors get their share of fresh bread too.
I use my iPad a lot.... More than my desktop.... It's so handy. I live storing recipes on it, and just bringing them up in the kitchen.... Although I have a folder for hard copies of my favorites, and recipes I want to try.
Only problem is that this key oars is so sensitive..... It can be a challenge.... You have to watch, because the iPad will actually change words on you.... And, it always wants to split my username into two words. That can be a pain, when trying to register for something or getting into a site. But, I would not trade this little toy for anything.... M daughter has a second generation iPad, too, so we can "call" each other and actually see each other.... Not always a good thing, either!
Got to check on the bread.
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 21, 2011 at 5:08 pm
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Sandra... I agree with you and Cindy re. Free form bread. Maybe later....
The video I liked did show A brioche being baked in a loaf pan, though. I can do that, as well as rolls.
What part of the UK do you live in? We live in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area. I was born in Northern Kentucky, though.
Thanks for the advice.
Sandy
(really Cassandra....)
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 21, 2011 at 6:07 pm
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I think you will do just fine with your brioche outing. Just go slow and be patient. If you have a problem, don't panic, just hop on here and yell. Someone will be happy to help.
I have a first generation iPad. Which is probably good right now. My daughter has a 2nd gen and I'm not sure I'm ready for her and the grandkids to "see" Gammy in some of my more disheveled states! :-)
I'll be looking for your posts on Tuesday. Try to keep the screams of joy to a minimum.
~Cindy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 7:12 am
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Yeah... I'm not always thrilled when called on my iPad! The good thing about it is that I can see the boys, the bad thing (sometimes), is that they can see me!
I think I will start the brioche on Tuesday..... Is there a limit to the time the dough can stay in the fridge? I will gave to make it in the late afternoon... I have music practice at seven.... Will get home after eight-thirty... Too late for me to start bread. Although, since I will only be starting it, maybe not. By that time of day, I am usually more than "done".
Actually, if I have the energy, I could start it after Michael's seventh grade open house, this evening... Have to work today. We'll see.
In any case, this is the week.
The Country White Bread turned out just fine.... I kneaded it in the KA, for the first time.... Just gave it a little hand kneading when I took it out of the KA.... It needed a little more flour.
Time to get ready for work... After a second cup of coffee, of course.
Sandy
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 22, 2011 at 8:24 am
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Sandy,
I'm English but living in southern Spain! Originally from Bristol, lived in Wales for many years.
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 22, 2011 at 8:41 am
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Sandy, the dough can stay in the fridge over night just make sure the ZipLoc or bowl is large enough to allow for rising. You can punch it down in the morning and leave it in the fridge until you are ready to pan it. Remember, you need to allow it to come to room temp, at the very least, before you will see it wake up and begin the final rise. So allow time for that, 1-2 hours.
You could easily make the dough tonight, put it in the fridge and pan and bake tomorrow afternoon.
Good luck and have fun!
~Cindy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 9:23 am
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Spain is one of the countries I would really like to visit. My favorite saint, St. Teresa of Avila is from there!
I hear it is very hot in Spain.... I've seen some of the country, via Househunters International (TV show).... But, I would very much like to see it in prerson/
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 9:36 am
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Tonight it will be!
Another question...will they never end?
I have printed out the KA brioche recipe.... It seeems to be very straightforward.... Should not be too hard to follow.
However, the videos I have been watching all have you do a sponge first, rest the sponge, add the flour and the butter goes in separately.... Sort of at the end....piece by piece.
What is the difference? I like the simplicity of the KA recipe,and it got great reviews..... But, I can't help wondering about the difference in recipes.
http://www.vitalrecipe.com/view/60zoct04o/brioche-part-1-from-melissamak...
This is Melissa's video...Part I.... What do you think?
Sandy
PS... The KA recipe gives you the option of adding an extra egg yolk.... That would be three whole eggs, plus one egg yolk (so you can use the white later).... Should I do this?
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 22, 2011 at 9:52 am
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I'd go for the simplest option first of all and see how you get on. If results are good, then why complicate things?
As for the extra egg yolk, depends if you have a use for the white!
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 22, 2011 at 9:59 am
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Frankly, for your first try, I would use the KAF recipe. If you decide to play around with the recipe in the future, then try making the sponge and whatever other changes you want to improve on the original. But, that said, KAF recipes are really never fail.
