The staff of life

I'm still experimenting with bread. My new King Arthur yeast works much better than the packets that probably spent too much time in a hot warehouse. Now I'm working on making the dough wetter, for a larger "crumb," and leaving the loaf in the oven longer to get a deeper crust. We're getting a cold front in a few days and plan to get the wood-fired outdoor oven cranked up again, which should also help with the crust.

This loaf is about 4 hours start to finish, with only one kneading at the beginning (10 minutes in a mixer) and a few minutes of effort every hour or so after that. All it takes is flour, water, salt, and yeast, and the oven just as hot as you can get it. The loaf takes 6 cups of flour; my hand is in the picture for some scale.



8 comments:

Grim said...

Looking great, Tex!

Aggie said...

Looks delicious! What do you mean by 'larger crumb'>?

Gringo said...

Looks good. That 6-cup loaf should last a while.

Did you ever use the pound yeast packages from HEB? That's what I use. There's about an 80% difference in price compared to the packages.

I have been adding eggs instead of water for my bread lately. Substitute eggs for water on a 1-1 basis. About 1/2 eggs and 1/2 water. I believe that adding eggs results in a bigger crumb.


I wonder if the nationwide increase in bread making, the result of being forced to stay home because of COVID restrictions, will last.

E Hines said...

That 6-cup loaf should last a while.

Terrific loaf, but it won't last long in my house. That loaf might make it through a second day. Thick slabs fresh from the oven loaded with butter. The second day, heat the slabs in the microwave, then load with butter.

Eric Hines

Texan99 said...

(1) won't last that long.

(2) "crumb" is the size of the holes. I like them big, but not quite big enough to let something like honey drizzle all the way through.

(3) My HEB doesn't sell anything but the small packets. I don't really care about the size of the packet, but it seems that HEB's warehouse or supply line isn't as careful about temperature control as King Arthur. I never noticed it before this year, so it may be a function of the messed up COVID supply lines. Still, my fist-sized container of King Arthur yeast, stored in the fridge or freezer, should last me a very long time before I have to worry about resupply.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

When you come up to New England to visit, you can tour King Arthur Flour

Gringo said...

(3) My HEB doesn't sell anything but the small packets. I don't really care about the size of the packet,...

HEBs in my area sell pound packages of yeast for $3. I don't care about the size, but the price. Pound packages were gone during the first month or 2 of COVID, but reappeared after the smaller yeast packages or containers reappeared. Time will tell about the pound of yeast I bought several months ago. I still have several months of yeast left.

E Hines said...

I still have several months of yeast left.

Maybe you're not brewing enough mead.

Eric Hines