Grandma's Polish Sweet Bread

[Norcalbaker59]

Sorry for delay in response. I’m working on a project.


- Evaporated milk: about 5 days after it’s been opened.

- Videos: yes, i attached the videos so you will see how it’s done. Once you make the dough, feel how sticky it is, you will understand why these methods are used.

- Measuring: its important you measure the flour as I explained to ensure you come close to the correct amount.

- Containers: the brand is cambro. It’s polycarbonate, which is stain, odor, and shatter resistant. Available at restaurant supply store.

You can purchase from webstaurant.com. They sell to the public. Lids are sold separately.

Cambro container: dishwasher safe

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ca...er-with-winter-rose-gradations/2144SFSCW.html

Lids: wash in top rack of dishwasher.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ca...and-4-qt-food-storage-containers/214SFC2.html

- Bench scraper: you cannot use the chopper. To get the open crumb you want, you need a gluten network. If you cut through it by accident, you sever the gluten network. So you will end up with a crumb like regular bread.

You don’t need to buy two bench scrapers. The plastic one will work fine to pick up dough. The plastic ones are very inexpensive. Are usually buy half a dozen at a time. I own both plastic and metal bench scraper. I only used the plastic for this project.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/at...edge-bowl-scraper-august-thomsen/1441303.html

- Egg temperature: does it matter in or out of the shell. But if you crack it into a bowl it will start to form a skin. So you’ll have to cover it with plastic wrap and place the plastic wrap on the surface. The egg is whisked into the milk and yeast mixture before it’s added to the dough.

 

[Jean S.]

Thanks lady!

I was all ready to buy from your link until I saw the shipping costs, eek! Ridiculous for light weight items. I'll have to look on Ebay or Amazon for the scraper and container to hopefully find a lower shipping cost.

The room temperature is going to be a problem for me, for the egg and the butter. If this was summer no problem, but this time of year it is. You told me about the oven for the rising, and that I can do (and I still wonder about the boiling water and the fact I didn't use it for the poolish I made). But don't know how to heat up the kitchen only for this project. Electric heat (which I hate) is very costly but it is all this place has. I did slice up some unsalted butter this AM and left it out, it is now PM and it is as hard as it was coming out of the refrigerator.

I guess I was never taught the correct way to measure dry goods (flour), so I will do as you say next time, now that I know. It never impacted anything else I have ever made, but it sounds like it definitely would with this recipe.

It is good I can go back and reread everything, look at your pictures, and watch the video's.

Your new project sounds intense, good luck!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Adding steam to the oven in proofing dough and baking is a standard in commercial baking. It’s not something the average home baker does. But most advanced home bakers, and especially bakers of bread, know to add steam. Commercial ovens in fact produce steam. But if you don’t want to add steam that’s fine.

If the temperature is cold in the house, to warm an egg simply put it in a bowl of warm water. You could also do that if you’re in a hurry, or you forgot to take the egg out of the refrigerator.

To soften butter put it in the microwave and zap it in 2 - 3 seconds bursts.

I only mail order items when I can’t find them at the restaurant supply store. And when I mail order are usually buy a number of items. But since I have several restaurant supply stores Darby that carry just about everything I could possibly need, I rarely have to mail order.

 

[Jean S.]

Adding steam to the oven in proofing dough and baking is a standard in commercial baking. It’s not something the average home baker does. But most advanced home bakers, and especially bakers of bread, know to add steam. Commercial ovens in fact produce steam. But if you don’t want to add steam that’s fine.

If the temperature is cold in the house, to warm an egg simply put it in a bowl of warm water. You could also do that if you’re in a hurry, or you forgot to take the egg out of the refrigerator.

To soften butter put it in the microwave and zap it in 2 - 3 seconds bursts.

I only mail order items when I can’t find them at the restaurant supply store. And when I mail order are usually buy a number of items. But since I have several restaurant supply stores Darby that carry just about everything I could possibly need, I rarely have to mail order.

 

[Jean S.]

Thanks for the advice, I'll do that for the egg and butter.

I bought the scraper and 4 qt. container off Amazon. So that is done (thankfully). I even searched some more for a kitchen supply store here, but the few I found don't even carry true baking stuff, no 4 qt. container, no flexible scraper.

So in a few days I'll have everything I need to attempt this. It will give me time to figure out how to make enough space on my small kitchen counter as well!!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thanks for the advice, I'll do that for the egg and butter.

