The Story Behind the EZ DOH Bread Maker

Over the past few weeks, I’ve featured the EZ DOH Bread Maker and some of the breads I’ve made with it. I plan to continue testing it and featuring different types of breads that can be prepared in it, but today, I’m doing something different.

I invited the creator of the EZ DOH Bread Maker to tell her bread-baking story and how the idea for the EZ DOH was birthed.

Please join me in welcoming, Ginny, a fellow bread enthusiast and the creator of a unique bread-making tool made in the USA.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Our Bread-Baking Story – It wasn’t always “EZ”

"Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad but bread is king."
Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956)

I’ve been a bread baker for quite some time, though it hasn’t always been so. My husband and I were married in 1977 – and I was NOT a cook. When we moved from Ohio to California to finish school, I was far from family and friends, and on my own to learn cooking and baking skills.

As we rarely had enough money to go out to eat, Dave patiently suffered my experiments. Our favorite day of the week would be when fellow-newly-wed-neighbors in our apartment complex would invite us over to share a fresh, fragrant loaf of homemade bread (Kristy was a farm girl from Nebraska with incredible baking skills). The four of us would greedily devour the delicious loaf (with LOTS of butter) in short order! I was sure I didn’t have the time or the talent to concoct such a wonderful thing, so I left the weekly baking to Kristy! I did occasionally attempt to imitate her creations with frozen bread dough I purchased at the grocery. However, the results were always very, very sad…..and doughy…..and hard…..and tasteless …..you get the picture!

In 1979, Dave finished school and we headed back to Ohio, where we found ourselves a part of a movement to do things “naturally” – we canned our own food, we put a wood-fired furnace in our home, we home-schooled our kids, and, of course , making our own bread became a part of the picture. A dear friend and mentor took me under her wing….and a miracle occurred! I learned how to bake bread! And…..I fell in love.

Eventually, bread baking became my signature. I was asked to bring bread to church gatherings; I always included a specialty bread basket when I catered; our family’s cinnamon rolls were the big draw at the neighborhood garage sales; my children’s friends always hoped they visited when the bread was coming out of the oven.

Initially, I used an old Sunbeam mixer to make the dough when I was in too much of a hurry to knead it by hand. Then I happened upon an antique dough bucket at a local flea market! What a genius invention of simplicity this was! I could make 5-10 loaves at a time neatly and efficiently – I loved it! I often thought how great a “mini bread bucket” would be, especially for friends of mine who asked me to teach them to bake bread. It was easy….it wasn’t very messy…..it would make 1-2 loaves….and it certainly couldn’t cost too much….

Fast forward to today, and with much prayer, help from friends and faith, that “thought” became EZ DOH. Already, we’ve been through revisions and adjustments and we’re sure there’s more to come, but we’re so proud of the product we have to offer. We’re hoping to help many more people overcome that fear of yeast and fall in love with the bread-making process.

Visit EZ DOH us at www.ezdoh.com for more information. See our blog for weekly “Friday Recipes”

EZ DOH Crusty Spelt Bread

For my next experiment with the EZ DOH bread dough maker, I made whole wheat bread using an overnight sponge. I’ve made this bread several times; each time with a different type of flour. This time, I used a mixture of white and whole grain Spelt.

 

Using an overnight sponge helps with gluten development.  This is particularly useful when working with ancient grains because they generally have a weaker gluten structure. Allowing the final dough to ferment for a longer period of time also aids with gluten development.

Due to the weaker protein structure, spelt doughs also benefit from a shorter mix.  It’s generally better to mix them by hand or utilize a shorter mix on first speed in a stand mixer.  Due to these characteristics, I felt this would be a good dough to test in the EZ DOH unit.

This bread can be baked in a regular loaf pan or as a freeform artisan loaf.  I tried it both ways (see photo below).  The loaf on the left is made with white and whole grain Spelt.  The loaf on the right is made completely with whole grain Spelt and baked on a baking stone using steam.

 

This post documents the process for the loaf bread. If you want to learn how to bake the hearth-style loaf, refer to the Einkorn Bread made with an Overnight Sponge post.

 

crusty Spelt Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from: Bread Science by Emily Buehler

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 187 g (1 2/3 cups) white Spelt flour
• 140 g (2/3 cup) water (50 to 55 degrees F.)
• 1/8 tsp. instant yeast

Final Dough:

• 210g (~1 3/4 cups) whole grain Spelt flour (plus more for sprinkling)
• 327g Sponge (all of it)
• 140g (2/3 cup) water (60 to 65 degrees F.)
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. salt

 

Directions:

Mixing the Sponge:

Mix the sponge 12 to 15 hours before you plan to make the dough. If the temperature is cooler in the house, then use warmer water, if it is warmer in the house, then use cooler water. Final temperature should be about 65 degrees F.

I mixed the sponge in the EZ DOH and let it rest in the unit overnight.

 

After the overnight rest, I added about half the water to break up the sponge. I mixed the sponge and the water for a minute or so, then I added the dry ingredients and starting mixing while I gradually added the rest of the water. I mixed until all of the dry ingredients were incorporated into the dough. Then I removed the handle assembly and kneaded the dough just a bit (in the bucket) with my hands.

