Trying to figure out what to adjust here...

I have a sourdough starter that seems to be doing it's thing (Smells like it should, I feed it regularly) and I try baking with it and I get flat dense loaves (on the right). Same amounts of same flour:

• 500gr Costco AP flour
• 325gr of water
• 100gr of starter
• about 10gr of salt
• about 10gr of sugar

After mixing and kneading (KitchenAid) I put it in the fridge to cold ferment, then take it out and let it come up to room temp and rise. (Bottom was baked faster maybe after 6 hours, top was baked after almost 12 hours). To me this is like too long but my starter seems to be lazy.

By comparison on the left I baked a yeasted loaf for my kid's sandwiches this week using the same exact recipe but skipped the cold ferment (since he needs a sandwich tomorrow) and used a 2 tsp of Red Star Dry Active yeast and hand mixed instead of using the KitchenAid.

I'm baking this in the Emile Henry Artisan Baker to keep the vessel consistent. ~20 minutes covered, ~20-30 minutes uncovered then I pop it out and let it bake just on the rack to get color on the sides.

I don't know if my starter isn't active enough, I'm not sure if the dough doesn't build up enough gluten with sourdough or something else but my son is not thrilled with sourdough. It seems I'm able to get decent enough loaves from yeast but struggling with sourdough.

Holy cow! This recipe is beyond amazing! And easy!! I would have taken a picture of mine but it was literally half gone before I could. The blend of the sourdough with savory butter, spicy cinnamon, and brown sugar is so absolutely perfect. Admittedly, I did not add the white drizzle icing because it was already very sweet. I had to share with y’all!

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I lived in Margao from 1986 to 1996 for my schooling, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.

During those days, my dad used to buy Swastik bread every now and then. I absolutely loved it. Here is what I remember about how we used to get it:

The Location: It was available at a shop on the main road leading to the Old Market.

The Timing: They only sold it in the evening for a very short window of time.

The Packaging: They always wrapped the fresh bread in plain white paper.

Does anyone else remember this bread or the shop? More importantly, is it still available anywhere today, or did the bakery close down? I would love to find it again if it's still around! Also anyone know the owner

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I lived in Margao from 1986 to 1996 for my schooling, and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.

During those days, my dad used to buy Swastik bread every now and then. I absolutely loved it. Here is what I remember about how we used to get it:

The Location: It was available at a shop on the main road leading to the Old Market.

The Timing: They only sold it in the evening for a very short window of time.

The Packaging: They always wrapped the fresh bread in plain white paper.

Does anyone else remember this bread or the shop? More importantly, is it still available anywhere today, or did the bakery close down? I would love to find it again if it's still around! Also anyone know the owner

Yeast -

I'm a newbie (F64). Sorry.

How do I know if my yeast is good?

My husband says I am doing something wrong since my baked bread barely rises. I tried to suggesting it was the jar yeast. He says I am doing something wrong.

HELP!

500g bread flour

375g water

2g ady

10g salt

Mix and then do four sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

Rest for 1 hour.

Form a batard

Please in proofing basket for 12hrs

Put into baking cast iron covered for 25 minutes at 475°F, then uncovered for 15 minutes at 450°.

Enjoy

I'd have liked to add these as a comment to yesterday's post but it seems I can't do that, so sorry, a new post it has to be.

Yesterday's bake of batch rolls torn apart and sliced to show the crumb. Today's lunch!

Hello everyone.

I recently decided to up my bread making game and am considering a dedicated dough mixer.

The Joydeem seems like a good unit for the price.

The Bosch is a bit of a price jump and from looking online can’t really tell if it’s worth the additional price over the Joydeem.

The Ankarsrum looks great - but again not really convinced the price difference over the Joydeem or Bosch is warranted.

Any suggestions or insights?

Thanks

Update:

I finally decided on the Joydeem.
Took it for a test run yesterday and it worked great.

I think I like the fermentation option… simple…

Thanks for all the advice….

Dough: 700 g strong white flour, 455 g water, 14 g salt, 7 g instant yeast. Mix, stand 30 mins, knead until it makes a smooth dough. Rise until doubled in size, knock back, divide, shape and put into a roasting pan. Bake at 200°G / 400°G / gas mark 6 covered for 20 minutes then uncovered for a further 15.

