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Bread Baking
Jun. 5th, 2012 07:59 amThis weekend was really busy, but a lot of fun, and included first-time trips to Trader Joe's, Sur la Table, Penzey's, and Michael Symon's restaurant, B Spot. All four stores were located in the fanciest mall I've ever been to. Instead of the cell phone vendors and cheap jewelry kiosks in the center of the walkways at my local mall, this one had chandeliers, pianos, and fancy seating. It was like the Rodeo Drive of the North Shore.
But because I was out so much, I didn't get around to making the bagels. Instead, I threw together a couple loaves of enriched wheat bread. I used the recipe out of my husband's grandmother's old cookbook and added a few tablespoons of diastatic malt powder and substituted 3/4 cup of white flour for whole wheat flour. I also substituted the shortening with butter. I had to guess on the amount of yeast because cake yeast is hard to find these days and I had instant in the fridge. I assume the yeast of the 1950s was far less trusty than the yeast of today because the recipe called for 4.5 tablespoons of it! For comparison, I only use 1.5 teaspoons for standard French bread. I trimmed the yeast back to 2.5 tablespoons and it still rose very quickly. I'll probably cut it back quite a bit more if I make it again.
I feel like I've been spoiled with the pain de campagne and the pain a l'ancienne. The standard American sandwich loaf has lost its appeal. I miss the wheaty flavor and crispy crust of the artisan breads. The sandwich bread tastes too cottony, too doughy, and one-dimensional. It's not bad, but it's not great, either. And why would you make ok bread if you could make great bread?
I can say, however, that the diastatic malt powder was a success. While I didn't notice a difference in the quality of the crust, I did notice that these loaves haven't gone stale nearly as quickly as the loaves I've made without malt powder. I had a couple slices for breakfast this morning and it tasted as fresh as it did on Sunday.
But because I was out so much, I didn't get around to making the bagels. Instead, I threw together a couple loaves of enriched wheat bread. I used the recipe out of my husband's grandmother's old cookbook and added a few tablespoons of diastatic malt powder and substituted 3/4 cup of white flour for whole wheat flour. I also substituted the shortening with butter. I had to guess on the amount of yeast because cake yeast is hard to find these days and I had instant in the fridge. I assume the yeast of the 1950s was far less trusty than the yeast of today because the recipe called for 4.5 tablespoons of it! For comparison, I only use 1.5 teaspoons for standard French bread. I trimmed the yeast back to 2.5 tablespoons and it still rose very quickly. I'll probably cut it back quite a bit more if I make it again.
I feel like I've been spoiled with the pain de campagne and the pain a l'ancienne. The standard American sandwich loaf has lost its appeal. I miss the wheaty flavor and crispy crust of the artisan breads. The sandwich bread tastes too cottony, too doughy, and one-dimensional. It's not bad, but it's not great, either. And why would you make ok bread if you could make great bread?
I can say, however, that the diastatic malt powder was a success. While I didn't notice a difference in the quality of the crust, I did notice that these loaves haven't gone stale nearly as quickly as the loaves I've made without malt powder. I had a couple slices for breakfast this morning and it tasted as fresh as it did on Sunday.