Bread Thread - Page 9

This is the one we were given. Our very own food celebrity even wrote a blurb on the back: http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Reinhart.../dp/1580089984

woah i know a food celebrity. kinda

I have been meaning to pick this up as I have 2 other Reinhart books. Both have taught me a ton, but the BBA is really the star of the show. I heard the Artisan Bread Everyday uses the same layout as BBA. He has a great blog as well that you should check out.

I usually am... I'm reading a book on foraging wild plants and there's a chapter about acorns and how to make flour and bread from them. I might try it.

I'd be very interested in your results with this. I once made bread from coconut flour that came out surprisingly well.

care to share a recipe?
I bought coconut flour on a whim last weekend, and now I'm not sure what recipe to try.

Sure. It's a fairly simple recipe.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cups coconut oil (or butter)
1-2 tablespoon honey, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup coconut flour

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350. Whisk it all together, or blend in a food processor until all lumps are gone. Grease a bread pan with butter or coconut oil and pour your batter in. Bake for 40 minutes.

You can also use it to make pancakes, and I've made a really nice coconut crusted chicken with it and some coconut flakes. It's serves as a nice, healthy alternative to AP flour.

Ok, thanks, this looks rather... rich.

Today I had a great bread victory. For me at least:

Looks professional.
What gives most breads dry crust, like yours? Why is it rarely shiny, smooth crust? I realize it is something in a recipe but what?

My guess is that you would either need a higher fat bread, or more likely one you brush with egg wash before baking. There really isn't anything in bread, water and yeast to get shiney.

Actually, when you don't do anything to the dough, the bread's crust turns out pretty matte. You can increase the effect by rolling it in or sprinkling it with flour. To get the shiny effect, you wash the dough before you stick it in the oven. Most simply, this means just making it wet with water. You can also wash with an egg/water mix for extra shininess. If you create steam during baking, it makes for a smooth and crunchy surface.

Just made some pretzel bread. Not sure why but they were an absolute failure. Flavor is OK I guess but nothing else is that good.

Then again, considering the poster who made them...not surprising.

^ new fan? If pretzels failed, try bagels. They are made pretty much the same way, but bagels seem to turn out better for me than pretzels.

In case anyone is interested...one of the more respected French-style bakeries that I frequent seem to consider this as a bible:

Pains spéciaux et décorés, tome 1
Roland Bilheux (Auteur), Alain Escoffier (Auteur), Daniel Hervé (Auteur), Jean-Marie Pouradier (Auteur)


I just did a search on Amazon and it seems it was released in English as "Special and Decorative Breads" but is now out of print. Used versions seem to be very pricey.