Lékué Bread Maker

Lékué are a Spanish cooking aid company, based in Barcelona, who have developed a number of interesting products for cooking in an oven while retaining steam (which encourages a better crust). They claim that their bread maker is a single tool for mixing, kneading and baking bread in, so I decided to buy one (£19.99 from Lakeland) and try it. Although it comes with an instruction and recipe book, feedback from people who had tried it was to use your traditional recipes.

The bread maker is a slightly floppy silicone bowl that fastens at the top to form a rugby ball shape (see illustrations below).  While it proved fine to mix the ingredients in and to bake the bread in, it did not prove that easy to knead the dough in (it really is too floppy), so I decided to try it out using the low effort (no knead) method so I really could do everything in the bread maker. This also meant I could go for a wetter dough for a more open crumb. This is how it worked out.

Recipe
350g strong white bread flour (or a mixture of white and rye/wholemeal)
1 teaspoon sea salt
100ml sourdough starter
240ml water

The Method

Got the starter out of the fridge and brought it up to room temperature for two hours.

Put half the flour in the Lékué, mixed the sourdough starter and water in a jug, then mixed it in to the flour in the Lékué, as illustrated on the left, 

Closed the Lékué, covered it with cling film (see illustration left) and left it to prove overnight.

In the morning the sponge was fermenting nicely (thick and bubbly). I mixed in the other half of the flour (but not the salt), closed the Lékué, covered it and left it to rest for 30 minutes.


Then I dissolved the salt in a small amount of water, added it to the dough, mixed for 15 seconds, closed the Lékué, covered it and left to rest for another 15 minutes.

Once more mixed the dough for 15 seconds and left to rest for another 15 minutes.

Then gave the dough one final 15 second mix, shaped it roughly into a sausage in the Lékué, closed the Lékué, covered it and left it to prove in a warm place (the oven with the light on) for around 2½ hours until nearly doubled in size.

Once risen, I uncovered the Lékué  but left it closed, put it in the centre of a cold oven and baked for 30 minutes at 230°C (190°C fan).

Then removed the loaf from the Lékué and baked it for another 20 minutes until golden.

Then turned the oven off and left the loaf in the cooling oven, with the door slightly open for another five minutes, then placed on a rack to cool.

The loaf had a nice crisp crust so the Lékué lived up to its promise in that respect.

Once cooled I sliced the loaf.

The crumb was nice and open and had an excellent sourdough taste and feel. So the low effort method had paid off as well.

Well done Lékué.

While I was about it I wondered how it would work out with my soda bread recipe so that was what I tried next.

Once again I did everything in the Lékué using 200g wholemeal + 150g strong white + 1tsp soda + 1tsp salt and 350ml buttermilk. Mix together adding a little more milk to get a soft, sticky dough, shaped it roughly and baked for 25 minutes + 10 minutes out of the bread maker.

It produced an excellent loaf of soda bread, nice crisp crust and a lovely texture crumb. I decided to name it 'Hedgehog Soda Bread' as that's what it reminds me of. Well done again Lékué.

San Francisco

I decided to try out some Goldrush Old Fashioned San Francisco Style Sourdough Starter (from Bakery Bits) for a change from my own home grown starter. 

Interestingly Bakery Bits and Goldrush both supply (different) instructions for getting the starter going so I'm comparing both and my own process as I go along and this is how it is working out:

Day 1
Mixed 100g white bread flour and 200g filtered water in a glass mixing bowl, then added the sachet of sourdough starter, covered the bowl with cling film and put in a warm place for six hours.

Fed the starter with a small cup (50g) of flour and the same volume of water, covered and left in a warm place for a further 24 hours.

Days 2 to 3
Fed the starter with a small cup of flour and a small cup of water, gave it a good stir, covered and left in a warm place for another 24 hours.

Days 4 to 6
The starter is getting more active each day but was a bit runny. Discarded one cup of starter and fed it with a small cup of flour and half a cup of water. By day 6 the starter looked ready to use.

Loaf Bake
I decided to make a small plain white loaf (using my better sourdough recipe) to see what it looked and tasted like. This was the result:

Nice texture and crumb, soft and chewy inside nice crisp crust on the outside and it tasted good.

We ate the second second half of the loaf for lunch the following day and it was still excellent.

I've now decided to throw away my old starter and stick with this one from Goldrush, it's a real winner!

Best Sourdough Bread

By incorporating the use of a banneton and cloche (see last week's post) you can produce what in my humble opinion is the best ever sourdough bread. I like to bake in the morning (fresh baked bread for lunch) so this starts in the evening but if you want to bake in the evening just start in the morning.

This recipe makes a loaf of around 650g (about 1½lb). 

400g   strong white bread flour
220ml  filtered water at room temperature
100ml  sourdough starter at room temperature
1 teaspoon sea salt

Sponge Proof
In the evening, get the sourdough starter out of the fridge and bring it up to room temperature for about 2 hours (it should foam and bubble). Make the sponge by mixing the sourdough starter, water and half the flour but not the salt and leave in a bowl covered with cling-film overnight.

Loaf Proof
In the morning the sponge should be fermenting (thick and bubbly). Add the other half of the flour and salt and mix well. Add more flour or water if necessary but keep the dough as sticky as possible.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and satiny (around 10 minutes). 

Shape the dough and place it in the floured banneton, sprinkle flour on top, cover with a tea towel and prove in a warm place for two to three hours until nearly doubled in size.

