What are your incremental baking improvements?

[ShuBunny]

My friend wanted to make cinnamon rolls - his fave food. First time ever he is baking! So I turned up at his place with all the ingredients, my oven thermometer, and my weighing scale.

And I firmly tell him, my baking friends say that getting it right the first time is just luck, you learn from your failures more than your successes.

And to prove my point. My friend had to console me....

 

[Emmie]

Well, they do look a little dark on top! But you know, they're a lovely rich golden colour further down and beautifully-glazed. It's so hard cooking on a different oven - they all have their own quirks. How do they taste?

 

[ShuBunny]

@Emmie ! You have a knack for looking out for the bright side of things. We ate the rolls from the bottom up. Bottom was cooked. Taste was decent. We modified the dough with wholemeal and diabetic sugar for my friend’s diet. I’m going to tackle these rolls again. <3

Is your back better?

 

[Emmie]

Ah, there you go, not so much of a disaster! Do post the next batch!

Back is getting there thanks, despite spending last night until 4am in a chair in my toddler's room. But I'm just planning the bunny rolls. Seen some very cute ones with them lying on their back with their legs on their tummy but I can't imagine they would be very easy to eat, especially for a two year-old. So will probably do something similar to the hedgehog shape.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Ah, there you go, not so much of a disaster! Do post the next batch!

Back is getting there thanks, despite spending last night until 4am in a chair in my toddler's room. But I'm just planning the bunny rolls. Seen some very cute ones with them lying on their back with their legs on their tummy but I can't imagine they would be very easy to eat, especially for a two year-old. So will probably do something similar to the hedgehog shape.

Oh I remember those nights. My youngest son did not sleep through the night until he was 1 yr old. And he refused to sleep in his own bedroom until he was six!!! He was afraid of everything. Wouldn’t even go play in the sandbox by himself.

Now he is an elite athlete. No one would guess he’s the same kid.

@Emmie, it gets easier. One day you will get to sleep through the night again.

 

[kySafran]

This question is very close to my heart as teaching a computer to make Sourdough is the test of success for the project. Computers are stupid, they only know what you tell them and they can't work anything out for themselves. So sourdough is a nightmare, as the recipe will get you 50% of the way there, you'll get another 25% from advice and the final 25% is working it out for yourself.

Most importantly I think only change one thing each time so you're sure of the effect before moving on.

At the moment the testing is around the hydration of the poolish. Using strict measures of 50% water & 50% flour pr 40/60 etc to see what effect the variations have.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

This question is very close to my heart as teaching a computer to make Sourdough is the test of success for the project. Computers are stupid, they only know what you tell them and they can't work anything out for themselves. So sourdough is a nightmare, as the recipe will get you 50% of the way there, you'll get another 25% from advice and the final 25% is working it out for yourself.

Most importantly I think only change one thing each time so you're sure of the effect before moving on.

At the moment the testing is around the hydration of the poolish. Using strict measures of 50% water & 50% flour pr 40/60 etc to see what effect the variations have.


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Bread is the simplest as far ingredients: flour, water, salt. And yet it is the most complex to make.

your loaf is very beautiful

 

[ShuBunny]

The inside of your loaf is superbly good looking. I would date that loaf in human form.

 

[Emmie]

Oh I remember those nights. My youngest son did not sleep through the night until he was 1 yr old. And he refused to sleep in his own bedroom until he was six!!! He was afraid of everything. Wouldn’t even go play in the sandbox by himself.

Now he is an elite athlete. No one would guess he’s the same kid.

@Emmie, it gets easier. One day you will get to sleep through the night again.

She has phases where she'll sleep through for weeks, then a whole run of night wakes - I was up last night too! She's a happy little soul though so I can't complain.

 

[Emmie]

This question is very close to my heart as teaching a computer to make Sourdough is the test of success for the project. Computers are stupid, they only know what you tell them and they can't work anything out for themselves. So sourdough is a nightmare, as the recipe will get you 50% of the way there, you'll get another 25% from advice and the final 25% is working it out for yourself.

