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Yeah no worries, I really like helping new bakers out, so it's no sweat. My biggest piece of advice I can give is to be patient! With the bread and also with yourself. If you don't think your bread is ready for the next step, let it go longer, and if you make a mistake, don't beat yourself up. Remember, it's only bread, and making a great loaf takes practice. I recommend picking up some literature. My favorite reference book is "Bread" by Jeffrey Hamelman, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1118132718/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466286149&sr=8-1&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=bread+jeffrey+hamelman

Also "Flour Water Yeast Salt" has a good step by step guide to basic sourdough and its simple variations. I forget the author of that one ATM.

As for practice, there's nothing you can really do besides make bread. Make sure you are equipped with the necessary tools though. You'll need a bowl scraper, a bench knife, kouche, a scale, and if you're not using a big industrial deck oven you'll need a cast iron or ceramic dutch oven (this is for steam. There's a lot of different methods for home bakers to steam their bread, but this I find works the best.) Probably the most important thing you can do in the mean time is read about "bakers percentage". It is a way of looking at a bread formula that turns anything into a ratio. It's super easy, and will help you really understand ratios of ingredients in the long run.


So, here's the scoop on Starter. Starter, or "preferment", is a general term for a culture of yeast feeding on carbohydrates found in flour. There are many types of starter that achieve different desired effects in the final product of the bread. The most versatile and popular starter is called "Levain". Levain will add sourness to your bread, increase shelf life, intensify flavor, strengthen gluten to make a chewy crumb (the soft spongy inside of bread with all the holes) and increase health benefits through longer fermentation. The method for making Levain is a multiple day process, and it could take 1 to 2 weeks to fully mature depending on the heat of your kitchen (the hotter, the faster) but as a rule of thumb, don't use your levain until at least 2 weeks just to be on the safe side. If Levain is too young the bread will not properly rise. Here is the equipment you'll need

A Mason jar

A cloth and a rubber band for the top

The method is simple. Yeast is already present all around you. In the air, on your hands, in flour, on the inside the Mason jar, everywhere! What you are trying to do is culture that yeast so it can reproduce fast enough to leven bread. The formula is as follows

100g water

100g white bread flour

Dash of honey

Sprinkle of raisins or any other dried fruit

The honey helps the yeast feed faster, and dried fruit has a TON of yeast on the skin, so adding these few ingredients will give your levain a kick start. If at any point your starter seems slow, you can add honey and raisins to the next batch to give it that jump start. So you mix these ingredients all together inside the Mason jar. Then cover the top with the cloth and rubber band, and put it in a warm place overnight. You do not want your starter to be cold, or the yeast will take forever to get mature.

So the next day you are going to "perpetuate" your starter. That means that your going to take a bit of the old starter and give it some fresh water and flour to feast on. You're going to want to do this in 24 hour intervals every day. Here's the formula you should follow for the first week:

100g water

50g white bread flour

50g whole wheat flour

15g yesterday's starter

Mix the 15g of starter with the 100g of water, then add the flour, it will make things easier. Once you make the new starter, you can throw the rest of yesterday's batch in the garbage, there really is no more use for it. You should taste your starter every day, you'll be amazed at how sour it gets. Also, if your starter isn't bubbling in at most 4 or 5 days, there is something wrong and you should start over. After the first week, you should change your formula to this:

80g water

70g white bread flour

20g whole wheat flour

10g rye flour

10g starter

Less water will stiffen the starter and make it move slower. The added white flour gives the yeast more starches to convert to carbs for food, and the rye will give the starter a pleasant acidic note, it will definitely come through in your bread. For a less sour starter, omit the rye flour and replace it with white bread flour. After a week, your starter should be mature! How you can tell if it has reached maturity is by taking a small pinch and putting it in a glass of warm water. If it stays together and floats to the top, you've got yourself mature starter! Simple as that. Now you can make delicious, nutritious, crusty French bread any time you want. I also find keeping a levain starter on deck makes me want to bake bread more often at home.

Something to keep in mind, if you forget to feed your starter, it is not the end of the world. Old starter can still be used to make new starter. After a few days of neglect, the starter will start to develop a small layer of grey alcohol on the top, and that's totally fine! The starter isn't "going bad" or anything, it's just run out of food, and the yeast cells have gone dormant. Remember, yeast is the most abundant microorganism on Earth, it has been around for millenia, it can survive a very long time without food. I've taken 3 week old starter, fed it for 2 days, and it was good as new, so whatever you do, DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR OLD STATER AND START OVER.

If feeding daily becomes expensive, I suggest using this formula

60g water

95g white bread flour or AP flour

5g rye flour

15g yesterday's starter

Let it sit out for about 3 - 5 hours, than keep this variation in the fridge, and feed it weekly. This is also good if you are going on vacation and don't have a way of feeding your levain every day. Just remember a few days in advance to switch it back to the other formula before you use it.

And it's as simple as that! Good luck on your home baking adventure. I find it to be immensely rewarding, and what's better than having fresh baked nutritious bread to feed friends and family? If you have any more questions, or you run into a problem, I'll be happy to help any way I can. There's a TON of information to absorb, and I know it can be a little overwhelming, so feel free to ask.

Happy baking!

Hi! I also recently started baking as a new hobby. I’m very much still a novice and still find it quite intimidating, but I’ve found quite a few decent vids and books that have helped me to get started...

Bake with Jack - really excellent channel filled with 4 min videos talking about terminology, equipment and technique:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTVR5DSxWPpAVI8TzaaXRqQ

Richard Bertinet’s Waitrose video. A bit basic but I find Bertinet’s mannerisms inspiring and the instructions are very useful. Different kneading technique too:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTVR5DSxWPpAVI8TzaaXRqQ

BBC Good Food basic bread recipe. There is probably a better basic recipe, such as the King Arthur one, but this is the first one I used. I halved the salt on this and it’s given me really nice bread every time:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2060/easy-white-bread

Brilliant Bread by James Morton. Only just digging into this book but it really is great. Lots of recipes and kneading advice etc. I’d recommend it to anyone:

https://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Bread-James-Morton/dp/0091955602

Flour Water Salt Yeast. I’ve not really delved into this much yet as I’m still getting used to the basics, but everyone on here seems to love it and it seems very well written (note:you’ll need a Dutch oven for this):

https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X

If you’re going no-knead/Dutch oven, I’d say it’s worth giving this a watch too, but I’d check the comments as well as a lot of people seem to be tweaking the recipe. A seemingly infamous video/recipe from NY Times:

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

Dough by Richard Bertinet. Another ace book filled with simple easy to follow recipes. Also comes with a short DVD, although I don’t know what’s on it as I’m yet to watch:

https://www.amazon.com/Dough-Simple-Contemporary-Richard-Bertinet/dp/1909487538

River Cottage basic white bread. Not the best instructions but I still found it a useful watch when very first starting out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTVWuw_SBSo

Not sure if these are 100% the best places to start but they’ve definitely helped me. I tend to google pretty much everything, which will lead you to a lot of useful sites too.

I hope these help, even if only a little. Im sure others will make some good suggestions here.

Happy baking!

The secret to the stretchy dough is actually two separate things, and as a home baker you can really only (reasonably) address one:

1. Pizzerias use a different type of flour than is available to home bakers. If you have been getting into bread baking you probably have a good understanding of how AP flour needs a lot more water than bread flour to reach its full hydration point, and even then has that "grittier" texture (which is part of why bread flour yields better texture when used in breads than AP). Pizzerias use grade 00 flour, which, on the spectrum of flours goes AP -> Bread -> Grade 00 in terms of the amount of water it needs to reach full hydration, and the difference between AP and Bread flour is comparable to the difference between Bread and Grade 00 flour. As a home baker, unless you want to shell out hefty money or have connections in a Pizzeria or food purveyor company, you have to make do with substituting bread flour for the 00 stuff.
   
