Lol.

Luckily I haven't watched Big Brother for years so that urge has passed me by :D

WOW
 

Wow, looking at the pictures and reading stories here has inspired me. I'm newly single and will definitely be getting back to the basics. As a youngster, I learned to cook and bake. For the last 20 years, I've still cooked a lot, but really have lost the creativity/joy of doing so.

A few days ago I bought a copy of The Modernist Quinine at Home cookbook.

Now I have an interesting Hamburger Bun recipe in my at home email account. Can't wait to get home...

Life is good.

That IS good!

Glad you enjoy the pictures. Here is a bacon and cheese and onion loaf ....


http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psb22a83ac.jpg


Ugly .... but very nice!

There is nothing more rewarding than making a loaf of bread. And nothing cheaper, easier - and you eat it as well.

At this very moment I am watching a French country loaf growing ...... soon it will be baking!

Enjoy your re-discovery!

Ooh, that looks lovely.....and not ugly either.

You're not supposed to find bacon attractive ...:D

True. Lol. I'd make it without the bacon but it still looks nice!

It's the bacon AND cheese that's the issue! :D

Just for you - a choice of sesame or poppy seeds ;)

[IMG]http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7ddc88b5.jpg[/IMG]

You know how to turn a bloke's head!

I'll have the poppyseed one please.

Recipe please with idiot proof instructions!!

Oh dear ... I can't! I rarely use recipes ... rather procedures. Once you learn the basics I find it best not to use recipes.

In rough terms I decide how much bread I'm making. If it's just for me it will be a total of 300 to 400 gms of hard Canadian flour or a combo!

I always make a starter (poolish/biga) the previous night. This really adds flavour. I normally want to end up with a roughly 75% hydration (water to flour) .. so in order to do this assuming 400gms of total flour the previous night I'll add around 5 or 6 gms of instant yeast to 200 gms of flour and 200ml (gms!) of water which I mix loosely with a fork in the kenwood bowl I'll use the following day. NO SALT - it will retard the yeast. I put a hotel hair shower hat over it to let it bubble overnight. The wetter the bread mix - the better the bread. If you add denser flours or wholemeals you'll need a touch more water a touch more yeast and a little longer rising and proving. That's it really.

The following day I add the over half of flour with some salt and water ie 200gms of flour and 100 ml water making the 75% hydration. At this stage if you were making ciabatta you'd substitute some olive oil for the water. I then mix it and for the recipe you ask for I'd add some cold fried chopped up bacon with some onion and some grated cheddar all mixed in.

That's it. Put it in a bowl and cover - let it grow for as long as you can. Put it onto a baking sheet - I use a teflon sheet cover and bake it. I sprinkle some semolina onto the tray to help crust the underside of the loaf. I also like to turn it over around 2/3rds through baking.

Permanently sitting in the bottom of my oven is a cast iron steak griddle. If I want a crunchy crusty loaf I put the loaf into a hottish oven where it's been warming up for half an hour or so and around a quarter of a cup of water onto the griddle slamming the door quickly to trap the steam.

It's much better to get the feel of how bread is made conceptually and imprecisely ie simply understanding the end hydration rates and importance of slow yeast growth proving than recipes. Then everything falls into place and you can make anything you think of because you understand relationships whereas recipes prevent you getting more intimate with the process and therefore less adventurous in my humble view.

I hope this is some help. DO TRY!

I'm going to try this at the weekend (minus the bacon ;) ). It looks lovely.

I make a biga when make rye bread (jewish type of rye bread, not the dark German type) so I'm used to that method.

I hadn't had much luck with sourdough and when I started using the biga method It really made the bread exactly like a mild sourdough. Just enough flavour for my taste although sometimes I do allow things to drift to 3 or 4 days before a loaf hits the oven. I use it for pizza and pretty much all non machine bread now.

It really started when I couldn't buy decent French bread and was desperate for some crunch and flavour. The same basic approach as above but with around 10% either rye flour or wholemeal and envelope folding for a day for a great baguette. A large oblong plastic box with lid helps preserve bubble and shape.

I've just made a biga for tomorrow. An onion loaf I think - to go with the Red Leicester and Branston.

Thanks uk1.

I'll give it a try.....^

I made brioche, Chelsea buns and date scones last night (because my kitchen wasn't hot enough at 30degrees with the oven off :rolleyes: )

[IMG]http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/...psdb1a4439.jpg[/IMG]

And I know this is a bread thread and scones aren't bread but I wanted to make something whilst I was waiting for the other dough to prove.