 

Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough bulk ferment for 1 hour. Fold and turn the dough in the bowl or take it out and perform a fold on the counter or work surface.

Place the dough back in the bucket, cover again, and let it bulk ferment for another hour.

After the 2 hour fermentation, shape the dough into a loaf shape. Place the loaf seam side down in an 8 1/2” x 4 1/2”  loaf pan. I used a glass loaf pan.

I scored the loaf before the final proof so it wouldn’t deflate the dough. This is recommended for weaker doughs.  It also gives the scores more definition after baking.

 

Let the loaf proof for an hour.  It probably won’t double in size during the proof, but the oven spring should be very good.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The crust should be brown and crusty.

Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

The EZ DOH bread maker lives up to its name.  It’s really easy to use.  I like it although I have found that it does require a bit of hands on kneading.  If you’re making breads by hand, this shouldn’t be an issue because you want to get your hands on the dough to make sure it’s developing properly. 

The EZ DOH is a useful tool for mixing no knead breads and for making breads that require a longer fermentation time to develop the gluten.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

EZ DOH Spelt Country French Bread

I just got a new bread-baking tool!  It’s called the EZ DOH manual bread dough maker and it was created by Gina, The Loaf Lady!  Her marketing manager (aka husband) sent me one of the units, and I’ve been having fun testing it.

 

I enjoy making breads by hand. Although I have a basic stand mixer, I don’t use it very often. I prefer to use my Danish dough whisk to mix the dough and then knead it by hand.

The EZ DOH takes things a step further by incorporating a dough hook that you crank by hand. This allows you to enjoy the hands-on experience, with less fuss, and less cleanup because everything can be done in the bucket; from mixing, to kneading, to proofing the dough. And did I mention, the EZ DOH maker is made in the USA and it’s BPA-free.

I started my testing with an adapted version of the basic French Bread recipe included with the unit. My version is made with all-purpose Spelt and whole grain Spelt flour. I also adjusted the hydration since Spelt absorbs water differently than all-purpose flour.

 

SPELT Country French Bread

Adapted from: EZ DOH Basic French/Italian Bread Recipe by www.EZDOH.com

Makes: 1 Loaf

This basic loaf is made using the straight dough method.  It works well if you want to make a quick loaf for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cups water, more if needed
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose white Spelt flour, plus additional for dusting
• 1/2 cup whole grain Spelt flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Mixing the dough:

The instructions on the unit suggest that you add the warm water first, and sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Then add the rest of the ingredients, in the order listed.

I use instant yeast and it isn’t necessary to activate the yeast so I added all of the dry ingredients (like I normally do) and then mixed in the wet ingredients. However, doing it this way made it a bit tricky to get all of the dry ingredients incorporated. Next time, I’ll add the wet ingredients first and place the dry ingredients on top.

I found that it helped to hold back some of the water and add the rest after I had started mixing the dough. You may need to incorporate more flour or water to achieve the desired dough consistency just as you would with any bread dough.

The EZ DOH mixes the dough fairly quickly.  Start by turning the handle in one direction and mix. Then switch directions and continue  mixing and alternating directions until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.  The total mixing time is about 2-5 minutes.

 

After I finished mixing, I removed the crank assembly and worked the dough just a bit with my hands to make sure it was the right consistency. I have to get my hands on the dough no matter what tool I use.

Bulk Fermentation:

Let the dough bulk ferment in the bucket until it is doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.   I let this dough ferment for about an hour.

 

Shaping the Loaf:

Because this loaf includes olive oil, and whole grain flour, my version is more like a country loaf than a baguette. You can shape the loaf into the traditional French baguette shape, but I shaped my loaf into a round boule.

I placed the shaped boule on parchment paper sprinkled with spelt flour. You can use cornmeal for sprinkling, but I wanted a pure Spelt loaf.

Cover the loaf with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it proof until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes, (or longer) depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

 

Preparing the Loaf for Baking:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. with a baking stone on the bottom rack and an iron skillet or steam pan on the top rack.

Score the loaf in the pattern of your choice, using a serrated knife or bread lame. I used a straight-edged lame to score a square (sort of) around the top of the loaf. You might need to sprinkle the top of the loaf with a little flour so to make scoring a little bit easier.

 

Baking the Loaf:

Using a baker’s peel or the back of a baking sheet, slide the bread (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated stone. Carefully add a few ice cubes to the preheated iron skillet or steam pan. Spritz the loaf with water and immediately close the door and turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. Bake the loaf for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. 

Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing and serving. The loaf tastes best warm, but it will cut more easily if you allow it to cool before slicing.

 

The basic recipe is easily adaptable to other types of bread. The pamphlet included with the EZ DOH unit provides several options and is a good starting point for making a variety of different types of breads. The savory garlic rolls sound divine and the sweet rolls… Yum! I wanted to try all of the variations, but I refrained because I also wanted to find out what other types of dough it could handle.

For my next test, I’ll be making whole wheat bread using an overnight sponge. Look for more information about that bread in an upcoming post.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy