Comments on: for beaming, bewitching breads

By: charlie

charlie — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:27:28 +0000

Hey Deb, what does it mean when your breads taste/smell yeasty? Bakery bread never seems to be yeasty but sometimes (often) it happens with homemade stuff. Is it just too much yeast, or a bad type of yeast (ie. the little packages – though I’ve never used an entire package at once)?
Thanks, O bread goddess!

By: deb

deb — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:56:49 +0000

Red Star makes both active and instant yeast, right? (Just making sure you’re using the right stuff for the right recipe. And forgive the dumb questions, just trying to rule out obvious mistakes.) Freezer is a great place to keep yeast (I use the fridge… but now I might switch)… which means I’m stumped. Now, I don’t think think that the potato bread is the, say, tallest bread but I definitely got a good rise out of this one, as you can see. I’ll chime back in if I can think of something else — otherwise, I hope another bread-savvy reader will chime in!

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:02:11 +0000

Hi Deb.

Thanks for your quick response!

Both the JoC Dill Bread, and the Buttermilk Potato Bread were flat. I have Red Star yeast in jar, which I keep in the freezer (per suggestion on Michael Ruhlman’s blog). Perhaps it shouldn’t be in the freezer?

Altitude shouldn’t be a problem since I’m in Chicago.

Letting the bread rise too much? I don’t think my apartment is very warm at all, so for the dill bread I actually put the bowl containing the dough in a pan of warm water to simulate a warmer place. The potato bread I let rise in the fridge overnight (it did well), and then again during the day while I was at work for the second rise. It seemed flat when I got home, so I took it out and let it rise more on the counter. It rose more, but neither of these breads ever rose above the rim of the loaf pan. It’s an aluminum loaf pan; I don’t know if that’s an issue.

Thanks for your suggestions; I appreciate any help I can get :)

By: deb

deb — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:38:07 +0000

Hi Kelsey — Thanks. It will help me to know what recipes are flattening out on you. (I can only vouch for my own, of course, since I’ve tried them.) In general, the obvious issues could be your yeast (maybe it’s no good, even if the date says it should be), letting the bread rise too (this can happen in a warmer kitchen/apartment much faster, as I am learning in my own!) or altitude. Are at a high one?

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:00:40 +0000

Hi Deb,

I love your site and have tried a number of your recipes; they’re fantastic! Thanks for demystifying kneading for me. Last week I made the dill bread, and yesterday I made the buttermilk potato bread on the same page as the dill in JoC. Yum!

Here’s my problem (I know you’re not in the kitchen with me, so you can’t say for sure, but I’m hoping you can help me out a bit here); when I make bread it always ends up really flat ( roughly 2 inches high)–delicious, but flat. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I don’t mix it in a food processor. Any ideas? I’ve also had this problem with the no knead style bread I’ve made.

Thanks again for the great site!

By: dick sadler

dick sadler — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:27:25 +0000

Recommended: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Great beginners cookbook and EASY!!

By: jayne

jayne — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:46:03 +0000

I stumbled on your website some time ago and think it is great. I make the chocolate Guinness cupcakes all the time, but, with a caramel swiss buttercream frosting. Just want to chime in on cook books for bread which I love to make. I found Bernard Clayton’s “New Complete Book of breadfs”. With directions for hand, stand and processor mixing, it has become my breadmaking bible.

By: deb

deb — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:06:27 +0000

Hi Krissy — I wouldn’t say the flavor is very cheesy, because cottage cheese (to me) doesn’t have a very cheesy taste. I am sure cheddar could be great it in. They’re not swaps, though, they act very differently in recipes. (You probably already knew that, but just in case.)

By: Krissy

Krissy — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:44:59 +0000

Quick question – Does the cottage cheese in this recipe give a slight cheesy taste to the recipe? Or is it primarily to help moisten the bread? I’m curious, because I think some shredded cheddar cheese might be a nice addition, if the bread doesn’t already have a cheese flavor (even if it’s subtle). Thanks!

By: Marco

Marco — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:47:42 +0000

Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman is the best bread book. Period.

I learned how to make bread using Peter Rinehart’s books and, I must say, they are excellent and inspiring books. But to perfect your bread-making, especially if you’re an advanced baker, get this one.