Recipes

[Flatbush]

I made white bread a few days ago with Quick Yeast. It turned out very well, but I do remember reading some where about the difference in texture between the bread I made and Artisan bread, which may have large air holes.

I cannot remember if the change in the two textures is due to milk vs water in the recipe or type of flour used etc?

Anyone here aware of what causes this difference?

[Desertdi]

From Google:

[gardenman]

 
In general, the bread with big holes is a high-hydration loaf. Not so much a difference between milk and water, but more of how much fluid you use. Breads like a ciabatta are very high hydration, and so are most sourdough breads, so you get the bigger holes. 
 
The holes form when water trapped inside the bread turns to steam and stretches out the bread as it's setting. More water in the dough means more steam, so bigger holes. 
 
High-hydration doughs can be a challenge to work with and require different ways of handling the dough. Instead of using a floured board, you tend to use a wet surface. To keep the dough from sticking to your hands, you keep your hands wet. It's counterintuitive to everything you typically do with bread dough.  
 
There are some very good YouTube videos on how to work with high-hydration doughs. (Google "high hydration bread dough" to find them.) It's not a bread that I'd recommend for a new baker, but if you want the big holes, you've pretty much got to go with a high-hydration recipe. It's an interesting rabbit hole to spend some time in on a cold winter day. Lots of videos on the subject to watch.

[Flatbush]

@Desertdi 

The picture are so interesting and I see that it does not make too much difference what kind of milk is used evcept for a bit larger loaf with no milk? Am I missing something?

[Flatbush]

@gardenman 

Oh my never realized this entire body of new facts and information re: bread.

Will have to delve a bit deeper into the topic.

You are very knowledgeable about this.

Thank you for this interesting information..

[gardenman]

I've been baking for over fifty years, so you pick up stuff along the way. My first time making a high-hydration dough was an Italian bread recipe that was more batter than bread dough. It was an absurdly loose dough. I kept thinking, "This can't be right." It turns out it was right. Just wildly different from what I was used to.

You kind of have to turn off your commonsense when working with high hyrdration doughs and trust the process. "A wet board? Won't that make the already wet dough wetter? And wet hands?" Yeah. It works though. 

I highly recommend watching lots of videos on high hydration doughs before you try it yourself. It's a completely different way to make bread. But if you want bread with big holes, you need the hydration. 

[AuntMame]

My mom would always scold me if she bit into a loaf with large air holes. "This bread has big holes! What's wrong with it? You still haven't learned how to make bread properly, have you?" 

My husband would counter her, "If the holes bother you, then don't eat them!"

[Flatbush]

@gardenman 

I think part of my attraction to making bread is using the yeast. I never really know what I will find after the baking.

I am always on the search for new bread or pizza dough recipes.

I have had some very good results and some disasters. Very few have ever been tossed in the garbage though.

I always wait in anticipation to see what is going to show up after I remove it from the oven.

I have ruined some doughs because I did not trust the amount of liquids or flour used. Then on the other hand, they turned out pretty good.

I also want  to stay somewhat aware of the humidity here.Oh, and the temperature.

That's quite a few variables just to keep it all interesting.

I use the microwave to keep things warm i.e. the towel I use to cover the freshly mixed dough, warm to hot water to warm the bowl that will be holding the dough.

I live in a damp area with temps usually cooler than other places near by.

So on and on it goes.

I think of it all as a secondary hobby.

[Flatbush]

@AuntMame 

Oh, it sounds as if you were making Artisan Bread. Mucho expensive too!

No more home made bread for her...lol

[AuntMame]

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@Flatbush wrote:

@AuntMame 

Oh, it sounds as if you were making Artisan Bread. Mucho expensive too!

No more home made bread for her...lol

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That's it! Artisan! Yeah!

I make no-knead bread. The dough is very moist so it steams inside the dutch oven, creating a crisp crust. 

I think my mom was accustomed to the bread that her mother made. She claimed she made 5 or more loaves every morning before work, because she had a large family and it was the Great Depression. 

My mom however never learned to bake bread, only complain.  It was her daughter who took up the family bread-baking mantle.