I bought the scraper and 4 qt. container off Amazon. So that is done (thankfully). I even searched some more for a kitchen supply store here, but the few I found don't even carry true baking stuff, no 4 qt. container, no flexible scraper.

So in a few days I'll have everything I need to attempt this. It will give me time to figure out how to make enough space on my small kitchen counter as well!!

I’m glad you found the items. I’ll be out of touch quite a bit over the next month. A family member is having surgery, so I will be helping him. Then helping my SIL care for my niece when my brother is away on a business trip.

 

[Jean S.]

I’m glad you found the items. I’ll be out of touch quite a bit over the next month. A family member is having surgery, so I will be helping him. Then helping my SIL care for my niece when my brother is away on a business trip.

 

[Jean S.]

Thanks for letting me know! I appreciate it. Sorry to hear about your family member. It is very kind of you to help them.

 

[Jean S.]

I don't know when you will see this, but I am asking now.

While putting together all the instructions and ingredients for my recipe, I have a question on 2 things.

After you fold the raisins in you say (#22) Gently knead bread 5 or 6 times. What type of kneading do you mean?

Since I will be using my 2 glass bread pans do I need to put them on a baking tray, or can they just go in, as is? I am kind of worried the dough will be to big for glass pans even split in 2, a concern? Or just my worry wart mind working over time?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Kneading: look at page 1 of this thread. I posted a link to a video on how to knead.

I don’t think the dough divided into two loaf pans will overflow. The recipe uses 4 cups flour. A standard loaf pan recipe contains about 3 cups to 3 1/2 cups flour.

No need to worry. It’s just flour. If it fails the first time, try again. I’m sure the first your grandmother baked her bread on her own it did not come out perfect. It was only after persistence did she perfect it. No one was born knowing how to bake bread. It’s practice and learning from each loaf we bake.

 

[Jean S.]

Kneading: look at page 1 of this thread. I posted a link to a video on how to knead.

I don’t think the dough divided into two loaf pans will overflow. The recipe uses 4 cups flour. A standard loaf pan recipe contains about 3 cups to 3 1/2 cups flour.

No need to worry. It’s just flour. If it fails the first time, try again. I’m sure the first your grandmother baked her bread on her own it did not come out perfect. It was only after persistence did she perfect it. No one was born knowing how to bake bread. It’s practice and learning from each loaf we bake.

 

[Jean S.]

I forgot about that 1st kneading video, been awhile. So I have 3 kneading techniques to learn, .....

In the instructions you said 325 degrees to bake, but with glass pans do I drop it to 300?

My father was a perfectionist and a worrier. I am not a perfectionist but seem to have inherited his worry which I battle all the time. I "over-think". I don't know how mom did it for over 60 + years............

I wondered about the water temp for the milk and dough, a bit confused, but I temp-ed the water out of the faucet and I can hit that out of tap..........unless you tell me otherwise........lol.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Whenever you bake in a glass pan the rule is drop the temperature 25°. The exact amount that you need to reduce the temperature is an unknown. Your oven is not going to bake the same as mine. So you start with the general guidelines for the type of pan.

Your grandmother’s recipe is formulated for a commercial oven, with multiple loaves baked at once. It wasn’t formulated for a home oven. That’s why I reduced the temperature from 350 to 325.

This bread is also not normally baked in a loaf pan. How it bakes in a loaf pan, and in a glass pan, I do not know since I only tested it in a panettone mold. In the panettone mold I know 325° in my oven with the right temperature. I can only give you my best guesstimate on using glass loaf pans.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the kneading techniques. They’re really not that complicated.

Fraisage: It’s just smearing the dough across your work surface with the heel of your hand. That’s all it is. Smear it, scrap it back into a pile. Smear it, scrape it back into a pile. Smear it, scrape it back into a pile.

Standard kneading: gently pat dough down. Fold in half toward you. With the heel of your hand, gently roll it away from you. Pick it up. Quarter of a turn. Put it down. Repeat. When you pat it down that does it mean smash it. To roll it, you just glide it over on itself. You don’t smash it and press it down.

Slap and fold: it’s just lifting the dough up from the counter, slap it down, stretch it toward you, then folded over on itself. Pick it up, slap down, stretch it toward you, folded over. Pick it up, slap down, stretch it toward you, folded over.

My brother’s surgery is Monday, so I go tomorrow. So I won’t be in touch for several weeks.

 

[Jean S.]

Whenever you bake in a glass pan the rule is drop the temperature 25°. The exact amount that you need to reduce the temperature is an unknown. Your oven is not going to bake the same as mine. So you start with the general guidelines for the type of pan.