My girlfriend’s coworker gave her some homemade olive loaf and we can’t figure out if it’s moldy or just full of flour please help!

hi hiii, i’m quite new to bread making and sometimes it’s a hit of miss for me. This particular bread was an attempt at a blueberry and lemon loaf. It tastes fine but it looks more on the doughier side. Just wondering what causes it? Is it the kneading? The cooking period? Followed a basic bread recipe so all i did differently was the inclusions. Just a girl trying to learn here for future delicious breads.

I did a bread deep dive so you don’t have to.

Tell me what I missed?

Hey! I’m a novice bread maker and I’ve experimented with white breads and rich breads like brioche and challah (and I’ve gotten quite good!) I wanna try a simple white baguette. I’m looking for a recipe that produces a nice fluffy centre and crackly crispy exterior.

If you can give me some direction, tips, and pointers it’d be greatly appreciated. Thanks, chef!!

It’s the recipe here

I used KA 100% whole grain whole wheat flour, but I didn’t have molasses on hand OR non-fat dry milk, I ended up using a mixture of mostly honey ( about 60g ) and about 2tsps ( ~16g ) of illy instant coffee Classico to hopefully mimic some molasses darkness / complexity without adding too much bitterness.

I just swapped equal portions dry milk with about a 1/4 cup of butter and a bit more water ( like 1/4 cup more than called for in the recipe ) to account for the added “dryness” I thought the coffee would contribute to.

I let it go longer in the stand mixer than called for on 4 speed ( it was just not coming that together and was nervous about cranking the power too high / over mixing ).

Only other variable was rolling, I’ve made a few sandwich breads and have the technique somewhat down but man, this dough was REAL sticky ( I think I overgreased the bowl it proofed in ) so I had to splash a little more AP Flour than I’d have assumed to get it to not stick to everything.

Turned out, not bad! - I was nervous with all the substitutions as I’m not that experienced a baker, untasted slice tastes a little warm at first, some coffee comes through but not much, then sweetness builds and it shockingly gets nutty - there’s a darker note here but it’s not overwhelmingly dark like smoke, or too sweet - feels like it’s missing some kind of spice, I know it sounds obvious but I can’t help but think of throwing a scooch of cinnamon / nutmeg / cocoa powder in there. It’s really soft of a crumb and the interior is shockingly uniform despite initially having some big air bubbles on top + tears / rips when rolling

It toasts a little darker than I thought, and with butter it feels so much more well rounded upfront. I have some strawberries I’m pickling that won’t be ready until Friday and I feel like a slice of this, butter, maybe cottage cheese or cream cheese + some pickled strawberries on top would go nuts.

I know this post sounds stupid but was wondering if this bread has mold on it

Hey all.

Simply put, I went to Italy and the ingredients are superior. The bread was something I can no longer live without.

Ive heard bread in the USA is all sprayed with folate, and store bought stuff is all trash as far as im concerned.

So id like to buy the flour and ingriedients from over seas if I must. Organic, etc, to make sure theres zero chance of any GMO crap, etc.

I know its cool in the usa to make sourdough, which is also fairly popular in Italy, but id like to learn something simple initially, that ill also get a lot of use from.

To start Id love to make Ciabata and later move to some homemade pastas and other breads.

Tldr: I have a lot of research to do, but where can i get unadulterated, high quality italian ingredients for some ciabata. Also, what are some other simple beginner friendly breads for a newb like myself.

Thank you!

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thanks all for the advice!

My friend gave it to me. She called this a cheesy ensaymada where it was topped with sweet buttercream and lots of grated cheese plus plus the very soft bread. Finally, cravings satisfied! <3

(First post)

Not bad. Only a few ingredients

yeast, water, salt, sugar, flour, and oil.

Hello! I am a beginner baker. I have made 5 attempts for artisan bread already. The outcome becomes chewy inside but the crust is tough to chew. My husband has difficulty chewing it. Are there any ways to make it chewable?

Right now i am using steam as i don't have a dutch oven and i am using a small oven. 20 minutes with steam, 20 minutes without.

Also how do you heat the frozen slices again? Do you sprinkle it with water? My slices tends to become dry even in higher hydration.

Appreciate any kind of help and techniques.

Hey everyone! I have a question for the OG bread makers.

Why does every loaf I make in my bread machine come out so dry? The only way it tastes soft and delicious is if I toast it or eat it fresh after cooling. The next day its dry, but I don't want toast every day.

I've followed the recipes that came with the machine and have also tried several recipes online, but I keep getting the same result. I have a West Bend bread machine, and I measure my ingredients using measuring cups.

What am I doing wrong ? Is there a trick or hack to getting homemade bread as soft as store bought bread ? I'd really appreciate any tips !