The extra egg yolk will add more color and richness to the dough. If you live in the country or can buy eggs from someone with the really fresh, yellow/orange yolks, then you don't need the extra yolk. The store bought eggs we get now are so anemic that the extra yolk helps boost the richness and color. And, I think the richness is what you really want, so do it. You won't be sorry. Use the egg white for your egg wash.
Many very rich doughs have you knead the butter in at the end. Julia Child has a video and recipe with this technique. But, again, this is your first attempt, go slowly and do the KAF recipe. You can experiment with the more difficult techniques when you have mastered the easy ones.
Ask as many questions as you want. That's what we are here for.
~Cindy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 22, 2011 at 11:00 am
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Peter Reinhart has (I think) three different recipes for brioche dough in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I think the difference is how much butter is in them. (Brioche is still on my list of things to try.)
He also has a comment about adding the butter at the end, saying that with high fat doughs it is often desirable to knead the dough and then rest the dough for 20-30 minutes to let the gluten develop before adding the fat, because once the fat coats the gluten-forming proteins they behave differently.
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on August 22, 2011 at 11:11 am
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My guess is it's braided for several reasons. One is that there's a bit of the artist in everybody, and back in the day, life was so hand to mouth, that there were seldom many opportunities for most of us to express that - except through the every day tasks and chores that survival required, like baking, knitting, or whatever craft was part of a person's daily life.
Someone, somewhere, undoubtedly braided bread just because they could, and because it was pleasing to the eye, and because it brightened their day and lifted their spirits and the spirits of others just that little bit. What one person can do, others will see and imitate.
Also there are practical reasons for braiding a soft dough - such as the fact that nobody had loaf pans back then. Braiding a soft dough like that gave you a compact package that wouldn't spread or take up a lot of room and would be more easily baked on the hearth.
For the professional baker, braiding a loaf made it easily identifiable. Many "artisan" breads - which back in the day was all bread - have distinctive shapes. In a world where reading and writing were the exception rather than the rule, being able to look at a loaf and know what it was would have been very nearly a requirement for a bakery.
There are braided breads all over the world, and as far as I know they are mostly sweet breads baked for special occasions. Given that most people worked sunup to sundown and beyond, it's not surprising that a time consuming task like braiding bread would have been reserved for special occasions.
Here are some pictures of the braiding process.
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 22, 2011 at 11:25 am
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Braiding, like other aspects of shaping bread dough, has an impact on the taste, in large part because it changes the amount of surface area. Even the areas where the braids touch can bake up just a bit differently.
Every now and then I get on a braiding kick and braid just about everything. I have yet to master a six strand braid, though.
I think one of my favorite was the time I braided the two colors of dough in Peter Reinhart's marbled rye bread, using a four strand braid.
I have two breads I make that look very similar when baked. To differentiate between them, I always put diagonal slashes on one of them (a semolina bread) and not on the other (honey whole wheat). I have a third bread (Peter R's Broom Bread from his whole grains book) that also looks somewhat similar, so to differentiate it I coat the outside with rolled oats.
In a busy bakery, shaping, slashing and decorating is probably one of the ways they keep the staff from grabbing the wrong loaf for a customer.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 11:44 am
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Cindy and Sandra,
Thanks.....I do have a friend who actually raises chickens, and therefore has wonderful fresh eggs, but she lives in Indiana! So, will use the three whole eggs and one yolk...
I agree...I'm going for the simplest way to do this...The recipe got wonderful reviews, so I know it is good... Actually, I have loved all KA recipes I have tried, so I'm confident this one will be good, too.
Cindy....I actually saw the Julia Child video....She was so special.... I wish I had paid more attenetion to her... But, thankfully, there are great JC videos to watch. I especially love the one where Julia slaps the heck out of her bread dough. No gentle nudges....She really whacked that dough!
As I have said, I'm not much of a cook anymore, but am finding my interest in cooking is perking up, now that I am into bread baking.... My husband will just have to get used to the occsional new thing....
Thanks again for the hand-holding..... I'm stopping at the store for more butter (after getting a much, much needed hair cut), so I can put the brioche dough together this evening... I'm so excited.... I've never tasted brioche.... and I am beginninig to understand that this dough can be used in a lot of ways....
