outrageously easy/big bread
Posted by hiimkelsi on Jan 05, 2009 · Member since Sep 2004 · 2297 posts
i bet a TON of you guys have made this bread, so i have a question. i am still learning about bread making. this bread always turns out fantastic for me and really doughey. is that how the bread is?? doughey? or am i not kneading it enough? am i not letting it rise for long enough? i'd like it to get a little lighter, but i'm not sure how to get that.
I'm def. no bread expert, but my guess would be not enough kneading or rising. I'm actually not a fan of this recipe because it's too "easy"--like, it doesn't follow typical bread making directions and therefore the results are just "ehh" to me. Maybe use the same ingredients but find instructions with a different bread recipe for kneading/rising instructions? I dunno...
If you don't knead tough, the bread will have a nice texture indeed. Longer you leave, bigger the dough gets, but too long won't make any help. Let it be big enough, so it is light enough.
I think I know what you mean by doughy, kelsi. My homemade breads (including that one) are always tasty, but never..firm enough for like sandwich bread. Of course, if it's too doughy, then it's just not baked enough? I haven't found a good sandwich bread recipe.
Adding 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten with the flour makes all the difference in the world for holding together as sandwich bread. I like to knead mine lightly, but not too much. The Outrageously easy recipe is still a bit dense (not as light as a commercial ww bread), but the slices hold up nicely, even to peanut butter.
Adding 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten with the flour makes all the difference in the world for holding together as sandwich bread. I like to knead mine lightly, but not too much. The Outrageously easy recipe is still a bit dense (not as light as a commercial ww bread), but the slices hold up nicely, even to peanut butter.
Sounds like great advice! Do you add it in addition to the other flour, or replacing 1/2 cup of the other flour?
I made it twice and it did turn out REALLY well for me--it wasn't "doughy" but it was defintiely thick/dense. I have no clue how to lighten it up but I do know that if you throw in some garlic and rosemary it is the best bread EVER!
Totally unhelpful...but I never post on this forum...so you know...thought I would spread some love over here in the cooking area (even though I don't technically cook any more since I'm raw *lol*)
yeah its really dense, thats a better word for it. it certainly holds my sandwich together, but it wasnt big enough, i had to smush it down and flatten it out. i guess thats just how the recipe is though! i'll keep trying. ac, if you find a good sammich recipe. post it! i'd love to try one. i've been looking into making some danish dark rye breads. we'll see how that goes. those are also really dense, but its dark, so it feels pretty natural for it to be rather dense.
Sounds like great advice! Do you add it in addition to the other flour, or replacing 1/2 cup of the other flour?
Just replace 1/2c of flour with it.
Even though it's all whole-wheat, I used this recipe for sandwich bread and was pleasantly surprised.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5732.0