Water-Proofed Bread {Bread Baking Babes}

When a recipe begins with “…the dough in this recipe is fairly difficult to handle,” it makes you wonder what you’re getting into and if it’s worth the effort.

This bread is called water-proofed because it is proofed in warm water for the first rise. I call it water-logged because it’s a very sticky dough. It can be a bit tricky to handle, but the result is a soft, buttery, and rich brioche-like bread with an eggy flavor. And, yes, it is worth the effort once you get the hang of it.

Elle, the host of the Bread Baking Babes (BBBs) for March, chose this floating loaf as our challenge. The recipe is from Beard on Bread by James Beard. I have the book, but I had never tried this bread. It is a fun bread to make and can be made in an afternoon or evening. Unfortunately, the analytic in me overcomplicated things so the first time I made it, I wasn’t very happy with the results.

First Attempt at Water-Proofed Bread

As I was making the bread the first time, I looked at the amount of yeast and thought “Wow! that’s a lot of yeast, especially for only 3 1/2 cups of flour.”  Then I thought “My goodness, that’s a lot of eggs!” I was okay with the amount of butter and sugar because I do enjoy brioche every now and then. Grin.

Even though I was hesitant to use the amount of yeast and eggs the recipe called for, I trudged on and made the bread according to the recipe, with the exception of using white KAMUT flour instead of all-purpose flour.

As I was kneading the dough, I realized I hadn’t adjusted the hydration for KAMUT. KAMUT is more absorbent than bread flour so you either need to add more water or use less flour. I hadn’t incorporated any additional water in the dough and had already dumped the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the bread board (per the instructions) so I used all of it.

I did not like the results. The loaves were over proofed, and they under delivered. They were not soft and delicate like brioche; they were a little dense and eggy. My first thought when I took a bite, was Yuck! 

These loaves are water-proofed and water-logged. They remind me of an eggy-tasting sponge.  Not that I’ve eaten a sponge, mind you.

 

2nd Attempt at Water-Proofed Bread

I decided to try again the next day. This time, I went with my initial instincts and adjusted the amount of yeast and eggs and the final proofing time. I also reduced the baking temperature from 375 to 350 degrees F.

I used 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast instead of two packets and 2 eggs instead of three. I also watched the final proof closely. The first loaves collapsed during baking because they were over proofed. This was due to too much yeast.

This dough makes two loaves, but they are small loaves. Neither one of my batches could have filled a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan which is what the recipe suggested that you bake the loaves in. 

The first time I baked the bread, I used 8 -1/2 x 4-1/2-inch glass loaf pans. The second time, I used slightly smaller nonstick pans. The second batch turned out much better.

I could tell this version was a winner when I took the loaves out of the oven. When I sliced one of the loaves and tried a piece, it just melted in my mouth. Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

 

Water-Proofed Bread

Adapted from: Beard on Bread by James Beard, 1973

Look for the original recipe on Elle’s blog.

Here is my adapted version:

Ingredients: (2 Small Loaves)

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons Kosher or Sea Salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/4 cups KAMUT white flour (or all-purpose flour), divided + more as needed to dust work surface and towel

Instructions:

I recommend doing this completely by hand without the aid of a mixer or bread machine, but feel free to use the method you prefer.

Add the yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a large mixing bowl, pour in the warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Let the mixture proof for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat the milk with the butter and 1/4 cup sugar until lukewarm, then add to the yeast mixture. Add the salt and blend well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly. Stir in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. It will be a very wet and sticky dough. Stir vigorously to incorporate all of the flour. I used a Danish dough whisk.

Sprinkle your work surface with the additional flour.  I only used 1/4 cup of the extra flour for kneading and sprinkling the towel, but you may need more.

Transfer the dough to your work surface. For this part, it’s helpful to use a dough scraper or large spatula to work in this last portion of flour and make the dough firmer. Scrape the flour up and over the dough, lifting and folding inward. Repeat this process until the flour is well incorporated.

Once you have a workable dough, begin kneading. Knead by hand until the dough can be shaped. (The process of kneading with the scraper and then by hand is very effective for delicate dough. The dough will remain rather sticky, but that’s okay.)

Roll the dough in flour and place it on a clean kitchen towel sprinkled with flour. Wrap the dough in the towel, like you would a package. The original instructions say to tie the packet. I tried this the first time around, but I had to untie it partway through the water-proofing in order to give it room to expand. I didn’t tie the packet the second time around.