Sandy
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on August 22, 2011 at 1:36 pm
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Probably (has an impact on taste), which also probably contributed to why it was so widely perpetuated. But I rather doubt somebody got up one morning and said to themselves, "I'm going to braid this dough this morning because it'll make it taste better!"
Having done it, and having discovered a difference in taste (one would assume a POSITIVE difference), the baker may have thought to herself, "Hmmm, not only is that pretty, but it was easier to bake and it tastes good, too!". But, like much other food lore (the vast majority of it IMO), the original impetus would have been more trial and error with serendipitous results.
Think yoghurt. Or cheese. ESPECIALLY cheese. Who in their right mind would have said, "Wow, I think I'll put some milk in a calf's stomach and slosh it around until it turns into a sour stinky ball, then I'll stash it in this cave here and wait for it to be covered with fuzzy blue mold, THEN I'll eat it! That'll be good!" LOL!
I just think we don't fully recognize the pleasure human beings get from creating beauty, and how strong that impulse is in us. I think we would braid bread even if it made no difference at all to the taste. The fact that it did gave us an EXCUSE to continue it, but I don't believe for an instant it's why we started.
Pottery. Early potters didn't HAVE to decorate their pots. Burnishing, firing, eventually glazing - all of these served functional purposes. Potters didn't HAVE to decorate their pots, and yet they so frequently did. "How can I make this pot hold water better" was answered fairly quickly, all things considered, yet the search for techniques to decorate pots went far beyond the simply functional. I think we do that - search for beauty - in nearly every human endeavor, all the time.
Those bakers centuries ago didn't HAVE to braid their breads. Yet they did. These days, we don't HAVE to bake at all. Yet many of us do. It's the human way, to make something pleasing and to be pleased in the making.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 4:38 pm
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The KArecipe calls for butter..of course.... I'm assuming that means regular, salted butter. Some recipes call for unsalted!
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 22, 2011 at 4:49 pm
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Sandy, since the recipe calls for 1 1/4 tsp salt I would use unsalted butter. You might call the KAF help line just to be sure, but I always use unsalted butter. You can always add salt, but taking it out is a whole 'nuther animal.
~Cindy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 22, 2011 at 7:49 pm
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I think King Arthur's standard policy is to assume unsalted butter. I only buy unsalted butter these days, because salt is something I add when and in the quantity I want, not at the whim of someone else. (And I am NOT insulted if someone adds salt at the table.)
If using salted butter, I'd reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by about 1/8 of a teaspoon per stick of butter, though some brands of butter can be significantly more salty than that.
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 22, 2011 at 7:53 pm
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Cheese is one of the oldest manufactured foods, I suspect it didn't take long for people to figure out how to make cheese once they started raising animals for milk. (And just who figured THAT out?)
It may even have been discovered by accident. Someone put some milk in a pouch of some kind (like a cow's stomach), carried it around with them on a warm day, and by the time they were ready to eat lunch it had turned into a soft cheese.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 8:05 pm
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Cindy.... Just called the Baker's Hotlime, and sure enough... It's unsalted butter.... When I went to Kroger's today....AFGER work... I bought both salted and unsalted Land 'O Lakes... Just in case.... I did NOT want to make a trip there just when I finally get started.
Now I'm all set.... I'm going to set the butter out to soften in a few minutes. I'm hoping to begin to ight... Depends on how I feel.... It's getting a bit late for me.... I need to be at my daughter's house by six-fifteen, in the morning....to see 12 hear old Michael off on his frst day of Jr. High..., so I might just begin when we ge home. If I got the dough ready for the fridge by 8:30 or 9:00, it could ferment until around six... Then I could shape it, and go to ten year old Alex's first orchestra meeting, and my own vocal ensemble practice (church)... I would be home by 8:45.... Time to put the bread into the oven.
Of course, if I started tonight, it could be in the oven by noon tomorrow.... That would be the best... So, I'd better get started.... Or not..... I still need to do soe laundry, and wash mynhair... There are simply NOT enough hours in a Baker's day. (sigh)
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 9:24 pm
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Cindy.... Just called the Baker's Hotlime, and sure enough... It's unsalted butter.... When I went to Kroger's today....AFGER work... I bought both salted and unsalted Land 'O Lakes... Just in case.... I did NOT want to make a trip there just when I finally get started.
