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Thread: Bread Idea

  1. #1
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    Bread Idea

    I have been baking my own whole wheat bread for about 15 years. Grind my own wheat and mix it all up in a mixer (not a bread machine). Lately I have started trying to expand my horizons a bit. I started experimenting with savory breads, doing a Italian herbs/onion version and another one that is green olives/garlic. Both are mostly white bread with about 15% wheat flour. Both are pretty good hot out of the oven, but they shine when making toasted sandwiches.

    I am now wanting to go a little different direction and do a sweet fruit bread. I am thinking of something like cranberry/pear or perhaps a blueberry/cherry. I am also thinking perhaps doing it a little different with the idea of a fruit/herb, so something like blueberry/sage or cranberry/basil. A last thought is a sweet/spicy combo like strawberry/chipotle, though not sure how it would work in a bread.

    Would love to know if other make similar breads and if so, what works. Or if you have tried something in the past that was really good, what it was, what combo?
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  2. #2
    I used to make a raisin nut bread with about 50% whole wheat flour. For nuts, I used almonds, pistachos, and a few others. I really liked it.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Blatter View Post
    I am now wanting to go a little different direction and do a sweet fruit bread. I am thinking of something like cranberry/pear or perhaps a blueberry/cherry. I am also thinking perhaps doing it a little different with the idea of a fruit/herb, so something like blueberry/sage or cranberry/basil. A last thought is a sweet/spicy combo like strawberry/chipotle, though not sure how it would work in a bread.

    Would love to know if other make similar breads and if so, what works. Or if you have tried something in the past that was really good, what it was, what combo?
    Mark,

    We bake banana nut bread and others in batches and freeze the excess for later. Last year we made apple bread which was so-so. But the pear bread, made from our own pears, was fantastic! I say was since it went quickly. The other breads are great but there's something about the pear. We also have asian pear trees and might try those this year as well.

    We often have sweet zucchini bread and occasional pumpkin bread. However, better than either zucchini or pumpin is cushaw bread which we also grow. Cushaw squash/cushaw pumpkin is a fantastic and versatile fruit, more prolific, hardy, and durable than many other squashes. Some get to be HUGE! A cook for our church made 16 pies out of one big cushaw I gave her. Good for pie, cookies, soup, and more, will keep till Feb in a cool place.

    cushaw_IMG_20140710_181202_749.jpg

    Tomorrow is strawberry bread day since we are getting an abundance of strawberries this year. Blueberries will be ripe before long here and blueberry bread is a favorite. I cultivate wild black raspberries which I want to try along with strawberry. The figs are growing well so I'm thinking fig bread a little later. I wonder if blueberry/fig sounds too strange.

    As for combos, we usually don't although I love strawberry/peach and blueberry/peach pie so I'm imagining those together in bread. The problem is the strawberries and blueberries will be gone before our peaches are ripe. The cherries are in now so that's another one we might try. With all of these we add or omit various nuts, raisins craisins, herbs and spices, etc. as the mood strikes. We get honey from our bees which adds both moisture and flavor.

    Note that we call all these "breads" but some might call them cakes in loaf form. I like to slice and eat cold or warmed, sometimes with a bit of butter. We eat like royalty.

    I like your idea of putting basil in some of these. We usually grow too much so most just goes to waste. (Hey, did you ever try basil on pizza? Had that in Switzerland once and it was delicious!)

    JKJ
    Last edited by John K Jordan; 05-17-2019 at 10:32 PM.

  4. #4
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    Zucchini bread is one of my favorite ways to use up extra zucchini squash from the garden.

    Another of my favorites is to use brown sugar and whole wheat to make a darker loaf.

    Chopping up dried fruit and adding it in to the recipe makes a wonderful loaf. Add some butter or cream cheese and it can make your whole day.


    Zucchini Bread
    Makes 2 loaves

    3 eggs
    1 cup oil
    2 cups sugar (.86 Lbs)
    2 cups grated zucchini
    1 Tbs vanilla

    Beat eggs until light, add sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla, mix well.
    Add the rest of the ingredients to batter and thoroughly mix.
    3 cups flour (.86 Lbs)
    1 cup wheat or oat bran (optional)
    1 Tbs cinnamon
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp baking powder

    At this point any optional ingredients may be added.

    optional extras
    chopped dried apricots
    chopped dried pears
    chopped dates
    chopped nuts
    chopped dried apples
    sunflower seeds (unsalted)

    Prepare the loaf pans by rubbing oil or butter over the entire inside surface (a spray on oil can be used). Pour a small amount of flour into the pan and tilt the pan so the flour adheres to all the surfaces that have been coated with oil. Pour the flour into the next pan to be used, turn the pan upside down over the next pan, and lightly tap to remove the excess flour.
    Pour the batter into two loaf pans (8 in. x 3-7/8 in. x 2-3/8 in. may need bigger, or more if you add a lot of extras). The loaves will rise about 3/4 inch. Bake 1 hour at 325° or until long tooth pick inserted into loaf does not have any residue when removed.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
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    This is making me hungry......

    Sourdough is the bread I've wanted to try my hand at making. I've read up on it but never taken the plunge of making the starter. Apparently the starter can be used for other doughs as well, like pizza dough.