   
2. Pizzerias almost always use cold fermentation, a process that is pretty much exactly as it sounds: you mix the dough one day prior to use, stretch it into a boule and set it overnight in an airtight container in a refrigerator. The overnight process creates a smaller degree of leavening because of the reduced temperature, but allows for the flour to fully hydrate as well as break down the gluten strands that make dough tough. Dough that has undergone this process is incredibly elastic, smooth, and tends to have great flavor
   
   **So to sum up a nice, happy tl;dr:
   
3. Pizzerias use a different kind of flour you will have a hard time obtaining.
   
4. Pizzerias use cold fermentation to help get the dough stretchy.**
   
   Both of these factors contribute to the discrepancy you are seeing between your dough, and serious pizza dough. I have had some great success at approximating the good stuff when using bread flour, it simply requires a higher level of hydration for the flour. If you like, I can provide the recipe.
   
   Alternatively, you can (and should if you want to get a better sense of bread-baking) buy pretty much the best bread-baking book I have found for a home-baker, which is where I adapted my pizza recipe from. You will notice a lot of similarities between different recipes: focaccia is very similar to pizza dough, which is very similar to ciabatta, which all end up working out very differently depending on how you handle them. Although it may be that your bread recipe is very similar to pizza dough, the difference is in the fermentation and handling process.
   
   Let me know if you have any further questions, I'm pretty new to this subreddit.

Welcome to the hobby!

I like this book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice. It's got a bunch of great recipes and goes over the history of bread and a number of traditional techniques, with pictures! Other popular books are Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast and The Tartine Bread book.

A dough scraper, a lame (it's pronounced"lahhm", it's French), a banneton, some decent size mixing bowls with lids, kitchen scale, measuring cups and spoons, pizza stone/s, caste iron Dutch oven (for no Knead bread, super easy place to start), an oven I suppose would help if you don't already have one (extra points if it goes to 550*F).

And to save your arms, a good quality mixer. It'll be expensive up front, but I would recommend splurging on a good quality, reputable brand mixer and it'll last you 30 years if you take care of it. The purists will tell you you HAAAAAVE to knead by hand, and it's definitely a skill you should develop, but it's not absolutely necessary and some recipes would be nearly impossible without one. It'll save you a lot of time, effort and headache.

Anyway, all that should definitely get you started. Not all of it is necessary to start, but you seem pretty interested and serious about it, so I want to set you up for success.

I got this combo cast iron cooker from Amazon. I'll remember to let you know though when I weigh my dough when I bake next this week, but if it helps, I generally use the tartine country bread recipe! I know thought that sometimes I feel like by breads bake the perfect size in the Dutch oven I linked above. Like the dough to Dutch oven capacity ratio seems to be perfect with the tartine bread recipe!

Also your flat top is looking good! Almost there! Sometimes I honestly feel like I just get lucky, I don't even know why mine does that hahaha

It's a little daunting at first but there are lots of very helpful resources out there so you can jump right in! I just started my own starter this week and I've been following this guide: here.

​

But you don't need a sourdough starter to start with bread. If you have a dutch oven then you can start with straight doughs and learn proper folding and shaping while you wait for your starter to grow!

​

There are a few books that are highly recommended by this sub the most popular seems to be Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza (FWSY as you will see it mentioned as here) by Ken Forkish which he shares his own starter recipe and lots of fantastic straight and sourdough breads.

​

If you're not ready to take that big of a dive in yet online there is Jim Laheys No Knead Bread recipe which is a straight dough, super simple, and really quite delicious. I did this one and it was my gateway bread which quickly sent me head first into FWSY and starters.

​

Most importantly, don't be disheartened if things don't turn out, just share it with us, do some research, make some changes and try again.

I started by going through the Bread Bakers Apprentice. I don't really use any of the recipes in there anymore but it gave me a good starting point and it's still a good reference for terminology and methods. Like, it got me really into ciabatta bread from that book. I'm still tweaking my recipe to perfect it.

Starter is a whole different beast. I've used the method found in this youtube series to make mine. He's got a series on sourdough bread, but that channel's non-bread content is pretty fantastic as well.

If you don't have one, I'd highly recommend a kitchen scale. Recipes using grams is so much easier/better than using volume. Also, don't buy those little packets of yeast at the grocery store if you're planning on making bread more than twice a year. You can find two pound bags of dry active yeast on amazon for ~$10.

not sure how much I can help...

I've "captured" several starters over the years. I use the pineapple juice and rye flour method described here: https://breadtopia.com/make-your-own-sourdough-starter/ (see the rather long essay linked from that page for a truly in-depth analysis of the process). I really enjoy the result from a whole-grain coarse rye flour I get from a local specialty supplier, but i've had success with normal grocery store rye as well. After about 3 or 4 days of reliable activity, I transition off juice to plain water and a 50/50 white/whole wheat flour "spiked" with a little of the left-over rye.

Once I have a healthy starter, I use the Tartine recipe/process from the Tartine Bread book, but since we don't eat so much bread (only two of us) I usually do a 500g half recipe for a single loaf.

Good luck!!

edit: forgot to mention, i don't really put much stock in the "float" test... I typically just look for lots of bubbles. I also keep my starter in glass or clear plastic which aids in checking for healthy bubbles

If you have done any lurking on Breadit, you'll notice that the community is a big fan of Flour Water Salt Yeast (FWSY), and the Kindle edition is only 2.99. He does a great job explaining the keeping and care of sourdough starter, as well as different flour combinations that make for a tasty starter. It's also nice because he gives examples of how to play with recipes and starter to really make it your own, as well as explaining (with pictures) about folding, and mixing.

His book is also great because it gives you some a variety of recipes that include all sorts of fermentation, so you can practice with something that is a little easier and work your way up to a full sourdough style bread. I'm also pretty new to sourdough bread and it's been a very helpful piece of literature as I've been experimenting with my bakes.

I have four lodge combo cookers:

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M

​

As long as you season them once they are pretty indestructible and will last generations if properly cared for. They fit a 8-9 inch banneton perfectly, which you could probably fit up to a 1,200g boule at the very max. Comfortably you can easily do a 1,000g boule with great success which is what I typically go with.

You could make a sourdough starter. It'll take about 1-2 weeks so hopefully if you start now it'll be ready once you need it. You can follow these directions: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/ That starter has a higher percentage of water than FWSY's, but you can just switch to the feeding method in the book once the starter becomes active.

You could also make sure you have all the supplies necessary. At a minimum you'll want:

• kitchen scale: A recipe weighs about 1800g, plus the mixing bowl, so make sure the scale goes that high. https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display-11-Pound/dp/B000WJMTNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510750&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+scale
  
• dutch oven: The book recommends 4 qts. I've had success with 3.2 qt combo cookers. Two dutch ovens would be even better as all the recipes are for 2 loaves. https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Cooker-Pre-Seasoned-3-2-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510707&sr=8-1&keywords=combo+cooker
  
• thermometer: Ken Forkish is very particular about the temperatures in his recipes. https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510838&sr=8-2&keywords=pen+thermometer
  
  Nice to haves:
  
  
• Banneton proofing baskets: You need something to put your dough in as it rises. In a pinch, a mixing bowl will work. Banneton baskets are purpose made for this. I use an 8". The ones I've bought are no longer sold on amazon, but I suspect any 8" to 9" round basket will do. Heres one: https://www.amazon.com/Forsun-Banneton-Brotform-Proofing-Rising/dp/B01CNV40D6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511260&sr=8-4&keywords=banneton+proofing+basket
  
• Big tubs for mixing: Most mixing bowls are frustratingly shallow for 1800g recipes. He recommends these in the book. They're pricey, but they do work well: https://www.amazon.com/Camwear-Polycarbonate-Round-Storage-container/dp/B000KIE73I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511122&sr=8-5&keywords=12+qt+cambro https://www.amazon.com/Cambro-RFSCWC12135-Lid-Round-Container/dp/B0001MRULO/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NNK0EN78A5YB6WWHQDRK
  
  Note that he has a section in the book on equipment, so you could wait to read that before spending money, but all the items linked above have worked well for me.

