Baguettes and Whole Wheat Flaxseed

I finally found a French bread recipe I really like! I think the secret is in quality ingredients. I've always heard that, but always tried to skimp. This recipe called for a small amount of semolina flour (usually used for pasta). I also used real bread flour like a good girl. Otherwise, it's very basic--yeast, milk, salt, butter, olive oil. Once you mix it all together the sponge is immediately beautiful and smells divine. I love kneading dough! It's so hard to describe. I just zone out and get peaceful and go to my happy place. It feels really good in your hands. I think bread tastes better if it's been kneaded by hand. It needs touch.

The only real problem I had with this was it was such a large recipe--10 cups of flour! It makes 3 long French loaves or 6 baguettes. I didn't have enough pans. Also, this recipe said to just "shape it into a long French loaf." Okay. Other recipes say to roll it up like a jelly roll. My first tries did not stay very round-- I think I need a baguette pan to get that classic shape. So these were flatter on the bottom. But the texture inside was perfect! Chewy outside (thanks to the cast iron pan full of boiling water in the bottom of the oven) and perfect on the inside. Really tasty too! My kids wanted to eat it all afternoon. And I didn't mind. It's real food. How did you like it?

I've tried quite a few different whole wheat recipes and I'm still trying to find one I like. I practiced with this one yesterday, and it turned out good, but not REALLY good. I tinkered with it a bit. The initial recipe had whole wheat alone (many w.w. recipes call for half white flour for a lighter texture and taste), honey, egg, butter, milk, yeast, salt. It didn't have any sweetness to it, and was slightly dry. But, it made a really good pb&j! On my second try I added molasses for a sweetner, along with the honey, because I think all that whole wheat masked the honey flavor. Also I increased the olive oil and butter just a little, hoping to moisten it. But the biggest thing was that I added some flaxseed meal to make it taste a little nuttier. The first recipe was kind of one-dimensional--I think that's where people get turned off to whole wheat--it's just dry and boring, unless you add some things to make it a deeper flavor. How did you like it?

However, last week I did a multi-grain that was amazing! (see previous post) I wasn't quite ready to debut it yet. Next time I'm thinking the multi-grain, sourdough, or a country oatmeal. And pie, for July! What are your thoughts?

Please post your comments--I really want honest feedback! Also if anyone has a good whole-wheat recipe, let me know. Sometimes Grandma's recipe is the best.

Multi-grain

I'm practicing a few recipes. This multigrain bread recipe is from www.cookingbread.com with a few slight modifications. It's very dense and hearty. The recipe includes whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, flax meal, steel-cut oats (which aren't flat--they're like an oat kernel), molasses, and buttermilk. You have to make a starter the night before and also soak the whole grains to soften them. The sponge smells delicious and is slightly sticky when you knead it up.

It turned out pretty well, and smelled great baking, except I didn't let it bake quite long enough. Many bread recipes say to bake until the loaf sound "hollow" when tapped. I find that pretty ambiguous. It's really hard to tell sometimes until you cut into it. My last loaf I slightly over-cooked. So, it's still slightly dough-y in the middle, but tasted really nutty and rich and yummy. Especially warm and slathered with butter.

It makes two loaves, and I tried to make a "boule" out of one--it didn't work too well. You're also supposed to brush it with egg white before baking, so I brushed one loaf and skipped the other to see the difference. The egg white makes it nice and brown and glistening on top. Also, interestingly, you're supposed to put a cast-iron skillet in the bottom of your oven and pour boiling water in it as you bake it, to create steam. I gave the bread a nice chewy outer layer.

What are you hungry for?

What kinds of things do people want to see?

Once I start school, the sweets will correlate with my assignments. But for July, I'm thinking pie. What could be more more Ameican than apple pie? Besides, it's easy. I've been making pie at my mother's side since I was four years old. Not kidding. This is hand made crust and always fresh fruit filling (canned stuff is nasty). Apple is pretty do-able, peach is a little more expensive to make--cherry is to die for, but pretty expensive. I haven't done cream or meringue pies much.

Let me know . . .

First Try!

Shall we start on June 26-27? (Note: baker reserves the right to change dates!)

I'm going to experiment over the next few weeks, and I think I'm going to try just bread this time. I'm either going to do some type of wheat bread or a classic baguette. Please comment with your name and address if you're interested in participating. Email your address to mastuempy@hotmail.com if you don't want it publicly posted.

Community Supported Baking

Greetings!

This experiment is for anyone who would like to reduce the amount of monocalcium phosphate they eat. Also, for those who would like to feed less sodium stearoyl lactylate to their children. Also, ironically, for those who love fresh bread and could devour a whole loaf and stick of butter in one sitting. Don't deny it.