  6. #6
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    My current quest is sourdough, either baguette or boule. Just discovered baking in a dutch oven which holds the steam in and produces a really superior crust. Yes, you have an opportunity to make something every time you feed your starter-- pizza, pancakes, breads, whatever!

    IMG_1223 (1).jpg

    My long term passion has been pizza, which took a great leap forward with the construction of a proper wood-fired Pompeii brick oven.

    IMG_1233 (2).jpg

    Had a good time pursuing a perfect hot cross bum for my British-Canadian wife this spring. Figured out how to make "mixed peel" way better than anything I could buy.

    IMG_1193 (1).jpg

    I've made most of our regular sandwich bread forever, my favorite is cracked wheat. Using the 'baker's dried milk' from King Arthur makes a surprising improvement in the crumb compared to liquid milk.

    IMG_1211 (1).jpg

    Next up is making a decent bagel. My attempts have been flat fails so far. Perhaps I need to get some water from Brooklyn.

  7. #7
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    Tell me where you live Roger and I'll tell ya what time I'll be over!

    Pizza is also my focus on all things leavened and I'd love to incorporate sour dough.

    This might stray from this thread so could I implore you to start another thread with pics and details of your oven? An outdoor oven has been on my list for years!

  8. #8
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    I'll be happy to be an official taster... LOL

    'Not sure if it helps with your specific question, but a friend of mine down in Birmingham is a very talented bread-maker. (among other things, like being a good lawyer, painter (art) and a talented bonsai artist) While ago she recommended a book to a group we are mutually in. I haven't attacked it yet, but that book is: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...w_myk_ro_title It does get into the pizza angle that Jeff just mentioned for sure.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #9
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    I’ll be happy to slightly derail it as well.
    I’ve had a sourdough starter going for 3ish years, but I have yet to make an authentic sourdough. I use the starter combined with commercial yeast to make a ‘fake’ loaf. Still has a tangy taste, and a fantastic French toast bread.
    I also really enjoy potato bread, a couple versions of Italian bread, and honey wheat. Just now starting to kind of dabble in pizza dough.

  10. #10
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    All the gory details of building my pizza oven (which is fully functional but not quite finished yet can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y8bx7hbd I ran out of warm weather for finishing the stonework last fall, and have been consumed with a pair of G&G end tables since it warmed up this spring. Should get it done shortly!

    Building an oven is a great project with a huge payoff in results.

    I'd be happy to host a pizza gathering for Creek'ers. Just give me a couple days notice, the dough needs to ferment at least 48 hours!

  11. #11
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    Northern UT
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    Thanks all, some great ideas and comments. I have never even tried sourdough but may some day. I am really leaning towards trying a cherry/sage batch first. Might throw in some blueberries as well. Of course, living in the rocky mountains, we have not even thought about any fresh for this year. In fact the rule of thumb is to wait on planting anything until after Memorial Day to avoid the frosts. I took a chance and planted tomatoes about the 20th of April and just kept covering them any time it was getting below 35. I love tomatoes off my own plants and pretty much won't eat any of the cardboard ones sold in stores. I will use dried cherries for now.

    My wife makes the normal banana / zucchini type breads and I enjoy, but you can only eat so much before you go into a diabetic coma. I make a cinnamon raisin whole wheat bread that is about a bad. I patterned it on cinnamon rolls my mother made when I was a kid. She used about two cups of whole cream and it made a gooey sauce that just oozed out.

    Later today I am going to make a second batch of green olives / onion and perhaps add in some sun dried tomatoes. We'll see.
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  12. #12
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    Later today I am going to make a second batch of green olives / onion and perhaps add in some sun dried tomatoes. We'll see.
    With the green olives and onions you might try garlic instead of onions. Another ingredient to toss in might be artichoke hearts. Sprinkle in an Italian cheese or two, maybe even three...

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #13
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    I've always wanted to try Paul Hollywood's olive breadstick recipe , They look fantastic.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Grund View Post
    I’ll be happy to slightly derail it as well.
    I’ve had a sourdough starter going for 3ish years, but I have yet to make an authentic sourdough. I use the starter combined with commercial yeast to make a ‘fake’ loaf. Still has a tangy taste, and a fantastic French toast bread.
    I also really enjoy potato bread, a couple versions of Italian bread, and honey wheat. Just now starting to kind of dabble in pizza dough.
    Curious why you haven't done sourdough with just your starter, without commercial yeast? You should to get the best local flavor from your bread. Mine turned out pretty well. I found that it just needed more time to rise without the extra boost of the commercial yeast. Best one was letting the dough sit overnight in the fridge, then baking the next morning.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    Curious why you haven't done sourdough with just your starter, without commercial yeast? You should to get the best local flavor from your bread. Mine turned out pretty well. I found that it just needed more time to rise without the extra boost of the commercial yeast. Best one was letting the dough sit overnight in the fridge, then baking the next morning.
    Long excuse short, I just haven’t found the time to dedicate to making true sourdough.
    My ventures in to bread making all started from King Arthur flour recipe, and from there I tried one of their “sourdough” recipes that is baked in a regular loaf pan. I’ve been pleased enough with it that it has caused me not to get too excited to expand my sourdough adventure.

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