Anadama bread came from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the wheat berry whole wheat loaves are from Bread Alone.

(Etiquette Q: Should I post the whole formulas here? I'm at work right now and edit them in later.)

For the Anadama bread, I find that following the formula gives me pancake batter. I had to add a significant amount of extra flour to get the dough just to come to a ball (well over a cup), then a lot more during kneading to get the "definitely not sticky" consistency called for. I had to add more salt to compensate (tasted the dough as I worked). I haven't checked the hydration percentages as written to see if there's a typo, but I'll do that when I have the books in front of me.

For the whole wheat bread, I went off the formula a bit. I mixed the dough fairly wet, then did three stretch-and-folds at 30 minute intervals instead of the 15-minute knead called for in the recipe. Since there is a high percentage of wheat, I wanted the best chance for an open, chewy crumb, and I think I nailed it. The texture and flavor of the whole wheat berries in there with the lovely chewy crumb is just delightful.

Polenta, wheat berries and sifted whole wheat flour came from my trip up to Maine Grains in Skowhegan, ME, when I was up for the Kneading Conference this year.

White flour was plain old Gold Medal AP flour.

Creating a sourdough starter requires tossing out discard at each feeding, its just how it is. Once its going and active, there are ways to use or not have discard. But for just getting started, its just waste. Compost it if you can.

Get a scale. Cheap is ok. (I've been using this one, its adequate.) If you are super careful and consistent about how you scoop flour you might get ok results w/ volume. But sourdough can be frustrating at first regardless; don't make it harder for yourself. (I would weigh out generic AP flour before I would try to scoop expensive name brand bread flours. YMMV.)

Type of flour does matter. At least some whole grains are preferable for creating new starter. That said, it is totally possible to do it with AP flour as long as its unbleached. It will probably take longer, though, so if you can get a small amount of whole wheat or rye (bulk bins are good for this). You can absolutely bake good sourdough bread with unbleached AP flour, generally anything ~11% protein. King Arthur AP is 11.7%, Gold Medal 10.5% (As I understand it the Bread Bakers Guild calls Bread flour 11.5%-11.8%, so I personally don't bother with higher protein flour for most things.)

Recipe to make a new starter from King Arthur Flour. Not the only right way, but a good straightforward one.

Recipe for sourdough bread. I really like the 123 Sourdough as a place to start.

Good luck!

You don't really needed it, but a dutch oven is by far the best thing for baking bread next to a commercial steam injected oven. I highly recommend it. You don't need to buy something super fancy or expensive. Lodge makes a super basic dutch oven that will do a great job. I've tried all of the other steaming methods. Really, if your making hearth style loaves, nothing compares to using a banneton, a cast iron dutch oven, and stupidly hot oven.

Yeast keeps getting better, due to development of better strains. Active dry was a big improvement over cake yeast both in terms of robustness and speed of action, and rapid rise is an improvement over active dry. Rapid rise doesn't even require proofing; you can just add it dry with the other ingredients and go.

If you want to treat yourself, may I suggest you get a copy of Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Look at what a great rating it has on Amazon. Here's a vid of Peter Reinhart's TED talk to get you stoked.

Here's another important bread vid, Jim Lahey's No-Knead recipe.

You are so very welcome! Your bread came out beautifully! Awesome job. Bread making is a journey. A joyful one I hope. And it can be very satisfying. Especially while eating!!
You may find this cast iron combo easier to deal with in putting your dough in - I’m sorry it’s a link to Amazon, but it has the best description of this Lodge Combo. It’s the one ILodge Combo

Enjoy your journey!

Best variant I've managed at home was from Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish. I like the overnight with poolish recipe. Once you've split the dough into balls, you can refrigerate them for several days. If you can't conjure up the recipe via Google, his book is well worth the money.

EDIT: Sheesh, some people just want stuff handed to them:

Baker's formula:

Ingredient | Quantity in Poolish | Total Recipe Quantity | Baker's Percentage
-----------|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------
Flour | 500 g | 1,000 g | 100%
Water | 500 g | 750 g | 75%
Salt | 0 | 20 g | 2%
Yeast | 0.4 g | 0.4 g | 0.04%

This recipe is straight flour, water, salt and yeast, using a starter. That's as "authentic" as it gets.

I'm not going to transcribe the entire book for you here. Forkish goes into great detail about how to make a poolish, why it's important, proper hand mixing technique, etc, and it's all beyond the scope of a reddit comment. Suffice to say that you're looking for a roughly 3x rise in both the poolish and final mix stage. If you start the poolish using 80 F water at 6 PM, you'll be doing the final mix with 105 F water at roughly 8 AM, and shaping the dough balls some 6 hours later, which you can then refrigerate for a couple hours or a couple days.

But seriously, the price of the book is less than what you'd spend on two good pizzas. Totally worth it: https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X/

I'm sorry dear Baker but you cannot swap out white flour for a different grain without disappointing yourself with the results. You are going to need a recipe designed for whichever grain(s) you would like to use.

There are a ton of resources mentioned on /r/Breadit.

Highly noted are: Peter Reinharts Artisan Breads Everyday.

and The Bread Bible. When I searched Amazon for that title I received results of at least 3 different books with that name. Perhaps someone can refresh me and inform you which one of them is the 'popular' one. If there is only one otherwise take your pick.

So basically it comes down to finding a new recipe my dear.

My single tip I have for white bread is add 1tbsp of a high end Balsamic vinegar to the liquid. It adds a nice complex flavour to the finished bread.

Good luck.

Well, I did write an ebook ;) But it really depends on your own skill level and exactly what you're looking for. If you already know the 12 steps of baking, how to use baker's percentages, and pre-ferments, then my book won't help you that much. It's called Bread Baking Basics because it's just the basics, but it's the fundamentals that professionals use as a foundation of learning. That said, if you're looking for technical information, Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread is pretty much the go-to book for bread baking. Many other great books on bread exist, but if you could only get one book, you would want this to be it. If you're looking to learn more about rye breads and whole grains, start researching European country breads, especially German breads. Learning how to make naturally leavened ryes sounds like a good step in the right direction.

Get a copy of The Bread Baker's Apprentice, read it. The first half of the book is a pretty in depth explanation of how bread works, and all the stages of making it. The second half is a bunch of great recipes that will be pretty easy to make once you've read the book and come out great. Though, do note that most of them take at least 2 days to make.

Getting a really good serrated knife will change your game. This $12.45 bread knife was actually voted the best serrated bread knife by America's Test Kitchen, it's the one I use and I love it. Here's a link to the equipment review if you're interested: Equipment Review: Best Serrated (Bread) Knives & Our Testing Winner

Another tip is when you cut, let the knife do the work. Don't press down too hard and squish your bread.

