No van stuff…..just home made bread

[GrumpyGranddad]

So a quick first attempt at slow cooked bread.
300g , 60% mix.
Pre heated as above, 1 hour cook. Flip it over and another 30mins.
Needs fine tuning but not bad.
This is the small SC we keep in the van.


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All these lovely looking loaves. I need to learn how to make bread.

 

[chockswahay]

So a quick first attempt at slow cooked bread.
300g , 60% mix.
Pre heated as above, 1 hour cook. Flip it over and another 30mins.
Needs fine tuning but not bad.
This is the small SC we keep in the van.


View attachment 102632

Oh Nice one The colour looks good, was it the same before turning over? Is that a stand mixer behind? I’ve gone all heroic recently and been kneading these by hand

 

[chockswahay]

So this is my last test for a while but I just thought it was worth a mention. Today I maxed the amount of flour to 400 grams so the final dough came out at around 770 grams. I increased the preheat time to 45 mins and the bake time to 75 mins. This was again 100% wholemeal. The shape is a bit odd as it was touching the sides where the baking paper was, also I got a bit lazy with the slashes so not the best looker, however the result was yet again fantastic!

I can honestly say that this method of baking bread has exceeded my expectations and defies all logic regarding temperatures and best practice etc. I’d actually go further and say that the taste and texture are superior to conventional oven methods.

‘Who dares wins’

 

[sidepod]

Oh Nice one The colour looks good, was it the same before turning over? Is that a stand mixer behind? I’ve gone all heroic recently and been kneading these by hand

Yes, colour was the same. It was just the crown that was a little soft and needed a bit more.
Mixer is way to go. No need to kneed.

 

[chockswahay]

Yes, colour was the same. It was just the crown that was a little soft and needed a bit more.
Mixer is way to go. No need to kneed.

Yeah I have noticed the crown is a little soft but in practice it suits my not very sharp teeth . I’ve been using our stand mixer for a few months now having always done it by hand previously but when down to such small quantities it struggles a bit to get an even knead.

 

[chockswahay]

Yes, colour was the same. It was just the crown that was a little soft and needed a bit more.
Mixer is way to go. No need to kneed.

Oh I meant to say did you use a liner or baking parchment?

 

[Hawthorn37]

I prove my sourdough overnight in the fridge but that’s another story…….

I always do sourdough that way, and leave it in the fridge in a banneton sometimes even 48 hours to build the flavour. Then put the loaf into a Dutch over that’s roasting hot - you can almost hear the dough springing up!

So a quick first attempt at slow cooked bread.
300g , 60% mix.
Pre heated as above, 1 hour cook. Flip it over and another 30mins.
Needs fine tuning but not bad.
This is the small SC we keep in the van.


View attachment 102632

Nice - looks like a decent crust. How hot does the cooker get ?

 

[sidepod]

I always do sourdough that way, and leave it in the fridge in a banneton sometimes even 48 hours to build the flavour. Then put the loaf into a Dutch over that’s roasting hot - you can almost hear the dough springing up!

Nice - looks like a decent crust. How hot does the cooker get ?

No idea of actual temperature. It’s only small so it gets hotter than the large one we have. I’ll try it again an check it with the temp probe.

 

[sidepod]

Oh I meant to say did you use a liner or baking parchment?

No, just a wipe over with a bit of veg oil before placing the dough in.

 

[chockswahay]

Nice - looks like a decent crust. How hot does the cooker get ?

Nothing like as hot as a conventional oven although I did notice the sidewalls inside had got up to 200 c plus towards the rim by the time I’d finished. In theory the slow cooker should be rubbish for bread……. But I have had my eyes opened!

Maybe when I can be bothered I’ll dig my starter out of the fridge and try a sourdough…. I don’t think it will work so well mind you.

Edit: the bread gets up to temp well enough… I usually aim for 95 c …… each of these loaves has been around 98 to 99 so maybe I could reduce baking time a little

 

[chockswahay]

Maybe when I can be bothered I’ll dig my starter out of the fridge and try a sourdough…. I don’t think it will work so well mind you.

OK I couldn’t resist. Fed my rye starter yesterday morning…made up a Biqa and put in the fridge overnight….did the rest this morning….baked this arvo. This is only 200g total flour so a small loaf anyway.

It is flatter as I would expect, however the crust is again soft (that is a bonus for me), the crumb is similar to standard sourdough and the taste is too. I will deffo try this again. I don’t think it will ever be as good as baked in a Dutch Oven or a conventional oven but good fun and actually quite easy

 

[Hawthorn37]

OK I couldn’t resist. Fed my rye starter yesterday morning…made up a Biqa and put in the fridge overnight….did the rest this morning….baked this arvo. This is only 200g total flour so a small loaf anyway.

It is flatter as I would expect, however the crust is again soft (that is a bonus for me), the crumb is similar to standard sourdough and the taste is too. I will deffo try this again. I don’t think it will ever be as good as baked in a Dutch Oven or a conventional oven but good fun and actually quite easy

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That’s a nice looking loaf. Paint a bit of gravy browning on the top to give it a sun tan, and no one would know !