 

 

This is the fun part!  Gently submerge the packet in a large bowl filled with warm water (about 100 - 115 degrees F, approximately). Watch it sink.

Let sit for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until it rises sufficiently to float on top of the water. The first time I made this bread, it only took about 25 to 30 minutes for the loaf to float because of all the yeast. The second time, I let the dough proof for 1 1/2 hours before it floated.

 

 

Carefully lift the dough from the water and let the excess water drip off. Un-wrap the towel and turn out the dough to a lightly floured surface. As you can see from the photo below, it will be quite sticky. Scrape off any dough that adheres to the towel. Knead and shape into two loaves, using both dough scraper and your hands. After I had scraped the sticky mess from the towel, I incorporated all of the dough into a ball. The dough that I scraped from the towel was wetter than the other dough so I worked it into the rest of the dough. Then I let the ball of dough rest on the counter for about 10 minutes before shaping the loaves.

Butter two loaf pans and place one loaf in each pan. Cover the loaves with plastic or a kitchen towel. Let them rise, in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough rise slightly above the tops of the pans, or until almost doubled in bulk.

 

 

I used 8 x 4-inch loaf pans and the dough still didn’t reach the top of the pans, but it was almost doubled in bulk (see photo below).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  The original instructions say to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  This was too hot for my oven and the pans I used, but you may need the extra temperature, depending on your oven.

Brush the dough with cold water. Place the loaf pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when rapped with the knuckles, top and bottom.

When done, place the loaves directly on the oven rack, without their pans, to brown the bottom a little more and crisp the crusts. Cool on racks.

The baking time will vary based on the size of your loaves. I baked the second batch for about 25 minutes, then I removed the loaves from the pans and placed them back on the rack for a few minutes to let the crusts firm up. I turned the oven off so they wouldn’t over bake.

Remove and place on wire racks to cool.

I almost put all of the dough in one 9 x 5-inch pan to make a large loaf, but I’m glad I didn’t. This way, I can enjoy smaller slices for a snack or lunch. 

 

 

This is a good bread to serve with tea. It tastes great with butter, jam or marmalade and it makes great toast. It can be frozen for up to 3 to 4 weeks. Just wrap it in plastic.

Note on cleanup: The towel will get rather messy from the dough, but it’s not hard to clean.  I used a textured towel. I’m not sure if this made a difference or not. After I removed the dough from the towel, I scraped the towel really well with a dough scraper. Then, I used warm water to rinse off the towel in the sink before washing it with some other towels in the washing machine. It came out beautifully clean. Some of the other bakers found that using cold water to soak the towel worked better for them, but I didn’t have any problems with the warm water.

 

 

Bread Baking Babes:

• Bake My Day - Karen
• blog from OUR kitchen - Elizabeth
• Bread Experience - Cathy
• Feeding my Enthusiasms - Pat/Elle
• girlichef - Heather
• Life's a Feast - Jamie
• Living in the Kitchen with Puppies - Natashya
• Lucullian Delights - Ilva
• My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
• My Kitchen In Half Cups - Tanna
• Notitie Van Lien - Lien
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie

 

Would you like to join in as a buddy? Elle at Feeding my Enthusiasms is the hosting kitchen this month. If you want to join in, just make the Water-Proofed Bread and send Elle your link (instructions are included in her announcement post).  Submissions are due by March 29th.  Once you've posted, you'll receive a Buddy badge for baking along.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

KAMUT de Mie

This KAMUT de Mie has a very mild and wheaty flavor.

Pain de Mie means “bread of the crumb.” I like that description, but this version, made with KAMUT, could be described as “bread with a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that’s great for toasting.” 

I enjoy experimenting with ancient grains. I’ve used whole grain KAMUT flour in several breads, but I hadn’t tried KAMUT white flour yet so I wanted to see how it would perform in breads that are usually made with modern white bread flour.

KAMUT white flour is actually creamy-colored. It’s a beautiful grain and makes a lovely flour.

Whole Grain KAMUT

KAMUT White Flour

In my research, I’ve found differing opinions on where some of the ancient grains originated and how they are classified. The official KAMUT web site has a wealth of interesting information and the classification makes sense to me, bearing in mind, I’m not an expert on wheat.

Basically, all wheat belongs to the genus Triticum, but the classifications differ based on the number of chromosomes. Khorasan Wheat (KAMUT brand) has 28 chromosomes as opposed to the 42 chromosomes found in modern wheat. I had read about the differing chromosomes in some of my previous research, but didn’t realize that KAMUT, like emmer, only has 28. There’s much more to wheat than meets the eye.