Jim Lahey's book my bread is fantastic. He uses the basic no-knead recipe but tweaks it in fantastic ways. He also goes into some different styles (ciabatta, baguette, foccacia, etc.) and some great go-withs (like homemade aioli for sandwiches). Highly recommended to advance from where you're at right now.

The two main books seem to be Tartine and Flour Water Salt Yeast. I have FWSY and think it's a great resource. I still will do other kinds of bread and don't only stick to this.

To get that nice crust you're looking at a dutch oven, just keep your eyes out for a sale on them. Beyond that a scale, a bowl, and an oven.

/u/p3n9uins's video is pretty nice shows everything for free. :D

I am new to FWSY as well. I have made about 6 loaves now. I always make half recipes, but as /u/drbhrb said, be sure you halve the recipe the whole way through. I often get anxiety wondering if i remembered to cut the water in the final mix (or the salt/yeast).

I also use instant yeast and just give the dough time to rise to double/triple size. I originally thought this was due to my room temp, but after reading the link, it might be more due to the instant yeast.

I am definitely still learning how to get my proofed dough into dutch oven. i started proofing in a standard mixing bowl and my dough stuck to all the sides. Then i watched his youtube videos (search FWSY) and he uses special proofing baskets. the ridges allow flour to spread up the sides of the bowl which help the dough come out at the end. When it comes out of the proofing bowl intact, it is also easier to get into the dutch oven. http://www.amazon.com/Round-Proofing-Basket-Banneton-Brotform/dp/B006WBMT0K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452267355&sr=8-2&keywords=bread+proofing+basket

Since I already had a nice cast iron skillet with a handle, I bought this one a few months ago and love it. I've done a ton of bread in it (It's in the oven as I type) and also some great braised dishes so far and it's been wonderful.

Beautiful-looking. I can practically hear the crunch of the crust. Previous commentor said to read Chad Robertsons's Tartine book. It's very good.

• Look at Chris Kelly's video ~ an adaptation of Robertson's techniques that I've tried and like Kelly's easy and less time-consuming take on it. His calls it: Tartine for Dummies. It's not dumbed down at all, just a nice variation.
  
• Strong, the yeast in sourdough is ~ Yoda says.

I first learned to make traditional bread that required kneading, but I don't bother with that anymore. Now I just follow Jim Lahey's no-knead method of using extra hydration and lots of time. That's the most significant technique recommendation that comes to mind.

Here's the basic workflow:

1. Mix flour, salt, yeast, and water in a bowl and cover it; let it sit for ~14 hours.
   
2. Shape it, cover it, and let it rise/"proof" for ~2 hours.
   
3. Preheat an empty Dutch oven inside an oven at around 450F.
   
4. Once the Dutch oven is piping hot, drop the bread dough inside and put the lid on to trap the moisture. Put the Dutch oven back in the oven and bake the loaf for ~40 minutes.
   
5. Take the lid off and bake until the top is acceptably dark, and then pull the loaf out and let it cool.
   
   From what I can tell, a crispy crust comes from baking the loaf at a very high temperature with moisture, like when you drop the dough into the hot Dutch oven and close it. When I drop the temperature, the crust is usually softer. I also proof my loaf in the Dutch oven so I don't lose volume in transit and I get a taller loaf, and I just stick the Dutch oven in the cold oven and let them heat up together. I'm not sure what effect that has on the crust crispiness, though; I bake mine at ~375F because I want a softer crust.
   
   I'd recommend starting with 25% whole wheat flour. In my experience, anything beyond 25% yields a noticeably denser bread, which isn't bad, but it's worth starting lighter so you can learn the difference. At 50%, I'd recommend adding vital wheat gluten to add some volume, but that's personal preference.
   
   If you're looking for a basic recipe, try this:
   300g white flour
   100g whole wheat flour
   8g salt
   1g yeast
   300g lukewarm water
   
   Follow the numbered directions above and see how it goes. Also, if you don't have a Dutch oven, any oven-safe covered vessel will work. I've used regular steel pots before. In a pinch, a plain baking sheet will work.

Flour Water Salt Yeast, by Ken Forkish. Very popular on here and one of the best starter books on baking good bread at home. His overnight white and wheat doughs are very approachable and teach you a lot about the process. I dig them because of the usage of store bought yeast, it’s just easier and less hassle for me. I’ve tried the sourdough starter thing too many times!


Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook] https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774273X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-QIRDbE23VF14

Info on the process from New York Times via Wikipedia. They're great! I definitely recommend a dutch oven, though, and one properly sized. My 6qt is too big for a normal sized loaf so I bought this cast iron combo cooker and it worked well for my first loaf and I Like that it has a lot of other possibilities with both side of it. Thinking of using the shallow side for smaller pizzas.

The recipe is from Bonnie Ohara’s book Bread Baking for Beginners

Thank you so much!!! I would highly encourage you to try making it! 💗

Every week I make a pullman loaf. It's a perfectly square bread which is excellent for sandwiches. It's also quite delicious.




Here is the pan I use and also the recipe that I use.

The bread does not go in the pot. The pot goes on top of the bread. Baking bread in a container that constricts its expansion will ruin the crust and destroy the texture of the crumb. Only short breads (muffins, cakes, ect) and soft pullman loaves (no crumb or crust) get bakes in containers.

Looks like you got a DIY version of a cloche baking pot. The cloche simulates a stone oven cooking the bread with infra-red heat (radiation). Whereas a standard home oven cooks using only hot air (conduction).


To use your DIY cloche, you need a baking stone or terra-cotta tiles. Preheat the baking stone and pot to 500F. When they are good and hot, place your bread dough (shaped into a boule) on the stone and cover it with the pot. Bake as per recipe.


Since you are just starting out I am going to recommend against using this technique, because judging the oven temperature and transferring the dough into the hot baking stones can be a bit tricky.


Instead you should buy a cast iron dutch oven and use Jim Lahey's No Knead technique. His method is practically foolproof and produces great bread with less than 20 minutes of time invested per loaf.


The cloche will give you better results for a wider range of dough formulas provided you take the time to learn about bread. I would recommend you read The Bread Bakers Apprentice if you are interested in going this route.

As some people mentioned, the sourdough that Pollan makes in the show is pretty difficult (in my opinion). I would suggest trying some store bought yeast bread first so you get a sense of the different steps and processes required to make bread. Once you have that down, you can start growing your sourdough starter.

Nonetheless, if you want to go ahead and start with sourdough, as people said, its not really as straight forward as just putting water in flour. You'll need a scale and be sure to weight out all your bread making ingredients, including what you're feeding the starter. Different bakers have different opinions on the ratio of flour to water, what type of flour, what temperature the water is, etc. Changes in these parameters will also change the taste of your sourdough (or even if it grows or not!).

What helped me the most actually was buying a book and reading through it. I think information on the internet is a little too scattered and tend to contradict one another, and it never turns out very well when I mix and match ideas from different websites. I recommend what a lot of people on this subreddit read: Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.

Another good resource is the King Arthur site.

Once again though, I think it helped me a lot to make a lot of store-bought yeast bread first before trying sourdough. I've found making sourdough extremely fickle and prone to failure, and I can't imagine trying it without having had some experience making my earlier loaves. You're experience might be different than mine though! Good luck!

Get a good bread knife. I have the Tojiro mentioned in the article below and it works great; both test well against sandwich bread according to the author. Both are pretty cheap, shouldn't cost more than $20.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/best-bread-serrated-knives-equipment-review.html

Check it out here at Amazon UK - it has a "Look Inside" feature so you can get a bit of a sense what you'll find.

