Farmers Market Month, Day 7: Bread

[rachelmanija]

I made bread from this recipe: My Mother's Peasant Bread. It was so easy, not a hassle as I wasn't planning to go anywhere anyway, and quite fascinating to do. I used a single two-quart bowl as I didn't have a one-quart. (The recipe says that's fine.)



After the second rising, it felt resilient, elastic, almost velvety, and somehow alive when I poked it, like some sea creature. Only dry rather than slimy.

It was a little doughy when I first sliced it, so I popped it back in the oven for five minutes and then it came out perfect:



The inside is light and fluffy, the crust is chewy, and the flavor is a pleasant, non-tangy bread-flavor. And that is exactly how I like my bread. I had some with butter, and some with browned butter/brown sugar.



It was so good that I had another slice with black sesame spread, and that was AMAZING.



I may never buy bread again.

Comments

[daidoji_gisei]

Given the right recipe and a small amount of care, bread will practically make itself. I'm glad your first loaf turned out so well for you!

I followed your link and it looks very interesting; I'm going to try it myself. If you feel like experimenting I urge you to use her cornmeal variation as a guide (cornmeal yeasted breads are wonderful, by the way) and play around with other flours.

RE: cakes vs bread: My mother very, very rarely made cakes. In college I met my best friend who one day casually mentioned that her mother had made all of her birthday cakes and I was just stunned--I hadn't even realized that such a thing was possible. But Mom made bread and cinnamon rolls every once in a while, and that was my inspiration for learning how to bake bread in my college years.

[rachelmanija]

Oh, good idea, thanks. I have some cornmeal so I'll try that next.

To make roast garlic bread, olive bread, etc, at what stage do you add them?

[graydon]

That very much depends!

First question with leavened bread additives is "what is this going to do to the yeast?" and that's a bit variable with the kind of olives.

https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-rustic-olive-bread/

gets the sponge going and then adds the olives and starts the rising process. I've run into recipes where the olives get added after there's been one or two risings.

Roasted garlic should be easier (less risk of oil or salt!) but should probably not go in before the sponge gets established. ("the sponge" -- the yeast is active and the bread dough has that unforgettable texture.)

[rosefox]

"Right before the last rise" is my rule of thumb for additives. So if there's only one rise, add at the end of kneading; if there are two rises, add as you punch down; etc.

There is one other option, which is to do a swirl as you're shaping the loaf before you put it in the oven. That way you know for sure it won't muck with the yeast, and you get fun striations of flavor. Roasted garlic would work pretty well for that, I think—ah, and at least one person on the internet agrees with me.

[musesfool]

Oh that garlic swirl bread looks great. *bookmarks recipe* Thanks!

[rachelmanija]

Thank you! Have now obtained Kalamata olives from today's market.