Most importantly I think only change one thing each time so you're sure of the effect before moving on.

At the moment the testing is around the hydration of the poolish. Using strict measures of 50% water & 50% flour pr 40/60 etc to see what effect the variations have.


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LOVELY looking crust! I mean the inside looks fab too but I love a crusty loaf.

 

[Emmie]

@ShuBunny The bunny buns are in progress!

I wanted a new challenge - apart from, you know, making animal bread! So I've made an enriched dough this time. I have very little experience with enriched doughs so I've made it and now have to back-Google to find out things about it. Little one is allergic to milk so it uses dairy substitutes, which I hope work okay. Dough is quite loose but nice to work with though I don't know how it will cope with shaping. I also had some saffron threads in the cupboard (I don't just have sacks of saffron lying around but had a little left over from making a paella!) so I boiled my water, added the threads and let it cool before straining adding my yeast. The dough is a beautiful golden colour, perfect for easter bunnies! The photo doesn't really do it justice. But it's in for its first rise at the moment.

 

[Emmie]

Okaaaaay, so my child is going to need therapy.

Wet dough = very melty bunnies. I have one or two that are passable, but not as bunnies. They might be quite cute kittens though. I'll post when they're done.

 

[Emmie]

Okay, I have managed to salvage 2, maybe 3 kittens. The one on the left is tabby (choc chip). The ears need much deeper cuts for bunny ears, and closer together, though its hard with kitchen scissors. I'll give bunnies another go next week as it's the last week before school holidays and I'll use regular dough rather than trying to be fancy! I also think the egg glaze did them no favours. That said, they have a lovely soft crumb. Fairly close but still lovely and fluffy. And she'll eat them, which is the main thing.

 

[ShuBunny]

They are SOOOOOO cute! Let me send a pic of these to my friend who loves cats. <3

 

[kySafran]

Bread is the simplest as far ingredients: flour, water, salt. And yet it is the most complex to make.

your loaf is very beautiful

Thanks, I chose one of the successes .

 

[kySafran]

Okay, I have managed to salvage 2, maybe 3 kittens. The one on the left is tabby (choc chip). The ears need much deeper cuts for bunny ears, and closer together, though its hard with kitchen scissors. I'll give bunnies another go next week as it's the last week before school holidays and I'll use regular dough rather than trying to be fancy! I also think the egg glaze did them no favours. That said, they have a lovely soft crumb. Fairly close but still lovely and fluffy. And she'll eat them, which is the main thing.

View attachment 4027

Wow. They look Japanese. The way the ears have caught, adding lowlight and highlights is very clever. How did they taste?

 

[kySafran]

The inside of your loaf is superbly good looking. I would date that loaf in human form.

Thanks. That's one of the successes we've had. I love the fact you don't know how things have gone with sourdough until you remove the lid from the casserole/Dutch oven at the end. It's those wonderful improvements that keep us going through the absolute catastrophes that litter our journey.

 

[ShuBunny]

well @kySafran , i'm encouraged to hear that i am not the only one with absolute catastrophes! Onward, bakers!

 

[Emmie]

Wow. They look Japanese. The way the ears have caught, adding lowlight and highlights is very clever. How did they taste?

Very nice! Maybe a bit too much saffron, if anything. But they proved very popular!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Okay, I have managed to salvage 2, maybe 3 kittens. The one on the left is tabby (choc chip). The ears need much deeper cuts for bunny ears, and closer together, though its hard with kitchen scissors. I'll give bunnies another go next week as it's the last week before school holidays and I'll use regular dough rather than trying to be fancy! I also think the egg glaze did them no favours. That said, they have a lovely soft crumb. Fairly close but still lovely and fluffy. And she'll eat them, which is the main thing.

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@Emmie OMG! You out did yourself! The bunnies are sooo cute. I know these little guys were a hit! You could definitely make yourself a business with these woodland buns!