If you still need to save a few pence, you could also look for a used (or new) copy of this, or even the first edition. The new, second edition has a few more recipes and some updates in the "techniques" section, but the original one is still chock full of great info.

I wouldn't trust Paul Hollywood on bread as far as I could throw him. Check theperfectloaf.com for some thorough recipes. Yes, it's sourdough, but will give you a whole bunch of information.

Thefreshloaf.com is another good source.

Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread book is also great.

sorry, switched to laptop now so here's the page link without Pinterest

https://www.frugallivingnw.com/amazing-no-knead-bread-step-by-step-recipe/

Basic No-Knead Bread

Slightly adapted from Jim Lahey’s My Bread

Ingredients

6 cups bread flour (recommended) or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 t. instant or active-dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.
   
2. Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.
   
3. Place a full sheet/large rectangle of parchment paper on a cotton towel and dust it with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as it rises; place dough seam side down on the parchment paper and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Pull the corners of parchment paper around the loaf, wrapping it completely. Do the same with the towel. Let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
   
4. After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. Unwrap the towel and parchment paper from around the dough and slide your hand under the bottom of the dough ball; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Pull the parchment paper off, scraping any stuck dough into the pan. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
   
5. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep chestnut brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer, if desired.
   
6. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Yes! You just want to be careful it doesn't have the feet on the bottom, that you can use it like a regular baking dish. Something like this would work great.

This is the one I have. http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DOL3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Handles/dp/B00063RWYI

I bake of loaf that is 775g of four, and 70%. It goes just up to the edge but doesn't touch them. It's perfect for that size or smaller. It is a pretty big loaf.

Thanks very much!

I followed the Saturday White Bread in this book.

1000 grams of flour

780 grams of lukewarm water

4 grams of instant yeast

22 grams of sea salt.

Combine the water and flour loosely. Let sit for half an hour.
Then sprinkle the yeast and salt over it. Fold it gently three or four times.
Then let it rise for 5 hours, folding two more times during that time. Just make sure to not fold the last hour.
Then take the dough out. Divide and shape into two loaves. Throw those in proofing baskets. Let them proof for an hour and 15 minutes.
20 mins prior, preheat the oven to 475 with the dutch ovens in. Once its ready, place the loafs into a dutch oven each. Bake for 30 minutes lid on, then 20 minutes lid off. Done!

Thank you! Yes I sliced it by hand. I just bought a new bread knife (my old was one is sooo dull and useless), which made it a breeze to cut into perfect, even slices. I found the recommendation through Serious Eats. Here's the link to the knife itself, if you're interested! https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-Bread-Slicer-235mm-F-737/dp/B001TPA816

I started with Peter Reinhart books, namely Artisan Breads Every Day. They have great primers on mixing and kneading technique, and I'm still getting better at it. Try the Ciabatta for a really fluffy loaf. And I highly recommend Saf yeast, a digital scale, a dough whisk, and patience!

I suspect that it might be exposure to air as you open & close the jar.

I buy my yeast in a bulk package at Costco. The current one I have is a 454 gm (1 lb.) aluminium foil package of Fleishman's Active Dry Yeast and I've had it over a year or more now. I also store it in the fridge but use a bag clip to remove as much air as possible.

There's still at least a quarter of the bag left and it's still working very well. I used it the other day to make the sourdough rye sandwich bread from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. If anything, it was too active! :-)

I used to buy instant yeast in the small jars, stored in the fridge and I noticed the same issue you are having. I frequently threw out jars that were still half-full, which pissed me off. So I was somewhat apprehensive when I bought my first 454 g bag of yeast from Costco (I'm on at least my third one now). But keeping it away from air as much as feasibly possible works a treat for me. Since the bag is aluminium foil, the yeast is also shielded from light.

If I were you, I'd think about emptying the next jar you buy into a ZipLoc bag and squeezing out as much air as possible, wrap the bag in aluminium foil or put it in an empty coffee can with a lid then storing it in the fridge.

The sourdough rye bread is a winner, BTW.

Got myself the book "Flour Water Salt Yeast" the other day. Been making bread when time allows. In his book, Ken Forkish explains how he uses the Finger Dent method to determine when a dough is at its optimal proofing stage.

Check out the video and pick up his book. I highly recommend it.

Happy baking!

It's from this book. I just got a copy and have only made one recipe so far, but it turned out great. I'd recommend it.

They are from proofing baskets called bannetons. You flour them generously before proofing which gives you an extra pretty loaf that makes people not in the know think you're super fancy

The Mercer Culinary Millennia 10” bread knife.

As tested by America’s test kitchen, and I can confirm this is an amazingly awesome bread knife for the price! I love it so much, it has replaced a much more expensive henckels knife that I previously used.

Check this out: Mercer Culinary M23210 Millennia 10-Inch Wide Wavy Edge Bread Knife

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PS1HS6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_86QLCb4VQ31M0

I never tried baking bread before I bought Flour Water Salt Yeast and now I've managed to make some pretty delicious loaves. If you take your time and read the technique sections, you'll start to get a good understanding of bread baking.

Agreed with the other poster here, I've had no problems with a Le Creuset enamel Dutch oven at high heat. Generally the handles are the least durable; the stock plastic ones are rated to ~450° iirc.

I bought a Lodge combo cooker Dutch oven for baking, and love it. The low sides on the skillet top make loading a loaf and scoring it super easy. I burned my hand once wrangling a sticky, difficult loaf into my high sided Dutch oven. Here's a link to the lodge [dutch oven](Lodge LCC3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Combo Cooker, 3.2-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8sFYxbAPY4PN1).

Thank you! Do you use a spray bottle to wet the top?

I was having problems with the the slashing in a 500 degree dutch oven (ow hot!), but my brother pointed me towards a cast iron dutch oven from Lodge that has a flat lid. That means I use the "lid" as the bottom. I dump my bread out onto the lid, slash, and then put the "bottom" over the top and I'm good to go. It's kinda hard to explain - just look at this.
I even found another one that's oblong so I can do baguettes :)
Thanks again! I'm looking forward to baking this weekend!

I have made bagels of all sorts and I can tell you that the absolute best I've ever made are found in Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. This of course assumes that you like chewy bagels and not the fluffy things that get sold in stores. I hope you have a good mixer, because the dough is hardcore!

P.S. The recipe calls for some ground black pepper. I know you are going to look at that and think "WTF? I'll just skip that". Don't. It is not for a super powerful taste of pepper but gives an interesting flavor.

What you are describing (dumping all ingredients in) is whats called a straight dough method and is perfectly acceptable.

The disadvantage is all the additions get in the way of gluten formation when you are kneading and trying to build that gluten network.

The idea behind building in stages is to hold back on some of the additions to the dough until the gluten has had some time to form. Mix your flour and water together and let autolyse. After autolyse, add salt, do a series of stretch and folds, and then add in other ingredients like cheese onion and garlic.

As for the knife...serrated has always worked better for me. If it's "crumbling" your bread when you try to cut it that's a good sign the knife is very dull. Get the Mercer 10" Bread Knife, you'll never regret it.

I would recommend this since the shallow skillet is perfect to use as the base. Easy to score when the bread is in it too.

I'm an avid baker of all things sweet and have even made some quick breads and pizza dough, but artisan breads and the like are all new to me. Bought a couple of bread cookbooks from Amazon last week, and I made these bagels and a batch of pain au chocolat this weekend. I'm super stoked about how they both turned out!

I used the bagel recipe in this book.

Modified Ken Forkish's pure sourdough recipe from his book Flour Water Salt Yeast taking inspiration for quantities from this recipe and this recipe. Needs more and smaller choc chips but otherwise I deem this experiment a winner winner chicken dinner!!

