Tough Bread

I use:

1 egg (52 grams out of the shell is a LARGE egg here in Canada) Egg white from a carton to take the total egg weight to 100 grams 184 grams 1% milk 42 grams shortening (Crisco, Safflower Oil, Corn Oil, Butter... take your pick) 50 grams sugar 8 grams salt 412 grams bread flour 6 grams yeast

I use a bread machine and use it to do the kneading and the first rise and punch down. THEN I let it rest 15-20 minutes, punch it down and shape it into a 9*5 loaf pan, let it rise IN my oven at 100°F or about

37°C until it is an inch over the top of the loaf pan, turn the oven up to 375°F [185°C] and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Temperature equalisation time is 15 minutes Kneading time is about 25 minutes First Rise is about 50 minutes Punch down Rest is about 15-20 minutes Punch down and shape into loaf or braid into loaf Second Rise is about 35-40 minutes, in loaf pan or on cookie sheet Baking is about 25-30 minutes - judge by colour

[You CAN coat the dough with watered down egg white via a pastry brush just as you start the BAKING stage below, if you choose.]

The amount of sugar and fat both seem higher than in your recipe, and the FAT and Milk [which was NOT in your recipe] are what make the bread softer. I usually use Crisco simply because it is simple to use. Otherwise I use Safflower Oil and simply pour in as below, to the correct weight mark. Note that I do not use measuring spoons, cups, etc. Everything is by weight!

Method...

Put bowl or bread machine pan on scale Turn on scale and it should Tare at 0 Crack egg into Bread Machine pan Pour in egg white to 100 grams Pour in Milk to 284 grams Add shortening to 326 grams Add sugar to 376 grams Add salt to 384 grams Add flour to 796 grams and level top add yeast to 802 grams Turn off scale and remove pan (or bowl)

If using a bread machine, put pan into machine and use sweet bread cycle or use dough cycle.

If doing otherwise, use hands, mixer, food processor or your method to knead this into a dough, then let rise in a relatively warm and draft free location. Use timing suggested for the various stages.

Check dough after everything is blended in and the liquid is totally disbursed and absorbed in the flour, to see if it is too dry (add a bit of water, a teaspoon full at a time) or too wet (add flour a teaspoon full at a time)... since the amount of moisture in the flour as it came out of the bag in the first place is always an unknown, and you need to get the dough to just the right degree of tackiness.

That's it...

RsH

------------------------------ >I've been taking bread baking classes at a school in Japan. This is a

======================================================= Copyright retained. My opinions - no one else's... If this is illegal where you are, do not read it!

Rona Y. Apr 22, 5:53 pm

Newsgroups: rec.food.baking From: "Rona Y." - Find messages by this author

Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 09:53:14 +0900 Local: Fri,Apr 22 2005 5:53 pm Subject: Tough Bread Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse

example, last

The recipe included (note: I calculated in bakers percent)

Nope ....the yeast is already high enough comparable with western cookbooks but the sugar is high and the salt is less but considering the salt in butter the toal salt will be in the vicinity of 1.3%

box--usually

The timing of this bread can be described as a short time process and will certainly encourage the bread to be chewy like rubber and harden very fast. This particular recipe should be eaten fresh, as it cools down and after several hours it can be used a Frisbee.

Such short time process as done in baking schools promotes higher dough temperature which is also another reason for a bread that hardens rapidly.. it is not about overkneading but the dough seems to be warmer than normal.

That is promoted also by consistent high proofing temperature to an already warm dough I am not sure if your oven has the right temperature baking a challah ring for 180 and 11 minutes looks short for me. Maybe it was more. Was the ring thin looking that it dried up the oven? Yes its texture is soft when freshly baked but when it cools down it becomes hard easily. Another thing is the bread appears underproofed . does the bread feels heavy for its size ?

Rapid cooling does not affect the softness of the loaf,from how I see it your bread before and after it was baked is inferior , appears dry and feels heavy in my minds eye. In conclusion it was a lousy bread. You should have placed it on the head of your teacher as a symbolic crown for his stupid bread making style Your class should have invited your instructor to the park and play Frisbee with your recently baked Japanese style challah As a remedy you can follow the recipe for challah from a well know baking book used by the folks in alt bread recipes and compare the result. Roy

Roy

Rona Y. wrote on 22 Apr 2005 in rec.food.baking

Hope this is of some help. Reinhart's Challah from crust and crumb:

3.5 cups bread flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp (.22 oz) yeast 2 tbsp unsalted butter (about 1/2 of what you're using I guess) 2 large egg yolks, beaten plus 1 yolk for egg wash 1/4 cup milk, at room temp 1/2 cup water at room temp poppy or seasame seeds for topping (optional) veggie oil cooking spray

Sorry, this recipe was a bad example. I've made breads at this school that call for a tablespoon of yeast for about 180-200 grams of flour. Isn't that a lot of yeast?

So if I were to slow down the process--use a longer rise in the fridge, for example, would I get a better textured bread? I'm not asking about this challah recipe, in particular, but any recipe using this type of short time process. I have made some breads at this school that I rather liked, but I generally cannot eat them all before they get hard (and one recipe is usually only for 6 buns!).

It was 12 minutes at 180C. These are small convection gas ovens which in my experience, do bake more quickly than North American-sized ovens, though. I've had to make both temperature and time adjustments to my North American baking recipes here.

I didn't think it felt heavy, at all. But then, I'm comparing it with other breads I've made at this school. The dough had risen sufficiently, though.

Thanks. I'm actually not that interested in challah :-o! I just used that recipe as an example. Now that I'm learning how to knead sticky doughs and such, however, I would like to start experimenting with artisinal-type breads and some rare (in Japan) breads. I can get some fabulous breads here in Japan, but cannot get a good loaf of sourdough, rye, or pumpernickle!

rona

Thanks. I wasn't really looking for a challah recipe, but this looks good! Maybe I can make it for French toast or something like that.

rona

Not really ,,,,that is a typical example of Japanese type breads.

Isn't

Huh, that is very high Rona ....that yeast level is already equivalent to more than 12% of fresh yeast! That high amount is applied in some sweet dough and coffeecakes.

.>So if I were to slow down the process--use a longer rise in the fridge, for

A short time process recipe can be modified by cooling it down so as to slow the fermentation...yes that will confer some improvement to your product quality.But its better to try alternative recipes from western made books, but if your taste is fixed on sweet Asian type breads that might be difficult for you.to do.

That is understandable,,,even in France the kind of French Baguette that is sold in huge quantities is considered as thrash after 5 hours! The really good French bread made by traditional method can last even for a few days, some of those breads are best eaten a day old!,

Ahh,,, that makes sense....convection oven had a different baking performance and requirements if compared to the normal deck type oven..Indeed with such oven you are obliged to bake the dough at lower temperature and time.

Hmnn ....I understand now....these Asian breads are peculiar in their own....I had made Asian type breads in previous years, and if you have to think about the system and compare the recipe,.... by western standards, looks odd....Most of Asian breads are made by short time process anayway.

doughs and

breads here

pumpernickle!

It is good to know that you are amenable to western type of breadmaking, but to attain that goal your have to broaden your perspective about breads, and see those things from a westerner point of view, then it will be easier to make those breads yourselves once you get the idea how those breads should appear feel and taste. You can start your artisan baking journey by getting hold of those books that are mentioned in the alt.bread. recipes FAQ. I wish the best of luck for your baking journey Rona! Roy

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