 

KAMUT de Mie (Pain De Mie made with KAMUT Flour)

Adapted from: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute

Makes: Two Medium (8 1/2” x 4 1/2”) Loaves

This bread started out at 60% hydration, but it was too dry. The KAMUT flour absorbed the milk so much that it ended up being about 78% hydration. I had heard that KAMUT had a greater absorption rate than modern bread flour. Now, I can attest to that. It wasn’t a wet dough. It was dreamy or maybe I should say creamy to work with.

 

Ingredients:

• 553g KAMUT white flour
• 433g Cold Almond milk
• 55g (4 T) unsalted butter, softened
• 9g instant yeast
• 22g sugar
• 11g salt

 

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, half of the milk, the softened butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed using the dough hook for 5 minutes. Gradually add in more milk as necessary until there are no dry bits of flour. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together.  It will be slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.

 

Lightly flour a work surface and remove the dough from the bowl.  Divide it into two pieces using a sharp knife or bench knife. Cover the pieces with plastic and let them bench rest for 15 minutes.

 

Lightly butter two medium loaf pans.  I used two 8.5 by 4.5-inch glass loaf pans.

Uncover the dough again and lightly flour the work surface, if necessary. Gently press out the dough to degas it and shape each piece into a round. Shape the rounds into batards and place each batard into a buttered loaf pan. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise for 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Make the egg wash by combining the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together in a small bowl until blended.

Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the risen loaves with the egg wash.  You’re supposed to do this lightly.  I may have overdone it with the egg wash because the crust got a little darker than I anticipated.

Transfer the loaves to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. The sides should be firm to the touch.

Remove the loaves from the oven.  If you are using glass pans, let the loaves cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Since the weather has been unseasonably cold, I was craving tomato soup and grilled cheese.  Pain de Mie is the perfect bread for grilled cheese (or toasted cheese as we referred to it growing up).

The KAMUT flour performed really well for this test. It makes a great toast bread.

I’m sharing these loaves with:

BYOB - Il Cestino del Pane

Yeastspotting

 

Happy Baking

Cathy

Pane alla Cioccolata … a bread to be shared

I love to share bread stories with everyone who reads this blog, but I also tend to talk about bread with anyone that will listen. Most everyone around me, family, friends and acquaintances, know I’m a bread-baking fanatic.

The more I learn about bread baking, the more I find that it’s not about the baker, it’s about the bread. Making bread is a simple pleasure, a stress reliever, an art and a necessity, at times. But most importantly, it’s a way of bringing people together. Bread is a gift that’s meant to be shared.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been doing a good bit of shipping through my local UPS store. I ship bread and other goodies to my sons who live in different cities, but I also ship items related to the Bread Experience.

When the owner of the UPS store found out about the Bread Experience, she asked me if I had any breads with dried fruit. Since I don’t bake and sell bread for a living, this often confuses people. Once I explained that I don’t actually sell bread, but I teach people how to make it, she asked if I had a good recipe. I gave her my card so she could visit the site, but I decided to do one better and actually make her some bread with dried fruit. 

That was several months ago, and I’ve been in the store numerous times since then. Recently, I shipped my youngest son some bread and she kindly reminded me that I had promised to make her some bread. Busted!  It was time to make good on my promise. I figured it should be a really good bread since I had made her wait.

I’ve had this chocolate bread with dried cherries bookmarked to make for a special occasion. I decided now was time to make it.

 

Pane alla Cioccolata

 

Makes: 2 Loaves

Adapted from: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute

 

Ingredients:

Liquid Levain:

• 225 grams/ 8 ounces all-purpose flour
• 280 grams/ 9 3/4 ounces water
• 25 grams/ 3/4 ounces liquid levain culture

Final Dough:

• 320 grams/ 11 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 32 grams/ 1 1/8 ounces Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 30 grams/ 1 T water *
• 530 grams/ 1 pound 2 2/3 ounces Liquid Levain
• 1 large egg 
• 20 grams/ 3/4 ounce milk
• 15 grams/ 1/2 ounce (~1 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 grams / 3/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 6 grams/ 1/4 ounce (1 1/4 tsp.) sea salt
• 70 grams/ 2 1/2 ounces (5 T) organic sugar
• 130 grams/ 4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks
• 50 grams/ 1 3/4 ounces dried cherries

* I used a large egg so this added more liquid. I reduced the amount of water to compensate for the extra liquid in the egg. You may need more water so adjust accordingly during the mixing cycle.

