Mostly the usual sorts of things have been happening, combined with the rapidly approaching arrival of a baby. Back to more important matters though - I am starting a systematic test of bread yeasts in the hope of finding a brand and a method that produces consistently good results. These experiments will be documented here in the hope of being vaguely useful to anyone who searches for systematic tests of dried yeasts.
First off, let's define the protocol. I say protocol to make it sound more scientific, but I really mean recipe.
The base of the recipe is from The Fabulous Baker Brothers - a book I can heartily recommend (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabulous-Baker-Brothers-Tom-Herbert/dp/0755363655). As follows:
- 560g strong white flour
- 10g sea salt
- 300ml tepid water
- 20ml rapeseed oil
- 5g dried yeast
This makes a good-sized 2 pound loaf. For clarity, the flour was Allisons Strong White Bread Flour (the stuff in the pale green pack). The sea salt was Maldon, the water was made from one part boiling water to two parts tap water and the oil was swapped for 15g of olive oil.
Each time I will activate the yeast for 10 minutes in the water with half a teaspoon of sugar - even for yeasts that don't technically need it, I reckon it'll help. Once initially mixed I will allow a five minute resting time for the dough before kneading for 15 minutes and only add additional flour if it proves absolutely necessary. Rising and proving will be done by heating a cup of mug of water in the microwave for two minutes and then placing the dough alongside to provide a warm and humid chamber. So, here goes.
Test 1 - Doves Farm Quick Yeast
Reasonable bit of foaming after activation in water:
The initial mix:
Post-kneading. Was a bit sticky for a while but it settled down and came out quite nice and smooth and springy:
After an hour rising in my microwave humidity chamber. Pretty substantial rise:
Before and after second prove after knocking back and moulding into tin:
Final results. Was baked for 30 mins, starting at 240 degrees with some water in the oven for steam, followed by dropping to 210 after 10 minutes, with a quick open of the oven door to release the excess steam. I technically forgot to slash the dough but it seems to have turned out ok.
Could maybe stand an extra 5 minutes in the oven, but not sure. There's a tiny, borderline hintette of doughiness which I may be imagining.
Overall, Doves Farm Quick Yeast looking good. Up next - Allinsons Dried Active Yeast. Had trouble with this in the past but it may have just been that I wasn't properly warming the dough for rising, etc. Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment