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First Boule on the Egg

RiverFarm
RiverFarm Posts: 216
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I haven't tried it yet, but it sure looks gorgeous! Thanks to Fishlessman and Michelle for shepherding me through the process. This is fun!

firstboule.jpg

Comments

  • mkc
    mkc Posts: 544
    Just gorgeous! Now you will be hooked on the ABin5 method (if you weren't already).

    Where did you buy your banneton? I love the look it gives to the boule.
    Egging in Crossville, TN
  • RiverFarm
    RiverFarm Posts: 216
    Michelle, I'd been using the ABin5 (neat way of referring to it, and a lot easier than writing it all out every time!) for about a year now, since it was featured in an issue of Mother Earth News that I picked up at our local Tractor Supply store. Mostly I make the whole wheat sandwich bread; I've even got a slicer to cut it more evenly. I use vital wheat gluten to add some loft to the loaf when I'm using whole grains. But my husband likes semolina, so this time I used the semolina flour recipe and instead of white flour substituted white whole wheat. It didn't rise as much but it's really good. I also found that using white whole wheat instead of the regular type in all my breads did away with the slightly sour, yeasty taste that we objected to.

    I bought the banetton from Fante's in Philadelphia:

    http://www.fantes.com/brotforms.html

    Mine is the 6.5 inch round natural cane one - ##54417
    My boules were way too relaxed and I was looking for a way to give them more form and height. This seems to have done it, but I also didn't add the extra water that the corrections for the ABin5 book advise, so the dough was stiffer to begin with.

    They've got a new book on whole grains coming out, which I hinted might be nice for Christmas.

    Have you been using that technique long? I make almost all of my bread now with their method.

    By the way, the boule was delicious!

    Leslie
  • Mainegg
    Mainegg Posts: 7,787
    pretty, and the bowl gives it a nice skin :0
  • RiverFarm
    RiverFarm Posts: 216
    Yes, it does. That's the first time I've used one and it really works well!
  • mkc
    mkc Posts: 544
    Leslie,

    Thanks for the info on the banneton. I've also doing ABin5 for about a year now. I don't recall where I first read about it. Our favorite is the European Peasant Bread.

    A really tasty option is the brotchen version from the website - it subs some egg white for the water and you make rolls instead of a large loaf. I do the peasant bread recipe this was for dinner rolls. My German-born-and-raised neighbor said it's just like getting bread "back home".

    I've tried other "no knead" recipes and books and nothing compares to the ease and versatility of Jeff and Zoe's method. I've been a bread baker for almost 25 years and absolutely love this technique.

    I've had the whole grain book on pre-order for months and see on the ABin5 website that they've posted the master recipe (73% whole wheat). I have a batch of that recipe in the fridge now for baking later this week (and hopefully Amazon will have the new book to me in the next week).
    Egging in Crossville, TN
  • RiverFarm
    RiverFarm Posts: 216
    Michelle, coincidentally there was just an announcement in my in-box from Zöe and Jeff about their new book, saying that it was going to be available this week. I had posted a question on their website about the yeasty/sour taste that we didn't like, and Zoe responded right away and suggested being careful not to cover the dough too tightly while it was proofing and also to try baking it immediately after mixing and to freeze what wasn't baked right away. I think what made the biggest difference was the white whole wheat flour, though. Anyway, because I had used their website I was in their databank, so I got the notice about the new book at the same time as I got the email about your response.

    I used to bake bread all the time, and then, because we had goats and I had to make cheese, I stopped. I figured that between the goats and the kids and my job I could only bake bread or make cheese but not both. The goats are long gone and the kids are all grown and I'm retired, so I'm really thrilled to have found a way to make bread easily and so tastily again. We like to visit friends in France and the bread I make with the ABin5 recipes is very much like what you can get there.

    I had never heard of the no-knead technique, but someone I talk to on a French cuisine forum said that she has been using that method for many years; she is British and she got it from her grandmother.

    Leslie