I will be a baking/pastry student at Le Cordon Bleu starting in August. This is a dream come true for me! I hope to open my own bakery in a few years, offering healthy and nutritious artisan breads, and also rotate in some wicked delicious desserts as a reward.
So, I'm going to need practice. I'm going to need to try out recipes. And once I'm in school I'll be practicing A LOT of cool stuff besides bread. My friend suggested to me that I try out the Community Supported Agriculture idea--expect with baking. Community Supported Bakery (thanks Suzanne). This is an opportunity for me to get my hands dirty (hee hee).


Goal: 10-12 Bread Eaters (BE's) every two weeks. No committments necessary. Try it once, skip it, try it again, whatever you like. Place your "order" on my blog. First come, first served.

Delivery: To be determined. Probably either every other Friday or every other Monday.

Product: One loaf of home baked bread (various kinds), one other baked item (based on popular demand).

Feedback: Post your comments (positive and negative too!) and requests on my blog.

Expectations: 1) My family is my highest priority. So the schedule might flex here and there. I work part time, have 3
children and a husband, and will be going to school 4 mornings a week. Am I crazy? Yes. Do I have an awesome
husband? Again, yes. I might miss a week here and there.
2) I am baking out of a home kitchen--I am not a professional--yet! Don't expect restaurant quality. :-)
3) There will be hits and misses. I've been baking bread for my family for years, and occasionally it still turns out
heavy or isn't quite the right texture. But, usually it's very yummy! Anyway, the point of this is for me to learn,
practice, and get experience. To your benefit!

Payment: I suggest an honor system. On the blog, I itemize how much I spent on ingredients, and how much time and effort went into the product, with a suggested minimum. I include a blank envelope with my delivery, and the recipient puts in however much the bread (or whatever) is worth to them. I'll at least try this for a few months and see if it's viable. (There's a cafe in Denver that does this, and it actually works)

I also hope to be able to figure out nutrition numbers (grams of fat/fiber/sugar per serving, etc). But that means I have to take time to do the math. I also hope to shop in bulk at the co-op eventually. That would be more cost effective and I would get higher quality, organic ingredients.

Remember, home baked bread with no additives is a lot heartier, less elastic than storebought. If you haven't tried it, it might take some getting used to. My kids think it's awesome. Also, it's best eaten fresh, within 1-2 days.

This is in no way a small business. But if I make a few bucks to put in the grocery jar I'll be happy. I'm trying to stay in the Hudson/Stillwater/East Metro. I don't know if this will work or not, but it's worth trying a few times.

Details to come!

P.S. Advice is welcome--both about the baking and the blog! I am a complete technology INFANT! Also, if anyone has process suggestions, let me know.

Numbers

WHAT IT COSTS ME

This is incomplete, and some guessing, but at least a start--I'll keep working on it

Chain Grocery store prices

Homestead Mills Cracked Wheat $4.99/3 lbs 42 cents/1 cup
Dakota Bread flour $6.09/10 lbs 15 cents/1 cup
Dakota Wheat flour $3.29/5 lbs 16 cents/1 cup
Honey $6.69/2 lbs $2.47/ 1 cup
Dry Yeast $6.69/4 oz (1.67/oz) 19 cents/oz
Flaxseed meal approx $5.00/1 lb.
Semolina flour approx $5.oo/1 lb.
Eggs approx $2.00/dozen 17 cents/1 egg
Milk $3.69/gallon _______/cup
Butter $3.00/lb 75 cents/1/2 cup

Whole wheat: (recipe makes 2 loaves) 6 cups w.w. flour=96 cents 1/2 cup honey=$1.23
1 3/4 cup milk (?) 5 Tbs. butter (40 cents) 1/4 cup flaxseed meal (?)
1 egg=17cents olive oil (not enough to count) Freshness, Tastiness and
Nutrition=?
Cost per loaf approximately $1.78 for ingredients (guessing the amounts I haven't figured out yet)


French: (6 baguettes) 10 cups flour=1.50 1 cup milk (?) 1/8 cup yeast (?oz)
3 Tbs butter=25 cents 2 Tbsp sugar (?) 1/4 cup semolina flour (?)
Fresh and Deliciousness=?
Cost per loaf approx 42 cents a loaf! Wow--everyone should make their own!

TIME SPENT:
30 minutes--mixing and initial kneading
1-1/2-2 hrs--raising (no work--but watching it is fun)
5-10 minutes--punch down, shape
1 hr--let raise again
Approx 45 minutes--bake
Approx 20 minutes--cleanup
You really have to plan your day around this--if you leave and let it raise too long, it could fall and ruin the bread. It ends up taking up a large part of your day.

Plus, if we quibble, shopping time, gas in the stove, electricity, rent (my kitchen is my work facility that I am paying for, actually), delivery, packaging, and those kind of maintenance things that I couldn't really bake without--seems silly, but I guess if you have a small business you have to think, literally, about overhead.

Plus--husband watching kids (with a broken arm)--priceless!

So, I kind of did this to figure out how much I'm spending on this, and for transparecy--so you all can see what I'm putting into it, and you can decide what it's worth to you to give me for it.

I'm hoping to comparison shop at the co-op in the future, and also itemize nutrition numbers.
Thanks!