Egg Wash:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

 

Method:

Prepare the liquid levain:

Mix together the all-purpose flour, water and liquid levain culture with a wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature (75 degrees F.) for 14 to 18 hours.

 

Making the Final Dough:

1) Prepare the mise en place. The egg and butter should be at room temperature.

 

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the all-purpose flour and cocoa powder, water, liquid levain, eggs, milk, butter, yeast, and sea salt. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix until everything is well blended. Add more flour or water as necessary.

3) Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time and mix well after each addition.  Continue mixing until the gluten is completely developed.  This could take about 10 minutes.

 

4) When the gluten is sufficiently developed, add the chocolate chunks and dried cherries and mix on low speed until incorporated.

 

5) Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl or container.  Cover with plastic or a kitchen towel and let it ferment for 1 hour.

6) After an hour, uncover the dough and fold it one.  Cover it again with the plastic wrap and let it ferment for an additional hour.

7) Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.  Uncover the dough and divide it into 2 pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and cover with plastic.  Allow the dough balls to rest for 10 minutes

 

8) Butter two 9-inch loaf pans. Uncover the dough balls. Lightly flour the work surface again if necessary. Press the dough gently to degas and shape the balls into loaves. Shape it into a log shape or a batard.  I did one of each.

 

9) Place each loaf in a prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let them proof for 2 hours.

 

10) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the egg wash by combining the large egg and tablespoon of water.  Whisk to combine.  Brush the egg wash onto the top of the loaves using a pastry brush.

 

11) Bake the loaves for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F., or until the crust is deep brown and the sides are firm to the touch.

12) Remove the loaves from the oven and turn out onto wire racks to cool.

I gave one of these loaves away and enjoyed the other one myself.  It tastes great toasted with butter. It also freezes well.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Toast for the New Year

Another year is upon us. Even in the midst of all the uncertainty in this country and in the world, I’m looking forward to this year.  It’s another year to celebrate the staff of life. 

I find that when I’m baking bread, the cares of the world just slip away. It is a very satisfying and rewarding experience and a great way to bless others.

So to start the new year off, I offer a toast…

 

Toast bread, that is… 

 

This delicious whole wheat bread is made with home-milled whole wheat flour so it has a sweet wheat flavor. It is made with a whole wheat sponge, rye flour and white bread flour.  It tastes great plain, but even better toasted and spread with butter or jam. 

I made my version in a Pullman pan for added affect and crustiness, but you can make it in regular loaf pans if you prefer.

 

 

Whole Wheat Toast Bread

Makes: Two 1lb loaves or 1 Pullman Loaf

Adapted from Shannon’s WW Toast Bread. Thanks to Shannon for sharing this recipe with the Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook group.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Sponge:

• 300 g (1 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour
• 24 g (~3/4 tablespoon) honey
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water

Mix these above ingredients together and set aside while you combine the remaining ingredients.

 

Dough:

• 240 g (1 3/4 cups) white bread flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. (1 packet) instant yeast
• 60 g (1/2 cup) rye flour
• 12 g (scant 2 tsp.) salt
• 4 g (2 tsp.) barley malt powder
• 12 g (2 tablespoons) whole milk powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) water

 

Directions:

Mixing the Dough:

Mix all ingredients (including the whole wheat sponge) on low speed in a stand mixer for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to high and mix an additional 6 minutes.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Place the dough in a large clean bowl, cover it with plastic and let it bulk ferment for 40 minutes to an hour or until it doubles in bulk.

 

Shaping the Pullman Loaf:

Remove the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. Divide it into 4 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a round ball and place all 4 balls into a greased Pullman Pan. Alternately, you can divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 3 balls and place 3 balls in 1 lb loaf pans.

 

Proofing the Dough:

Cover the Pullman Pan with the greased lid and let the loaf proof for 45 minutes or until the dough just reaches the top of the pan.

 

Baking the Loaf:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees for a Pullman Pan and 400 degrees for regular loaf pans.  Of, if your oven is hotter, adjust accordingly.

Bake the Pullman loaf on the middle rack of the 375 degrees oven for 30-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle, comes out clean.  It took my loaf about 25 minutes.

 

Cooling the Loaf:

Remove the loaf from the pan immediately so that the bottom doesn’t get soggy. Place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

This bread has been YeastSpotted in the weekly bread roundup hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast.

 

Enjoy!  My son was home from college for the Holidays and he loved this bread.  It’s fluffy, slightly sweet and comfy.

 

Happy New Year!

from the Bread Experience