No Knead Bread – Attempt 1:

This bread takes FOREVER! The ingredients are simple, bread flour, salt, water. The directions are relatively simple too. Mix ingredients, set dough in an oiled bowl for 12-18 hours, shape dough, let rise for 1-2 more hours, bake in a Dutch oven.


After Mixing: 



















After Fermentation: 

 After being shaped

In the oven after the first 30 minutes (covered):











Time to cool....

What's on the Inside? 













At home… to be honest, it didn’t look so good, but I went ahead with my plan. Actually it cooked beautifully, it looks and smells amazing. It feels hard as a rock – it is still cooling. I’ll update after it is time to cut it open. Hopefully what Lahey says about his recipe is true, “[it] is so simple and forgiving it’s practically fool proof” (Lahey 15).

The final product was pretty good. Probably not something Panera would sell, but not too terribly far off. I am excited to try this style again. 

Power Point Presentation

Standards / Connection to the Classroom

Connection to the Standards:

Project – Learn how to do something you’ve never done before. Practice it. Write about it. Use technology to share it.

(OK, this sounds a lot like our project for this class… however I think that high schoolers could really enjoy a project like this. I am adapting this project to English but it could go in several directions. Also, our school system requires a Senior Project which is a lot like this idea if you add in some kind of community benefit/connection. It is required for graduation.)

If I were to present this project to a class here are some of the ideas that I would suggest:

Learn to…

· Knit or crochet

· Sew

· Cook something

· Build a…

o Bird house

o Dog House

o Book Shelf

· A dance routine

· Build a model airplane

And of course… the list could go on and on…

Indiana Core Standards:

Writing:

9-10.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

9-10.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Production and Distribution of Writing:

9-10.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

If writing involved a blog…

9-10.W.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Learning a new skill…

9-10.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Sharing information…

9-10.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

21^st Century Skills…

Inquiry

1.1.1: Grade 10: With guidance use and inquiry-based process for expanding content knowledge, connecting academic learning (writing and presentation skills) with real world and pursuing personal interests (student chosen topic.)

1.1.7: Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias.

2.1.3: Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real- world situations, and further investigations.

3.1.3: Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.

3.1.4: Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.

Additionally…. Focusing more on the bread baking side there are standards relating to the Science of food (FS 2.2) and Culinary Arts (CAF 5.1)

The Bread Baking Experience:

Rustic Rye – Attempt 1.

Ingredients: Rye Flour, White Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast

Basic instructions: mix dough for 2 minutes using the kitchen aid mixer, cover for 45 minutes, shape dough in two rounds, cover for 45 minutes, shape dough into oblong baguettes, pre-heat oven, place a water dish in the oven for steam, place dough in the oven for 20 minutes, remove water, rotate bread, bake 20 more minutes, remove, let cool.

Turn out : Looked good, tasted good, texture was thick and not airy.

The first rise seemed to go pretty well. The shaping went well thanks to the instructions in Kastel’s book. The problem arose next after the second rise. Time got away from me. I checked on it at about 1 hour and it hadn’t doubled in size. I didn’t think it seemed puffed up enough. Then, the new refrigerator was delivered, then I was late to roller derby and then I came home and went to bed. I considered getting up early to bake it but between the pre-heat, the covered cooking and the uncovered cooking – not to mention the cooling… it was just not going to happen, it would have been a 2+ hour process. So, it is sitting at home. I put it back in the bowl. I think it is possible that this extended fermenting time could turn out some great bread (I am hopeful). It could also fail. This morning the bread had shown some “crust” forming on the outside, probably it was drying out. I placed it back in the bowl (it was between two cloths). Hopefully the bowl will better hold the moisture. When I get home I am going to check it, possibly sprinkle it with water and then preheat the oven/Dutch oven and see how it goes! I am also going to try another attempt with the Rustic Rye bread using the techniques / tips I learned after researching how to avoid dense bread.

What went wrong? It seems that the yeast didn’t produce the air bubbles I was hoping for… I researched this for one here: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f153/dense-homemade-bread-help-41745.html

From this I decided to try my second batch with these adjustments:

1. Make sure the bread is rising in a warm area, on top of the stove, while on.

2. Leave the bread in the mixer longer, closer to a full 5 minutes

3. Knead the dough by hand an additional two minutes

On a side note, the baker who started this discussion never updated on her dilemma. Her last post was from 2008. I guess we’ll never know what worked for her.

From this page: http://www.foodreference.com/html/bread-rising-729.html

I learned that…

1. Salt kills yeast (However, a little further research brought me this : “Chef Jennifer Field [says] - It’s a matter of balance. Salt does retard yeast growth, and in concentrations that are too high, it can indeed kill the yeast. In judicious amounts, salt is what brings out the flavor in the bread and controls yeast growth so that the resulting crumb is nice and even.”

a. G., R. "Does Salt Kill Yeas | Reluctant Gourmet." Reluctant Gourmet Cooking Guide for Cooking at Home. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. .

Water quality matters -- but it didn’t say how exactly. On the same webpage, Reluctant Gourmet, it explains that, “For bread making, harder water works better than soft water because harder water will yield more stable dough.” So this begs the question – “how do I know if my water is hard?” According to this map:

My water in Indiana is “Extremely Hard” so, it is doubtful that I am having a problem due to water softness.

Wrapping

Why is bread making – from scratch, important? Bread has been a staple of human lives for thousands of years. Kastel writes, “At around 4000 BCE, the Egyptians invented what we now think of as bread baking. It was probably by accident: someone may have left flatbread dough sitting for too long, saw that it had puffed up, baked it anyways and liked the result” (Kastel 3). Although many things have changed about the way humans live we still have the tradition of gathering over food to share time together as a family or group of friends or a romantic couple. To me it was important to try it both for the hope of having a yummy tasty result to share with my friends/family and to be proud of but also to pay respect to this art which many of us (myself included) take for granted when we walk down the bread isle and pick up a bag of sliced Wonder bread. Similarly, it is important to me to teach students about traditions, and open their eyes to the wealth that those before us have brought. The connecting project for my bread making might be the sharing of a traditional family dish and the instructions on making it. Why is this food important to you? What is special about it? How far back can you trace it? Maybe interview your oldest living relatives about their food experiences. Food ties us together. In church we talk about our “Daily Bread” and most holidays include some special meal with friends and family. These human connections are important.

I’m thinking about my product (Wrapping towards Waving). As you have probably guessed by now, I am no bread expert. I’ve learned new things, I’ve gone through the motions – but I am in no place to instruct others towards becoming great bread makers… so… what product would be appropriate? I could gather a list of materials – like a pathfinder to help others who may be interested in also beginning where I have began.