Artisan Bread Bakers

**BEEDEE** · 30th June 09, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Dall_Piobaire

Does anyone use bricks, or those brick sheets for baking on? I once had a pizza stone, made a huge difference!

BeeDee, that sourdough starter, it will last you forever if you feed it regularly won't it? Did you order it online?

I use a large square pizza stone - it does make a difference. The sourdough starter was made from scratch using Nancy Silverton's directions. Among other things, it has grapes in it to start the fermentation! I've had it for over a year now.

Brian

**The Guy in the Kilt at UC** · 30th June 09, 06:26 PM

Every Christmas I make Potica for the Slovenian side of my family. It takes about 4 hours to make, but it's totally worth it.

http://users.kent.net/~rob/pot.htm

**Bugbear** · 30th June 09, 06:30 PM

You have to make a living, breathing yeast monster that literally reaches up out of it's bowl and grabs the cup of flower out of your hand... then belches.

I have a couple of slabs of ceramic that I made way back when... I guess they would be cone nine stonewearOne of them is out in the bonsai garden though.

Works better than the metal pans for crispy bottems.

**vmac3205** · 30th June 09, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Dall_Piobaire

I used to make Boston Brown bread for my Grandfather, you actually steam it. Warm with honey butter, once you try it you are hooked for life

My Mom used to make it. I now have the perfect can to steam it in, so I think as soon as the weather gets cool, I'll make some. Yummmm

**Erisianmonkey** · 30th June 09, 07:23 PM

This thread makes me want to start a loaf of bread, but I don't have the oomph to deal with the kneading.

Ah, well, maybe my body will behave tomorrow.

**Standard** · 30th June 09, 07:33 PM

My grandmother taught me a simple bread recipe when I was about 7 years old that we used to make all the time. When ever I make it now, the memories of all the time spend together flood back in.

The kneading of the dough was and is one of my favourite parts of the baking proccess. I've never used a bread machine before, prefering the hands on method.

**Dall_Piobaire** · 30th June 09, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by vmac3205

My Mom used to make it. I now have the perfect can to steam it in, so I think as soon as the weather gets cool, I'll make some. Yummmm

Oh yeah, I remember the hunt for the perfect can, lol. Finally, the 1lb Hills Bros coffee can worked out pretty well. A rack in the bottom of a large stewpot worked well.

Whipped butter and Brown Bread. I can smell it now!

**piperdbh** · 30th June 09, 08:27 PM

Would someone please PM me the recipe (or a link to it) for the aforementioned Boston Brown Bread? I'd like to try it. Thanks a heap.

By the way, I just discovered something. When I oil the sides of my bread pan, sometimes the bread sticks. If I oil it and then sprinkle it with cornmeal, the bread doesn't stick and it has a nice crust. The part I discovered was that when you're out of cornmeal, steel-cut oats work just as well, and when that runs out, use instant grits.

**Dall_Piobaire** · 30th June 09, 08:40 PM

Yep, cornmeal works great for that, those awesome thick pans make a difference too.

I will see if I can hunt up my old recipe for ya dbh.

Now ya got me thinking of oatcakes!

Slainte

**piperdbh** · 30th June 09, 08:53 PM

I have a cast iron loaf pan that bakes very nicely, but I usually bake in my Wilton long loaf pan. It's 16" long and the bread rises to about 6". It's just right for sandwiches. I use a basic whole-wheat recipe from a Fleischman's yeast book, but add gluten to it to soften the bread and make it rise higher.