This is my list:

• kitchen aid mixer ($350)
  
  
• Dutch Oven ($50)
  
  
• good digital scale ($20)
  
  
• good thermometer for the kitchen ($10-20)
  
  
• Mixing Bowl set ($20)
  
  
• Bakers Couche ($15)
  
  
• Banneton ($10) (x2)
  
  
• Commercial Food Storage ($5-10) (x4 because I use these a ton)
  
  
• Bench Scrapper ($5)
  
  
• Measuring Cup (2 cup size)
  
  
• Measuring Spoons
  
  
• Pizza Steel Or Stone ($40-80)
  
  
• Loaf Pan
  
  
  Total = $620 (no tax)
  
  
  add in an awesome workbench table for 300 and you are good to go.

I used to use a bread knife that came with my knife block. It was awful. It tore bread and gave me awful and inconsistent slices. I also couldn't slice as thin as I wanted. With crusty bread, it would slide off of the crust and there were many near misses.

Now I use the Tojiro F-737. I originally wanted the Mercer Millenia 10 inch bread knife that was reviewed favorably by Americas Test kitchen. However, amazon didn't have it available on prime when I needed it (and I'm impatient). I looked up other reviews and Serious Eats gave this knife high praise so I figured it was a $22 experiment. It works great. I get beautiful even slices as thin as I want. I'd highly recommend it.

I use a cast iron combo cooker for my baking. I know you said you own an a cast iron but this combo works great for me. It's $29 which is much cheaper than Dutch Ovens.

This combo cooker was recommended by Chad Robertson in his Tartine bread cookbook.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M

If you want really squared-off sides, you want something like this pan. I've got one, and it makes the slices perfectly square; the coating is extremely non-stick to the point where I don't even bother greasing the pan.

Flour Water Salt Yeast by Forkish

https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517714847&sr=8-1&keywords=flour+water+salt+yeast

It is super interesting to read parts of it as well.

Here is the combo cooker I use. I do about 15 minutes with the lid on for steam, then another 15 with the lid off. Super happy with the results.

Amazon. The 13" was only $25 with free shipping. They're just fantastic.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UNMZPI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bannetons are always good

or if you want to spend some more, these are awesome to bake bread in...
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-3-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418744515&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+combo+cooker&pebp=1418744516798

I really enjoy Bread by Jeffery Hamelman for an in-depth look at the whole process, recipes and instructions are great too. http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes/dp/1118132718

yeah, it's higher hydration alright. basically I'm using recipes from this book. the levain acts like the mature starter and also helps to inhibit the sour flavors since yeast grows much faster than the other bacterias present.

I recommend Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish and Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson. Both books have good info into bread science and have good (but large) recipes.

Recipe

​

I used the Saturday White Bread recipe from FWSY.

​

It was shaped in this basket.

I got lucky with the ears considering I did not score this bread at all. Must have had something to do with it being cooked in a preheated dutch oven? Hope that helps.

They do come in pretty handy. I just bought two more of them recently.

These are the two I picked up and they work great for any of the FWSY breads.

Already on it. Using the BBA method. On day 2 right now. I'm in Bakersfield so not much difference in climate than you I think. Gotten some pretty decent flavor out of the old one. Not quite commercial, but still pretty good.

edit***I accidentally a word.

I'd be willing to bet that if you ask 100 bakers their method, you'll get 100 responses that all vary slightly....here's mine:

I make a new starter every fall (11/19) and carry it through to the spring in a quart mason jar with a hole punched in the lid to vent.

To start, 1 oz pineapple juice (can of rings or something, no sugars added) and 1 oz fresh whole wheat flour. I add 1/1 every 24 hours, discarding half of what was in the container each time until I'm out of pineapple juice (Day 3ish). Then I switch to filtered water and slowly transition to white flour, maintaining the 4.5 oz total contents. After 7 days or so, it will double in about 4 hours. By day 10, it is pretty much all white flour and ready to use.

For a decent starting point of any bread, Alton Brown has a basic bread recipe. I have modified it slightly over the years to suit my needs, but the weights are still similar. For that recipe I would use maybe 4-6 oz of starter in place of 2/2 or 3/3 oz of water/flour in the initial steps. Extend the ferment and rise times, nix the yeast.

edit: All measurements are in weight, do yourself a favor and get a cheap scale

I googled this; http://www.lafujimama.com/2012/09/milk-shokupan-japanese-style-white-sandwich-bread/
Looks like a decent recipe.

If you want perfectly square bread you'll need a Pullman loaf pan; http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002UNMZPI?pc_redir=1395348885&robot_redir=1

It's a book: Flour Water Salt Yeast. I haven't read it, don't know what the dough they suggest would be.

I would think using a biga would help improve chewiness as it tends to strengthen the gluten.

I'll throw in a vote for Lodge as well. I have two of 4 qt round that I find work perfectly for baking bread. I also have an 8 qt Le Creuset I picked up at an estate sale. It's awesome, but I don't think I'd ever pay full price.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1497469709&sr=8-5&keywords=lodge+cast+iron+dutch+oven

That's the one I use. When I bake my bread I actually use it upside down, so I put the dough in the lid. It makes it a lot easier to insert and remove the bread without burning the shit out of your hands.

Fridge space is definitely limited for me too! I have an oval shaped version of this proofing bowl: https://smile.amazon.com/Round-Proofing-Basket-Banneton-Brotform/dp/B006WBMT0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473885599&sr=8-1&keywords=Round+Proofing+Basket+Banneton+Brotform+8.5+Inch that I happened to get really cheap from a food supply company that liquidated. It's pretty small and shallow, so it doesn't take up too much space. For the second loaf (a lot of recipes seem to make two loaves at a time), I just use a small mixing bowl. I really should just get a second proofing bowl like the one I linked.

Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast. A very pretty bread cookbook. :)

Kind of an FYI for /r/breadit and OP.

I bake my bread in a dutch oven, but my fathers' been looking for one, also for bread.

Just bought a Lodge 4 qt. dutch oven for my father last night after watching the price change 3 times over the last week. From $57 down to now $32. This is as cheap as you're ever going to find it if you want to get one.

If you're interested you should check out the first Tartine Bread book. That's where I learned how to do this. All of his books are tops!

I talked about this method in another thread. My Bread by Jim Lahey

it's full of easy, hard to screw up, and great tasting bread recipes.

I got this one from Amazon. Works great.

Right. It’s the lodge 4 qt.

[Amazon Link](Lodge Pro-Logic 4 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Pre-Seasoned Pot with Self-Basting Lid and Easy Grip Handles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001DJVGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i14PBbD6Y510S)

Would you recommend a dutch oven over a cast-iron combo like this? The author said that's what they used and I imagine it'd give me a little more cooking versatility (though, I don't have a dutch oven and have a number of similar pans)

A lot of people here will recommend "Flour Water Salt Yeast" by Ken Forkish:
https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X
I bought the book and it's helping me change my understanding of time, hydration, temperature, etc. It's taken about a dozen loaves, but mine are starting to look like his loaves he has in his book.

I use this dutch oven. Best part is using the flatter part as the bottom so you can just slide your dough onto it.

What u/Mazos said. Get a banneton a douse it with rice flour. Works like a champ.

