Being election day

I feel that it is neccesary for me to say this and only this: Why is it so hard to find news about elections that is fair & balanced. If it exists i have not seen it in years what can i say when it comes to politics i want middle not insanity left insanity right. I WILL NEVER MENTION, WRITE, SPEAK OR DO ANYTHING ELSE EVER ABOUT POLITICS IN THIS BLOG!!! just frustrated with the ego's & the news today.

Woo Hoo, New Job

I recently have been employed by a home improvement store for a solid wage working evening and weekend shifts. This is crazy to start a job and get prepared for JAD's arrival at any time. (probably the 10th of november). The only negative so far is i did not get to spend halloween with the family. In order to compensate for having to miss family functions I plan to go out and have a nice meal during my hour lunch break. FYI if you have never worked in the CORPORATE world it is all the same. You either drink the kool-aid or walk away it is always fun to spend time with the people who fight every day to not drink their kool-aid and every day they drink so much it turns them the color blue. Shut up and drink your kool-aid! Then we will all get along. I need to find some time to bake some bread people. Based on the high levels of negativity i am experiencing this may become a kool-aid drinking blog.

I cant do this

Well I love baking bread and do it every two weeks but honestly it is because I hate whole wheat bread and i have been searching for an alternative to it that is wholewheat.. I am happy with my bread as it bakes now all I need to do is switch my sweetner to honey.. Really?? I will do it just because but that is all I will change. Hopefully, going forward I will continue to post bread recipes. but with ejd nap time sucking and jad on the way i am limited. so i will blab until i find the time to post the best recipes i have come up with.. I need a job..and finally At home dads rule who changed it from stay at home dad to at home dad???

Sourdough Lessons Learned

Sourdough has high acidity that is why certain things must be done to hold the rise.
Notice the Low rise on this bread in comparison to the picture posted with the sourdough recipe. Some of the things I did wrong with this bread are listed below:

First: You must use bread flour

Second: Use bottled water! I have NEVER had a bread rise properly when using tap water! I read that you can leave water sit in an open container for 12 hours and it will be fine. I have not tried this.

Third: commercial yeast to starter?? I add 1/4 to 1/2 tspn depending on situation. This way at least some yeast is growing so after a week something is happening and 5days = sourdough flavor. Just take the time that is flavor.

Fourth: refrigerate left over starter after you make bread if you will not be making bread for a week or longer. (dont forget to feed it though) I will pull the starter out 3-5 days before I want to start making bread and will feed twice a day.

Fifth: your starter is your yeast do not add yeast at any step because a rise is not taking place it will result in a loaf that tastes worse than the less risen loaf which is dense, has good flavor & great for toast.

Sixth: You must get your hands in the dough with sourdough. The texture is crucial to master. It is surprising how much flour (by hand) you can add to dough after you have finished with the dough in the mixer.

Seven: I have read a lot of baking methods and I like the fast and hot method. After all the time it takes to get the bread to the oven it is wonderful for it to be over with fast.

Redesign of my blog

I have been following a lot of other bloggers with how they post recipes and do their food blogs. The best method I have seen is to post the recipe and fill in necessary information with other posts.  So going forward I will just post how i make the bread and then post the lessons learned post which will contain all that I have learned while completing the recipe. This way you can eventually search for what you want get a recipe and information on things not to do.
Also, I will start adding recipes that have worked for my family now that the 2 under 2 dominate my life and have decreased my time to bake bread. questions comments & attitudes welcomed!

Sourdough bread recipe

Sourdough Bread
Just the steps to make the bread
*Definitions:
Starter: is a combination of flower and water stirred together that will be used to mix with bread flour to make your bread.
Business letter turn/fold: you stretch dough in to rectangle facing away long ways away from you. Fold up bottom 3rd. fold dough from top all the way down to bottom. turn so that sealed dough side is on right and repeat. It is like air is a gift and you are wrapping it to make sure it wont escape.