Your grandmother’s recipe is formulated for a commercial oven, with multiple loaves baked at once. It wasn’t formulated for a home oven. That’s why I reduced the temperature from 350 to 325.

This bread is also not normally baked in a loaf pan. How it bakes in a loaf pan, and in a glass pan, I do not know since I only tested it in a panettone mold. In the panettone mold I know 325° in my oven with the right temperature. I can only give you my best guesstimate on using glass loaf pans.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the kneading techniques. They’re really not that complicated.

Fraisage: It’s just smearing the dough across your work surface with the heel of your hand. That’s all it is. Smear it, scrap it back into a pile. Smear it, scrape it back into a pile. Smear it, scrape it back into a pile.

Standard kneading: gently pat dough down. Fold in half toward you. With the heel of your hand, gently roll it away from you. Pick it up. Quarter of a turn. Put it down. Repeat. When you pat it down that does it mean smash it. To roll it, you just glide it over on itself. You don’t smash it and press it down.

Slap and fold: it’s just lifting the dough up from the counter, slap it down, stretch it toward you, then folded over on itself. Pick it up, slap down, stretch it toward you, folded over. Pick it up, slap down, stretch it toward you, folded over.

My brother’s surgery is Monday, so I go tomorrow. So I won’t be in touch for several weeks.

 

[Jean S.]

Thank you sooooooooooo much for everything. I have pages and pages of notes, you have explained soooooooooooooo much. You nailed it on your first try! Course you really know what you are doing. Took a special person to make a special bread!

Wishing you and your family luck, quick recovery, and lots of love, J

 

[Jean S.]

To give you a smile, giggle, or laugh..........

My small counter top is full. My antique wood kitchen table would be perfect except for the fact the cat eats up there because I have a dog.

I finally realized my Hoosier is PERFECT. Slide out enamel top with only a few things on it. Finally get to use it for what is was made for! It has the roll top side, even the old sifter up top, cooling racks on the bottom, drawers with metal insides.......etc.......it was always just a piece of furniture until now! I'll use the enamel pull out to make this.........I giggled at myself..........

 

[Jean S.]

One question you haven't addressed..........do you put the water in the milk before heating the milk, or heat the water separately and then add to the 180 milk? Or? I am puzzled/confused by the milk and water with your instructions or description. They don't match.

 

[Jean S.]

I've tried 12 x now to get this yeast to bloom, no success. I've measured, temp, added sugar and nothing. Since the recipe called for yeast cakes, and I see I can order that online, how much do I need and when and how to use it? Thanks. Maybe that would be easier for me? You may or may not answer, but it is not as easy as you wrote and said, I think 12 tries is more than enough...........J

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I don’t know what to tell you, blooming yeast is just one step of checking the temperature of your liquid before sprinkling yeast over the liquid. It’s not a complex or multi-step process, so there’s nothing for me to even troubleshoot.

The ingredients list does not specify type of yeast. It’s simply states “1/2 lb yeast.”

Since instant yeast was not invented, I’m sure your grandmother did not use instant yeast.

And I did not use Instant yeast for a specific reason. Instant yeast is not the same strain of yeast as active dry yeast. Instant yeast was developed specifically to mix in with the dry ingredients and to develop 50% faster than active dry yeast.

Instant yeast is designed for doughs to be mixed and baked within a short time frame. If the dough is not baked within a few hours of hours of mixing, the yeast will plow through its food source then begin to die off. It’s called over-fermentation. The dough won’t have enough yeast in it to rise properly. So instant yeast is the wrong yeast to use in an overnight poolish dough.

Cake yeast has not been readily available in stores for 30 years. So I haven’t used it in years. Cake yeast is considerably less potent than active dry yeast. You’ll need to increase the amount somewhere between 20% and 39%. How much I don’t know. I did not develop the recipe based on cake yeast. You’ll have to ask the company you buy the yeast from how much to use and how to incorporate it into your recipe. Or use the conversion tables online for the brand cake yeast you purchase.

My brother in law really likes the bread. He makes it into French toast. He asked me to bake him another loaf.

 

[Jean S.]

Well I actually feel it is a multi step process. Get milk to 180, transfer to bowl to cool, get water to 110, add to milk and stir, wait for temp of milk and water to get to 110, add yeast and wait 10 minutes. Seemed simple to me at first, but having 12 failures is a bit much.

My new desperate attempt to fixing this will be to get a different brand of milk. Who knows, maybe it is the milk brand itself. I've taken some days off from even trying, other holiday things to do.