I would highly recommend the lodge combo cooker. Works the same way as a Dutch oven, but easier to load and score a loaf without burning yourself.

https://www.amazon.ca/Lodge-LCC3-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Cooker/dp/B0009JKG9M

Thanks :)

I used Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe for butter dipped dinner rolls (From this book: http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bible-Rose-Levy-Beranbaum/dp/0393057941)
Here is an online source for the recipe, not sure if it has been changed at all, as I'm at work and can't compare with my copy: http://www.starchefs.com/chefs/RBeranbaum/html/butter_dipped_r_beranbaum.shtml

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004164SRA/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_t1_.f2cBbYP68FNH

It was inexpensive, had the units of measurement I wanted, and could handle a good amount of weight. It has been money well spent without any complaints.

Thanks!, its the glorious Flour Water Salt Yeast book by Ken Forkish: https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals-ebook/dp/B007SGLZH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523906966&sr=8-1&keywords=FSWY

"Flour Water Salt Yeast" by Ken Forkish (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/160774273X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_aJ1sybPYAT05H) gets consistently good reports here.

I'd also recommend "Dough" by Richard Bertinet (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1856267628/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_AH1sybKH7YCJG)

and Paul Hollywood's "Bread" (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1408840693/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_-F1syb7TKQJWA)

I've got this and it's great for boules!

https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-ZK14-S-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1521680037&sr=8-9&keywords=electronic+scale

This is the one I use. Works great!

Thank you!

• that's all fairly normal amount of salt, I'd say. Doesn't affect the flavor at all, just there for the structural benefits
  
  -I actually have a better scale, but I can't find it. Not to say this one isn't cool, it's just has some issues staying on target.
  
  -Yeah dude, get some!

It’s a recipes book called Flour Water Salt Yeast. It comes in pretty highly recommended by r/Breadit

Recipe and techniques taken directly from the ever-popular FWSY by Ken Forkish. This was my first attempt at the Overnight Country Blonde, and I was really happy with how this loaf turned out!

My Mercer 10" is incredible and was only $20 bucks or so. It's also ATK's best bread knife.

This is what I'm getting. The advantage of a combo cooker is that you can use that skillet side as the base where you place the dough. This makes it much easier to load, especially if you are going to want to move on to scored loafs.

Forkish recommends a 4-qt for the FWSY recipes. I use this one for those recipes. It spreads out a little more than it would in a 4 quart but still gets some good height on it.

Dropping it in isn't really that much of an issue, unless you're tossing it in from a few feet off the ground. 8 inches or so won't really matter.

Aww, thank you. I have a bread proofing basket like this one http://www.amazon.com/Round-Proofing-Basket-Banneton-Brotform/dp/B006WBMT0K . When you do the second rise, put it in one of these (flour the inside of the basket well). Once the rise is finished, flip it onto your baking pan and you are golden.

4 Quart non-enameled

4 Quart Enameled

I know they're not terribly high-end, but I like Lodge.

Honestly, its worth the money to just buy FWSY. It has a lot of bread recipes and gives very detailed instructions on how to do everything. (You will need a dutch oven though)

Correct.

This is the exact pan I used: https://www.amazon.com/USA-Pan-Bakeware-Nonstick-Aluminized/dp/B002UNMZPI

I can't speak to the quality of the pan much as I have only used it three times. So far it has been doing its job well, hopefully it will continue for many years.

I use this guy. The Lodge double dutch. Bonus, you can use the lid to make rolls!

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K

For that style of bread the Lodge 3 Quart Cast Iron Combo Cooker. Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, Fryer, Dutch Oven, and Convertible Skillet/Griddle Lid (pulled from SeriousEats ) is an excellent option and it won’t have any potential issues with enamel cracking.

It's from this book. Check it out it's fantastic.

I bought a banneton with a canvas liner which just happens to fit a glass bowl I already owned, so it was like getting 2 proofers for $11. I don't really care about the patterns.

I've never purchased nor used a commercial starter but I know that Bertinet sells one which you can find here.

Personally I would put the money towards a decent book such as this one. The only reason for this being that a decent book will and teach you so much more about the whole process and help your bread baking massively in the long run. At the end of the day a starter only needs 3 ingredients. Flour, water and time.

The recipe is a ~30 page explanation of the techniques in the book Tartine Bread. It would be pretty lengthly to type up. This bread takes about 24 hours to make, more if you ferment in the fridge. If you want the ingredients though, I can type that up for you.

This one is pretty cheap and will change your life! Mercer Culinary Millennia 10-Inch Wide Bread Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PS1HS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZkM5BbJ5V0X5Z

That's actually where I got the 4 qt idea from (flour, water, salt, yeast). I believe all his recipes use 1kg of flour in that book.

When I'm talking about weight I mean the amount of flour, not the final loaf or dough. Is your combo cooker something like this? I haven't read any Tartine yet but I was looking at the reviews for that one and it's apparently what is recommended in that book because it's easier to get the dough in the shallow part without burning yourself or damaging the dough.

I call out shit when I see it. This sub seems to be all about gold stars and telling everyone they did a good job. It's ok to tell someone they failed and they need to try again. The mediocrity in this sub is too much.

You obviously needs to improve. You need to start with the basics: watch videos and read books. I'd recommend two good starting places:

• Richard Bertinet's White Bread Masterclass
  
  
• Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza
  
  I'd recommend starting with bread pans. You can focus more on technique and take shaping out of the equation for now. Also, don't start with sourdough; start instead with store bought yeast. The concepts are the same, but you need to understand the basics before you add to it.
  
  Your first recipe should use a bread pan, package of yeast, white flour, and salt. Don't try anything fancy. You need a digital scale and oven thermometer. Multiple flours, shaping, and starters come later.

You might want to check out Jim Lahey's book, if you haven't already. He suggests using a much smaller quantity of yeast, and a longer room temperature rise of 10-12 hours. No kneading, just a few folds, rest for an hour and bake. I've had great results with this method for years. The book is here: https://www.amazon.ca/My-Bread-Revolutionary-No-work-No-knead/dp/0393066304

Thanks! I followed the Basic Country Bread recipe from the Tartine Bread book. Here are the totals for the ingredients:

• 750g Water
  
• 200g Leaven
  
• 900g White Bread Flour
  
• 100g Whole Wheat Flour
  
• 20g Salt
  
  The recipe makes two loafs, so for my first time I halved everything to just make the one loaf.

Thanks! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UNMZPI/

I left the lid on for the first ~75% of the bake then removed for the rest.

Happy to help! The links below are pulled right from my amazon order history.

I don't have a picture of the pre-proofed dough, unfortunately, but I would say that it filled about half of the proofing basket. The baskets themselves are 9 inches, however.

Kasskonnen KK-010 Round Brotform, 9-Inch, Light Brown https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002O1WD94/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AiyCyb48RH107


Regarding the Dutch oven, it is a 4 quart Lodge.

Lodge P10D3 Pro-Logic Cast Iron Dutch Oven, Pre-Seasoned, 4-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001DJVGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9hyCybK8EK52P

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1541623210&sr=1-7&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven
Use this, except use it upside down so it is easier to load.

Nice loaf! People are also often referencing the Ken Forkish book called “Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast.” 🍞🥖

Crumb pic here! - for some reason IMGUR tagged this pic as erotic/NSFW. I agree.

Followed the FWSY Saturday White Bread recipe - book here! (not an affiliate or anything)

http://www.amazon.com/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413

:)

I got the recipe from Bread by Hamelman. Here's a pic https://imgur.com/gallery/D5EwT

The book is probably my favorite cook book and full of incredible bread recipes. Here's a link

Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118132718/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fS0tzbN0J0JG7

I've enjoyed my Mercer, no complaints. (And if it matters to you, it was the top pick by America's Test Kitchen)

Just want to be sure: You are talking about this book? Right?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xqMUBbW7TSQEQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_hrMUBb7XNG2YA


Comparatively cheap and good quality. I use the first.