To Start: (STEP one)
Mix 3/4 cup bread flour and 1/2 cup bottled or filtered water in a glass 4 cup measuring cup leave next to coffee maker. MUST S: BREAD FLOUR/NO TAP WATER (Tap water will kill the yeast and non bread flour will not have the protein necessary to allow bread to rise use these ingredients throughout this recipe) I added a ¼ tspn commercial yeast to this mixture when I start out. it is not necessary but I have had limited success with growing a starter without using yeast from the start. This mixture is called the starter*

STEP two:
Twice a day, Every day for a minimum of 5 days I remove ¼ cup of starter* and add ¼ cup of flour and 1/8 of a cup of water. I leave it at the coffee maker because I set coffee to brew at night and make myself coffee in the morning so I see it and remember to feed it. I have done this feeding only once a day and no discolorations or rottenness has occurred. Colorful discolorations in the starter require you to throw it away and start over. There will be a multitude of smells this is okay. If after 5 days the mixture has grown larger than 2-1/4 cups move on to step 3. If not continue to feed twice a day until it does.

STEP Three: Pull off 1/2 cup of starter place in a new 4 cup measuring cup, (throw away remaining starter or add flour to it and place in refrigerator feeding once a week in order to use again) add 1/4 cup of bread flour to the mixture if all of the flour is not absorbed add a little non top water until it is. Let double in size about 6 hours. After bread has doubled pull off 1/2 cup and add 2/3 cup bread flour 1/3 cup non tap water mix with hands dough should not be sticky continue to add flour until dough feels very stiff still elastic but not dry this takes practice and I don’t know how else to explain it. Use hands so you can feel it and can create muscle memory for future bread. let double in size approximately 6 hours again.

STEP four: Refrigerate dough up to 24 hrs or until you have 12 hours to finish making bread. Hopefully just over night to make the next day.

STEP five: Pull dough from fridge one hour before you wish to mix dough beginning of 12 hour cycle. In mixer bowl add 2.5 cups of bread flour and 1-1/3 cups non tap water. Once hour is up add 2/3 cup of starter torn into pieces into mixing bowl with flour and water. Mix at #2 w/dough hook for about 10 minutes. If it starts to climb i will increase blender speed to throw dough to the side. No flour should be on the sides of bowl. Cover with plastic wrap let rest 1 hour.

STEP six: after one hour scrape dough onto floured counter and fold dough counter and do two business letter turn/folds.* let rest another hour in mixing bowl. After this hour scrape dough and do two business letter turn/folds* again and Place dough in a seethru greased container mark spot on bowl so you know when it is doubled.. about 5 hrs


STEP seven: do not deflate dough round it into a ball by basically pulling down sides of dough so that it is tight and then pinching dough so it will stay in place and has a half of a ball shape. your going to invert dough into a colander with a floured towell pinched size up covered with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise 4 hours the pinching is where the rise will come thus eliminating the look of it.

one hour before bread is just about ready pre heat oven to 475 degrees (keep reading). and you will need two to 3 cooking sheets and/or a cast iron pan.

BEFORE PREHEATING
A cast iron pan on bottom of oven (or baking sheet(1))
a baking sheet(2) on the middle rack.
need to be in the oven.

keep baking sheet (3) out

STEP Eight: after the bread has risen appropriately you need to transfer it from colander to baking sheet (3) without losing the rise. you can do this but placing an oiled paper plate on the bottom of the dough then inverting it onto baking sheet (3) and then slide out. place baking sheet(3) perpendicular on top of other baking sheet(2) so it is easy to take off when you move bread to it. and add 1 cup water to pan on bottom of oven at same time. bake 5 minutes reduce temp to 450 cook 10 minutes. pull bread off of baking sheet(3) place on baking sheet (2) bake until sound hollow and long skewer pulls out clean about 15 more minutes.

Items yet to post

With the holidays and all it has been difficult to post but i have been baking the whole time.
i have made sandwich bread twice, bagels, and rye bread (Delicious) as well as a few sourdough loafs for family.

quick lessons learned.

refrigerated starter needs atleast two days outside the fridge fed twice a day to make a decent loaf.

when all doesnt work well adding even a 1/4 teaspoon of commercial yeast rises bread but it is not the same at all.

finally, you really need to take the time to pack that starter you are using to make bread full of flour as well as after the final mixing it must be STIFF! I cant say that enough.

i will be posting the quick sourdough recipe as well as all of my other experiences soon, now that things are back to normal. (if you consider speed crawling, computer cord eating, elizabeth, normal)