| Loaves and Rolls, first batch |
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| Loaves and Rolls, second batch |
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| Flat Breads, Sweet Breads, and More |
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Using old bread to make new bread is certainly nothing new. The practice of adding an “old bread soaker” to dough has been used in Europe, especially Germany, for hundreds of years. In Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes, Jeffrey Hamelman writes, “The practice of soaking old bread and then adding it into a new batch not only makes economic sense, it also gives a rich depth of flavor to the new breads. Far from being expended, the old bread contains much that is still fermentable…”
This sourdough bread uses old bread in a slightly different way. Instead of soaking it, I wanted to find out what would happen if I turned some week-old Norwich Sourdough (crust and all) into fine bread crumbs and simply let the crumbs stand in for a portion of the flour in a new batch of dough.
I have to say I’m pretty pleased with the result. Not only is the flavor rich and toasty, and the crumb pleasantly speckled with brown flecks, but this must be one of the longest shelf-lives I’ve ever seen with any of my loaves. I’ve gone through about 2/3 of a one-kilogram loaf in a week, and I am still able to cut, chew, and enjoy it.
This week, for the first time, YeastSpotting has over 50 (!) submissions, leaving me dazed and delighted. In the interest of shorter page-loading times and other efficiencies, we now have a multiple-page format; don’t forget to check out all three pages, which are linked below. And if your submission got lost in the transition shuffle this week, please let me know and I’ll add it right away.
As always, happy baking!
| Loaves and Rolls, first batch |
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| Loaves and Rolls, second batch |
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| Flat Breads, Sweet Breads, and More |
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When my daughter and I visited son/brother in Oregon this summer, we had lunch in a cafe whose salads were accompanied by a soft, moist, seed-encrusted bread that inspired M to ask “Why can’t you make bread like this?”
“I can.”
“Well, make some, then. Your bread is always too crusty.”
When I offered this to M yesterday, I imagined she might throw her arms around me and pronounce me the best baker-mom a girl could hope for.
Not even close. She gave the crumb an offhand squeeze and pronounced brightly, without taking a bite, “Yeah, that’s it. I’m not hungry. Good job, though!” I’m not entirely sure, but I think she might have given me a little pat on the head at this point.
M, you are so lucky that I love you unconditionally.
This month, Elizabeth asked the Bread Baking Babes to make Broa, a Portuguese yeasted corn bread.
In addition to being a terrific, dense, moist bread with a hearty corn flavor, this was a perfect bread for me this month because I was trying, in preparation for my move, not to buy any new ingredients, and I actually had some white cornmeal on hand.
The only significant change I made to Elizabeth’s wonderful recipe was to bake the bread longer. After the designated 30 minutes, the bread was just too pale for me, so I baked it an additional 10 minutes at full heat, and then turned the oven off and left the door ajar for another 10, to take the crust to golden-brown perfection.
I am in the process of moving and haven’t been able to bake, so I really appreciate (even more than usual, if that’s possible) this wonderful virtual bakery you all have created. Thanks everyone, and happy baking!
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