Now I'm all set.... I'm going to set the butter out to soften in a few minutes. I'm hoping to begin to ight... Depends on how I feel.... It's getting a bit late for me.... I need to be at my daughter's house by six-fifteen, in the morning....to see 12 hear old Michael off on his frst day of Jr. High..., so I might just begin when we ge home. If I got the dough ready for the fridge by 8:30 or 9:00, it could ferment until around six... Then I could shape it, and go to ten year old Alex's first orchestra meeting, and my own vocal ensemble practice (church)... I would be home by 8:45.... Time to put the bread into the oven.
Of course, if I started tonight, it could be in the oven by noon tomorrow.... That would be the best... So, I'd better get started.... Or not..... I still need to do soe laundry, and wash mynhair... There are simply NOT enough hours in a Baker's day. (sigh)
Sandy
PS..... The best load plans..... Wednesdsy is my new Brioche Day..... Tomorrow is just too filled with grandboys to try something so new to me... I don't want to feel rushed.... Too easy to make mistakes. the day will start at around 4:30, and go from there.... Michael's bus comes at six-thirty, and we wNt go take him his favorite McDonald's breakfast.....
So.... Wednesday it will be. I have something to do in the afternoon, but I can work around that.
I do plan to bake tomorrow, though. My husband has requested another pineapple upside-down cake. He got only one piece of the last one... The girls at the baby shower loved it.
Thanks for hanging in there with me...
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 22, 2011 at 10:49 pm
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Cindy... You are so right about there being only ONE first day at Jr. High. I was in the hospital for Michael!'s first day of school... And I still remember how I cried. He is the oldest of my daughter's four sons, and we have always been ver close.
BTW... My son's only child started his Junior year in high school today. He's driving now, so was very proud to drive himself to school....
Being a grandmother is the best... Much better than being a mom! My five grandboys are my life.
Who else would I get up at four-thirty for, or sit through a frigid night of football (which I don't understand), just to see him play on the award winning marching band? Who else would I take swim,ing, on a day when I felt really bad.... Only for a grandchild....
Sandy.... Heading off to bed...
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on August 23, 2011 at 10:12 am
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You know for years I bought into the hype about salted versus unsalted butter. But I finally stopped, just because trying to keep both kinds around is a pain. And I was never that rigorous about it to start with. I gradually realized that it makes no detectable difference to the flavor whatsoever, and that's not just me, but everyone who ever eats any of my baked goods. Including my son who is hypersensitive to salt.
I never worry about it anymore, and buy unsalted butter only for making ghee, where it really DOES make a difference.
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- Reply by mrscindy on August 23, 2011 at 10:17 am
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For the same reasons you have just stated, I buy all unsalted. Don't know why, I just do. Husband has a very small heart problem and over salts his food (I frown and roll my eyes a lot), so maybe subconsciously this is a way to regulate what I can.
~Cindy
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 23, 2011 at 11:39 am
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Where it makes a difference, it is where you use unsalted instead of salted without adding salt to a recipe that needs it. I made scones a while back and thought they didn't taste good, then realised I had forgotten to add any salt at all and used unsalted butter. Not good. Here I buy unsalted because it is cheaper, the UK is the only European country I think where unsalted costs more!
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on August 23, 2011 at 12:54 pm
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Unsalted used to cost significantly more here in the US. Of late it seems to be about the same as salted, or just slightly more.
I do not at all care for the taste of unsalted butter on toast or pancakes etc. I've even made buttercream frosting using salted butter and there have been no issues with flavor, though I know of others who insist you can't use salted butter in buttercream.
I pretty much habitually cut the amount of salt in any given recipe, but whether I remember to do that or not, it doesn't make any discernible difference to the taste for anyone eating my baked goods.
Land O'Lakes, btw, is one of the more highly salted butters. I think it's around 4% salt by weight whereas most butters are under 2% these days.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 23, 2011 at 4:37 pm
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Wow... You are well traveled.... Hoe do you like Spain? What is the music like there... And the fabric? I would so love to visit!