If I were you I'd get this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LEXR0K

Even cheaper, and better imo.

Easier to get the dough in, mostly. That one is really expensive though. I, and many other folks, use a cast iron combo cooker. You can use it as a regular dutch oven, too.

I have the lodge 5 qt dutch oven and the boules are about 1Kg each.

I do the final proofing in a heavily floured (50/50 rice and wheat) banneton, then invert it into my preheated dutch oven to cook. I glued some chunks of wood to the bottom of my banneton to give me a handle of sorts to make the inverting easier. Here is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Pcs-Masterproofing-Round-Banneton-Basket/dp/B006J7JWHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412727031&sr=8-1&keywords=banneton

It's a popular book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SGLZH6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Sounds like OP has one of those 'convertible' dutch ovens - like this - which has a lid with a flat base that doubles as a skillet. I don't think this technique would work so well with a regular dutch oven lid!

I would recommend getting a kitchen scale and measuring everything by weight as listed in the recipe. It will give you much more consistent results!

I really like Water Flour Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish: http://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X

Really like this one.

A good mixer, lots of time. Oh and a brick oven with steam, or a dutch oven. Oven spring has saved me many a time.

I used costco breadflour. I also learned much of what i know from Peter Rheinharts books this one got me started.

Also, use more sourdough starter than necessary. I used 5 gallon buckets to raise my dough. I would retard overnight in a refrigerator.

Recipe here. I hate having my computer/books out while i'm baking (flour gets everywhere), so I write my recipes on a chalkboard in my kitchen.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

edit: Recipe is courtesy of The Bread Bible

edit 2: Thanks to /u/breadbandito for the temperature/slashing tips!

A lot of people recommend this one, I bought it and returned it because there's no room for your knuckles under the handle:

> While the blade itself is indeed very sharp and cuts beautifully, I cannot give this more than 3 stars because there is not enough room below the handle for one's fingers/knuckles when slicing bread (my hands are average size). I cannot understand the near unanimous 5-start ratings, does this not bother other people? I cannot slice completely through the bottom crust of a crusty loaf without either rotating the loaf or moving the loaf closer to the front of the cutting board so that my knuckles can extend below the plane of the cutting board. I will be returning this knife.

r/sourdough has resources in their FAQ about culturing a starter. Also this book helped me get the basics down. King Arthur has a break down on their website as well as the option to just purchase an already cultured starter that they will mail to you and then you can start feeding and using it right away.

I used this guide when I was choosing my bread knife. I went with the Tojiro and it has given me 0 issues so far, it's a huge step up from my previous knife set bread knife in terms of cutting and not squishing the bread.

Made Asian pork belly according to the recipe here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/006223238X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_WSRKwb1W675QH

Made the Bahn Mi sandwich using the recipe from Tartine Bread:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0811870413/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_HVRKwb1SNPR4R

It was out of this world. So good, that we're doing a repeat of the braise today but with beef brisket instead of pork belly.

It is the basic country white from Tartine Bread. He uses the recommended cast iron combo cooker and scores it exactly as the recipe describes.

You can read the recipe here or buy the book.

This thing is a beast. It makes quick work of even the heaviest crust.

Mercer Culinary M23210 Millennia 10-Inch Wide Wavy Edge Bread Knife, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PS1HS6



America's Test Kitchen agrees:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GWewefvCZXM

No. If the dough is too low in my oven I think the bottom gets too hot compared to the top, and it burns, so I put it on a rack that is higher in the oven.

I think that you might have a hard time putting a dutch oven like this on a rack because of the feet.

I have this (EDIT: 5Qt), which is big enough for your standard 500g flour loaf. I'm fine with that size.

FWSYis on sale on Amazon still, I just bought the Kindle version for $4 yesterday.

The first time I used this I almost baked another loaf just to use it again: https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-10-Inch-Bread/dp/B000PS1HS6

I had been using an old knife that (I think) came with the house, and just picked this up last month. It's light enough to handle easily, but heavy enough for gravity to do most of the work. My slices are straighter/thinner because of it.

From Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B006J7JWHU/ref=mp_s_a_1_2/278-4993426-9772665?qid=1394209249&sr=1-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

This was the first recipe I tried from FWSY, as requested by the kids. The recipe was done yesterday during a freakish March snow storm where I was working from home and kids, wife, and dog were bored out of their minds. This is the one day pizza dough recipe, I started at around 9 AM, by 6 PM we had dinner.

I made six personal pies, two thin crust (200g), the rest regular (340g). Two of the pizzas had no toppings and my beloved wife dressed them up with a green salad, some cheese and balsamic vinegar. One I made with stuffed curst on request. The rest had tomato sauce, mushrooms and onions (obligatory cross cut pic.

So what did I learn?

• I finally “get” what you all were saying about time and temperature being ingredients.
  
  
• We like thin crust pizza.
  
  
• Making the pizzas a circle takes effort, but they taste just a delicious otherwise and frankly, no one cared as the kids were salivating by the stove anyway and the pizzas never actually made it to the table.
  
  
• I used the back of a cookie sheet, well-floured, as a pizza peel. After the first disaster I only put the sauce on the pizza and the toppings after the pie was on the pizza stone which takes 5-10 seconds if you plan it right.
  
  
• Next time I’m going to put the pizzas on my silicon BBQ grill mats, that way I can just put them on the stone without the mass – anyone tried that?
  

I like his Artisan Breads Every Day book for beginners/home bakers. Very approachable. And a damn fine pizza dough recipe. My stand mixer gets a lot of action out of that book.

Just about any food scale will do but I cannot recommend this enough:

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?adgrpid=58901819907&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIucbug_mY4wIVh5OzCh0Q8QTWEAAYAiAAEgI4r_D_BwE&hvadid=274716464534&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9008164&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17238500916345878914&hvtargid=aud-649564993678%3Akwd-329816178844&hydadcr=14889_10218911&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven&qid=1562163641&s=gateway&sr=8-6

It will be necessary if you plan to make nice sourdoughs. Bakery ovens have steam injection so a Dutch oven will trap steam from the bread and replicate the effect.

The Bread Bible

The Bread Bible will tell you EVERYTHING there is to know about the art of making bread.

From tartine book 2

http://www.amazon.com/Bernard-Claytons-Complete-Book-Breads/dp/0743287096/ref=sr_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418611234&sr=1-20&keywords=Bread

http://www.amazon.com/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418611228&sr=1-8&keywords=Bread

> The tartine method?

Dude who runs a San Francisco bakery wrote a book about high-hydration sourdough baked at home in a dutch oven, came out in 2010 and changed the game.

Read this blog post for one guys perspective: http://www.breadwerx.com/embarrassing-problem-tartine-envy/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413

http://www.amazon.com/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413

Here is the mobile version of your link

https://www.amazon.ca/Tartine-Bread-Chad-Robertson/dp/0811870413

Here

Here is the mobile version of your link

In Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread he identifies that commercial yeasts are bred for rigor so they will overpower local varieties.

http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes/dp/1118132718/

Bread

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118132718?selectObb=new

Never made one of these before, but wife's been making soup a bunch lately and figured we needed a baguette to go with it!

Dough before bake

Another exterior photo

Interior of Dough

Recipe from the The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

https://i.imgur.com/ulR5CD2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8a1rrtq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RqIDq0Z.jpg

Ayep: http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Reinharts-Artisan-Breads-Every/dp/1580089984/

Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish

https://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X/ref=sr_1_1

You'll wanna go ahead and buy this book: FWSY