Is it hard to find a GREAT loaf of bread in your neighbourhood? I cant find a good bakery that can produce the wondrous loaves I experienced in europe years ago, so I have to make my own. How hard can it be...its only flour, water, yeast, oil, salt and sugar right? A few simple ingredients, but its the HOW which makes it something special. This thread will hopefully reveal the ancient secrets handed down in hushed tones from the master bakers of yore. To start off, a trick Ive discovered is run the dough under water for a split second before it goes in the oven. This gives it the very thick crust which I love! However a thick crust is not necessarily a crispy crust. If youre going crispy you must leave out the oil and sugar. Post your arcane secrets here!
before i had my bread maker, i used to kneed the dough and then cover it with a damp cloth for one hour before putting it in the oven, now however i just get all the ingrediants and put them in the bread maker and it does all the work for me so i ahve nice fresh bread when i wake up in the morning
I make chapatis. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! The secret is to knead it well and roll it out evenly so it will puff up. Here is a video recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD4o_Lmy6bU I do it the same way except I don't use a spatula and I press the chapati with a kitchen cloth
Anyone ever seen how a paratha is made? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Every cook has their own style but this is the standard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_3TgZEoH18 Variations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yVxFmcMOFk I love how they do it, I can't
I wish I could make naan bread and Indian puris. The naans take a special clay oven, and the puris are deep fried, which is too much work. I could sit in the Indian restaurant down the the street and just eat their bread all night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGU9uyaHXYM&feature=related Pita bread is my favorite. Very healthy too.
Panera actually makes an amazing loaf of bread. I can testify this, having lived in two of the world's "top" bread-making societies: France and Spain. I also grew up on a farm and had a grandma and mother who baked homemade bread weekly. Fact is: baking is 50% ingredients and 50% technique. If you get those two down pat, then anybody can make an outstanding loaf of bread. While mass production and science have taken a huge hit concerning our overly industrialized food supplies, there is actually one HUGE benefit, and that's standardized, high quality, "prepared" foods that can be bought through reputable chains (Panera and Paradise bakeries, for example) that use natural and organic ingredients, or flash-frozen doughs available at places like Whole Foods & Trader Joe's. ~String
He was making a paratha, but he would make a great roomali roti [handkerchief bread]. Its very fine and soft, like a lawn kerchief. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://www.ifood.tv/video/the_way_a_roomali_roti_handkerchief_bread_is_made
Shouldn't chemistry of baking be in the chemistry section? Second thoughts, no, it's not about drugs or bombs.
Possibly, the chemistry of 'browning' is apparently quite complex...yielding complex flavours. Another trick I employ is to let the dough rise when its wet, not dry. Just mix in enough flour so it can still be stirred by hand, and then let it rise twice before adding the final quantity of flour. You'll spend far less time kneading.