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 23, 2011 at 4:51 pm
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We were up by four-thirty... I need time to have coffee and wake up..... We picked up Cimnamon Sticks and bacon from Mickey D's, for Michael's breakfast, and got to their house around six... Gus came at nearly six-forty... We did NOT embarrass our twelve year old by going down to the busmstop with him, but waved from the driveway.... I came home, baked a quick oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (dare I admit it was a mix?), and was back there by 8:30, so Christy could take seven year oldmDaniel,for glasses... ten year old Alex then came home with me... He helped me make a pineapple upside-down cake for his Frandaddy.... When he left, I collapsed in chair and watched some Tv and dozed... I will soon be heading to Alex's school, for his first orchestra meeting... He wants to play the cello... Then, on to my own ensemble (vocal) practice.... THEN... Home.
I'll get everything ready tonight, so I cam get on the brioche early on the morning... Also need to make a sort of stroganoff (sp?) for supper... Using home made ground chicken meatballs..... I got a pound of in salted butter for the brioche.
Honestly.... I thought retirement meant slowing down!
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 23, 2011 at 4:55 pm
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Mike,
I love the way braided bread looks, and hope to learn how to do it. I always had trouble braiding hair, so..... Anyway, it looks like fun.
How do you know how long to the three strands?
Sandy
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- Reply by sandra Alicante on August 23, 2011 at 5:00 pm
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We have travelled all over Europe and seen beautiful places.
Love Spain for the climate (compared to the UK) and the laid back life. I'm not heavily into music but I do like some of the spanish stuff I hear. However, you are just as likely to hear English/American music when out and about. The area we live in is a little way inland from the south coast, mostly spanish here. Fabrics are a problem in this area, VERY expensive. It was so bad, I ordered a whole load from a shop in the UK and they sent it to me, which was great! The shops here are so specialised that it takes forever to find anything, even the spanish locals don't know where to buy things!
The countryside is varied, dry and quite barren in places, in others it looks like Cornwall or Devon, or like the Lake District! Not generally as pretty as France, Switzerland or Italy, particularly in building style. Remember the history of Spain meant that lots has been built in blocks of concrete in recent years. What annoys us is the graffiti which mars so many places. We can't understand it as most spanish homes are so neat inside, outside, they don't appear to care a lot. There are very pretty parts though, just not usually well sign posted!
The area we live in has loads of vineyards, orange trees, palms and olive trees line the streets, there a two golf courses nearby (both expensive) and lovely beaches within a 30 minute drive.
Loads of festivals throughout the year, especially in August and it has to be said that the spanish are NOT a quiet people! They don't start to party until late and continue till the not so early hours.....
sandrascookbook.com
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 23, 2011 at 5:46 pm
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A three-strand braid is the easiest to do, I just divide the dough into three equal parts and roll them all to the same length. The length of the braided bread is a little shorter than the length of the unbraided strands, but probably no more than 10% shorter. (The process of braiding the dough may stretch it a little.)
Doing a two-level celebration bread (which I like to do with Challah) can get a bit trickier, because the upper braid is smaller than the lower one. And trying to make a celebration wreath complicates things just a little bit more.
For two layer celebration Challah, I divide the dough into 3 pieces that are each 1/9th of the total weight, and 3 pieces that are each 2/9 of the total weight. (There's a calculator at my baking station just for tasks like this.)
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 6:47 am
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ZenSojourner..... Thank you for your thoughtful posts.
I didn't realize braiding could addect the taste of bread.... Just thought it looked pretty.
I am often amazed at how what used to be necessary tasks.... Bread baking, quilting, knitting, etc... Hve become hobbies.... And have become forms of artistic expression.
It seems that once we learn to do something, we are bound to try to make it better, prettier, bigger, smaller.... To change it in a way that makes it our own..... Just look at recipe reviews... Many Baker's just have to change a basic recipe... Adding something, exchanging something, taking something away...
Quilters are the same way.... Give us a pattern, and most quilters will change it in some way, to fit their own vision.... And that's the fun part..... I, for instance, have only once tried to duplicate a quilt... I usually just use a pattern as a jumping off place....
Like quilting, baking has developed in many ways over the centuries..... What was once done out of the necessity to keep warm and fed, are now ways to fulfill one's need for self expression.... Not to mention the fact that we lovemto gift others with our quits and breads.
The thing I love most about quilting and bread baking, is that they link me to the past.... When I am baking bread or piecing a quilt (I love hand piecing), I am very much conscious of the countless men and women who came before me... I can feel their influence... And see it in the development of baking/quilting. It's a pretty powerful thing... That connection to the past.
