Variations on the Artisan Bread in 5 recipe

[Lucinda]

Didn't have enough All Purpose for this batch so I subbed bread flour for the full amount and added a little over 1/2c water to the mix. Turned out perfectly and has a bit more delecate of a crumb.

Can we share all the variations in one thread? I plan to keep experimenting with the base and would love to see what others are doing with this one....

[hippywife]

1. They actually have a website

where they share some recipes but the book is so worth owning. If you aren't sure, check it out of your library first to review it. That's what I do.

[Lucinda]

2. Oh I'm planning on buying it Friday...I really really want the rye recipe. And the bagels. LOL But

I was thinking about our own experiments. :)
Seems like several of us have been making the base recipe, so I was looking for DU generated results.

[hippywife]

3. Whatever bread recipe I use,

I still bake it in my enameled cast iron dutch oven.

I use this recipe (the whole wheat variation for bagels:
http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/bagels2.htm

Granted, it's not the recipe from the book but I've had really great results making everything bagels, raisin, or dried cranberry wheat bagels.

[Lucinda]

4. Thanks for that! No soda in the boiling water? I'll have to try that...

soda doesn't like me. :)

And a pumpernickel variation! Very cool :D They're one of my fav bagels.

[hippywife]

5. I haven't made the pumpernickel but

the wheat bagels turn out great every time. I'm eating one right now, toasted with jalepeno jack cheese and smeared with apricot jam. :9

Good luck! :hi:

[troubleinwinter]

7. There is a nice recipe

for pumpernickel on the Bob's Red Mill site.

Looks easy (in a coffee can), and they sell the 'pumpernickel' grain.

[Lucinda]

8. That sounds soooo good!

[troubleinwinter]

6. I have my first batch on the counter!

... from the Mother Earth News recipe by the book authors.

I very much want the rye recipe too!!! If this works out (if it seems I can actually make bread so simply), I'll get the book.

[Lucinda]

9. That was my thinking. If we liked it, I'd buy the book. The recipe

seems pretty foolproof. I was a half cup light on flour the first batch and used all bread flour on my second batch and both came out just fine.

Let us know how yours comes out?

Good grief, i'm such a bread geek. This is a lot of fun! LOL

[troubleinwinter]

14. How did mine come out....

I would say quite good, buttt...

I made a loaf yesterday, and thought "What the heck, the oven's hot, I'll make another."

I have a new refrigerator that keeps things reaaaaally, really cold. I had to bake longer than the stated time to get it brown, and it was quite dense and almost still doughy.

I truly think the solution for me is to let it rest considerably longer before baking. It was still quite cool (nearly cold) when it went into the oven... I think I must let it come to room temp.

It's pretty tasteless. I may have underdone the salt (measuring coarse Kosher salt sometimes is iffy). Next batch, I'll up the salt. The recipe does call for Kosher, which is what I generally use in cooking. Another bread site suggests that Kosher isn't the best for bread, as it doesn't distribute properly. A solution for that is to let the salt disolve in the water before mixing???? (the recipe says not to be concerned about disolving it)

I baked it on an overturned terra cotta saucer (& cornmeal), which seemed to have worked very well.

All in all, I think it's quite intriguing and big fun.

I'll try another loaf today, letting it rest longer.

[wryter2000]

10. I haven't experimented yet

I'm still using the master recipe. This is so easy. I always have great bread!

[Lucinda]

13. We're on our second batch of the dough and all I have changed is the type of flour

But I am going to try some variations (herbs, cheeses, etc)

It really does rock having fresh bread every day!

[NMDemDist2]

11. I'm wondering about shaping it. Can we get a longish baguette style loaf

out of this dough?

I may have to experiment with that....

[Lucinda]

12. Yep. I watched an interview on youtube and they used the same dough

to make a baguette. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm making bbq today and plan on making them tonight.