joe's bread
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better instructions to make better bread.
| Created: 09/30/07 | Updated: 07/15/08 |
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better instructions to make better bread.
| Created: 09/30/07 | Updated: 07/15/08 |
Alt.Bread.FAQ is the FAQ for the old newsgroup. (old b/c Time-Warner decided to end their support of all newsgroup servers thus ending perhaps the single most useful and helpful group of home bakers to exist. Fortunately the FAQ is still available.
Barry Harmon is one of the best self-taught home bakers around. His website is full of information for both the novice and the more advanced home baker.
Susan "Wild Yeast" is as professional as they come without being a professional baker. Her website reflects the care and professionalism she puts into every loaf. One thing that stands out in my mind is that her variety of breads is quite astounding. I am inspired to follow her lead on all things bread.
To begin with, all bread started out as being sourdough. It just so happens that as villages grew into towns, and towns grew into cities, bakers couldn't meet the needs of the growing citizenry. They needed a way to make more bread sooner than the usual two day process. This is the reason packaged, or dry, yeast was invented by food engineers. It allowed the bakers to make a much higher quantity of bread in a much shorter time interval - from two days to 2 hours! Thus the sourness, which takes days to develop, disappeared from bread altogether.
Which is better? I have heard of famous professional bakers who use the instant/dry yeast. As such I tend to think that there is no difference. Even when they make sourdough, they start the culture from scratch. Longevity is important in wines - not yeast. The 1st generation is identical to the 100th - they are all the same creatures. (NB: I emailed a microbiologist about identifying the natural yeast in my culture and she said that the yeast is actually more akin to a plant than an animal.)
my successes: a quick look at all my latest attempts. Please keep in mind I have been trying this for only 6 months.
Natural flavor breads are breads made from only flour, water, yeast, salt and (some include) sugar. Adding anything else to that makes the bread "flavored" by the additional ingredients. The flavored versions of the natural flavor breads are described as an addendum to the recipe process.
<Future Links>
Flavored breads are breads made from the fundamental ingredients for natural flavor breads but with ingredients which are essential to them being defined as such and such a bread. NB: adding anything else to that makes the bread "flavored" by the additional ingredients. The flavored versions of the flavored breads are described as an addendum to the recipe process.
Plans:
garlic bread (bread with garlic as an ingredient)
olive breads
specialty breads
challah
easter bread
sourdough
Cooking: how to cook certain foods
To contact me, you can send an email to:
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