Bread baking and quilting both require patience, and force the " artist" to slow down a bit.... Which is not a bad thing. We, in our work, return to the basics of flour, salt, yeast and water, or soft cotton fabrics. And, we must allow these basics time.... You can't hurry some things up.... A good lesson to learn.
When we forget....and try to rush the process of bread baking and quilting, the results are often disappointing..... A dense loaf, mismatched seams....
So, I am happy to come to this place of patient creativity..... Even though I often stumble and make mistakes. I understand that while the end results matter... A perfect loaf or a beautiful (and useful) quilt, it is the process that gets us there... It is the process that we embrace.
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 7:19 am
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One ,sat thing... I am ready to begin.... The recipe calls for instant yeast....and only a quarter cup of lukewarm water.... I have only ADY in the house.... No instant.... Should I try to proof the ta lespoon of yeast in the quarter cup of water.... It just seems like such a small amount of water. And, if so, should I add a pinch of sugar (I usually do)?
Or, should I just throw the ADY inti the bowl, along with everything else.
Thanks...
Sandy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 24, 2011 at 9:11 am
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With ADY, you're usually better off blooming it, and that only takes a few minutes.
That's probably enough water to bloom the yeast, but surely there's some other liquid in it. Yeah, I'd throw a pinch of sugar or flour in just to give the yeast something to munch on.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 12:33 pm
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I proofed the yeast in the quarter cup of water.... It was a little messy, but finally dissolved and did it's thing. I actually like to do this.... There was no more liquid, other than the eggs....
The dough is on the fridge now.... Rising. VERY, VERY slowly.... I hope I kneaded it long enough. I fell asleep during the last knead in the KA, and had forgotten t set the timer... Jumped up and checked the dough. It looked well kneaded, but I don't really know how long it went.....
We'll see....
Am going out for a few hours..... Will continue when I return.
Is it supposed to rise that slowly in the fridge?
Sandy
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 12:35 pm
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I'm waiting, too..... I did proof the yeast.... As I told Mike, the dough is in the fridge now, and is rising vey slowly.... We'll see how it looks when I get back from the Y.
Sandy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm
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Yes, the cold slows down the growth of the yeast considerably, but not completely.
When I was testing the recipes for Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day book, one of his recipes called for an overnight rise in the refrigerator. It was in my biggest bowl and by morning was starting to go over the sides! I think he scaled the recipe down further after that.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 6:11 pm
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I can see that I should probably buy one of PR's books..... From what I gather, the man is a real teacher. Which one would you recommend? Remember..... I need simple!
Sandy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on August 24, 2011 at 6:33 pm
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The Bread Baker's Apprentice is probably the most general of Peter's books, though Artisan Breads Every Day covers some of the same ground, plus things like laminated dough for croissants, and may be written for a less experienced audience.
There's a group online baking their way through BBA, I haven't checked on them lately, I wonder if they're all the way through it yet?
The Whole Grains book is pretty specialized, and American Pie (pizzas) even more so.
Those are the four I have so far.
Each time I read through them, I gain new insights. Having had the opportunity to exchange quite a few emails with him during the testing and afterwards has been one of the best ongoing learning experiences I've had in the past 30 years. One of these days I'd like to meet him in person.
Jeffrey Hamelman's book, "Bread, a Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes" is also very good, but at times I think it may be oriented a bit more towards the professional baker than the home baker.
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- Reply by easyquilts on August 24, 2011 at 6:30 pm
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Guys.... I may cry.... The dough was in the fridge ALL day, and there was little... I'd any...rise. Could I have not kneaded it enough? Did I somehow kill my yeast (it was frothy when I added it to the dry ingredients)...
So... Not to be defeated by dough..... I wil start over tonight. I put the whole thing n a 9X$5 loaf pan, covered it, and am waiting to see what.... I'd anything.... Happens. In the meantime, I will start a new batch.... After I eat something....
I don't really mind starting over.... OK... I mind a little.... The recipe is so easy.... How could I have goofed it up?
I think it did not get kneaded properly.... To tell the truth, I have mo idea what happened.... Back to the drawing board (sigh).
Thank ypou all for being there for a confused beginner..
Sandyy
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