Bake
Invert the dough onto a baking dish, slash the top, cover with the cloche, put into a cold oven and bake at 230°C (190°C fan), 450°F or gas mark 8 for 25 minutes once the oven has come up to temperature. 

Remove the cloche and bake for another 25 minutes until golden. 

Turn the oven off and leave the bread in the cooling oven, with the oven door slightly open, for another 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool for at least an hour.

Banneton and Cloche

There are two further improvements that can be made to the better sourdough method and that is to use a banneton and cloche. 

Banneton
A banneton is a proving basket (used instead of a bread tin to form the loaf). They come in different sizes and shapes (although most are round) so you should be able to find one for the size of loaf you want to bake. 

Simply shape the dough into a ball (or sausage if you are using a long banneton), put it in the floured banneton, sprinkle some flour on top, cover with a tea towel and leave it to rise in a warm place.

Once the dough has risen, put the baking sheet or dish upside down on top of the banneton, invert the two and carefully lift off the banneton, leaving the dough on the baking sheet or dish.


Cloche
A cloche is a cover that will improve the rise of the bread by trapping the steam given off and produce a nicer crust, without the need for water in the oven. The La Cloche baking dome is currently the best on the market but it costs around £50 in the UK ($50 in the USA).  But there is a much cheaper alternative. I use a bread baking dish with a three litre Pyrex mixing bowl at a total cost around £15 (and you can see what's happening inside it, see below).

To use the cloche simply place it over the dough (after slashing the top) so that it sits on the baking sheet or dish, put it in a cold oven and bake for 25 minutes after the oven comes up to temperature. 

Then carefully remove the cloche (take care, it will be very hot) and bake for a further 25 minutes (or until the loaf is a nice golden colour). Then turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the cooling oven, with the door slightly open for a further 5 minutes. 

Sourdough Bread Made Easy

Just published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in print (softback) and Kindle formats and The Topsham Bookshop (softback). Priced at £5 for the softback print version and £1.29 for the Kindle version.

This link will take you to it:

Sourdough Bread Made Easy

at Amazon.co.uk and it is also available from all other Amazon sites in equivalent local currency prices.

I would greatly value any feedback on the book, via this blog and of course any questions or problems on the blog itself.

Meantime happy baking,
John. 

Getting a Crisp Crust

If you check out some baking web sites and blogs, you will find that one of the biggest issues is about getting a nice crisp crust on your bread. The answer is providing steam in the oven during the early part of baking. Professional bakers use sealed ovens that have steam pipes to provide steam just when it is needed. Unfortunately most domestic ovens are not sealed and have no provision for creating steam. 

The simple answer is to put some cold water (or even ice cubes) in a hot dish in the bottom of the oven as set out in this recipe. Too little water will not produce enough steam and too much will stop the crust crisping. So measure it accurately and if there is any water left in the dish half way through the bake take it out and reduce the amount of water the next time.

Another option is to get a water spray/atomizer and squirt water into the oven several times during the early stages of baking. Some people swear by this technique but it does mean keeping opening the oven door.

The best method is to enclose the loaf during the early part of the bake (as the dough itself gives off steam) using a covered casserole dish, metal Dutch oven or a cloche (baking dome). Then remove the lid part way through baking so that the crust crisps up. 

Better Sourdough

Having worked my way through every combination of the variations in the previous post, I finally arrived at the one method that works for me every time and produces really good bread. I usually bake in the morning so the following method starts in the evening, but if you want to bake in the evening just start in the morning, the steps are the same in either case.

This recipe will produce a 660g loaf (about 1½ pounds), using a bread tin or baking tray.

Ingredients
Flour 400g strong white bread flour
Water 220ml preferably filtered water at room temperature
Starter 100ml sourdough starter at room temperature
Salt   1 teaspoon preferably sea salt

Method

Get the sourdough starter out of the fridge and bring it up to room temperature for about 2 hours. Make a sponge by mixing the sourdough starter, water and half the flour but not the salt and leave it in the mixing bowl covered with cling-film overnight in a cool place.

In the morning remove the cling film and the sponge should be fermenting (thick and bubbly). Add the other half of the flour and salt and mix well. Add more flour or water if necessary but keep the dough as sticky as possible.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and satiny (around 10 minutes). 

Shape the dough and put it in a bread tin or on a baking sheet, dust with flour, cover with a tea towel and proof in a warm place for two to three hours until nearly doubled in size.

Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp bread knife and put it in on a low shelf in the oven. Put 100ml of water into an ovenproof dish in the bottom of the oven (to create steam) and set the oven to 230°C (190°C fan), 450°F or gas mark 8.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes once the oven has got up to temperature or until the crust is golden, turn the oven off and leave the bread in the cooling oven, with the oven door slightly open, for another 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool for at least an hour.

Different Methods

There are many different methods for making sourdough bread and the following are some of the variations to the basic method that I have tried out:

Long First Rise
It does develop the sourdough flavour, but it also increases the overall time and there is another alternative (see sponge method later). If you want to try the long first rise, make the dough and knead it as usual. Then put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave it to prove in a cool place for six to eight hours (or overnight). At the end of this time is should be roughly doubled in size. Knock the dough back, shape the loaf and carry on as usual.

Long Second Rise
Make the dough, knead and prove as for the basic method (or long first rise).  When it has roughly doubled in size, tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, knock it back and knead it briefly.  Work the dough into the required shape, cover with a sheet of lightly oiled cling film and leave in a cool place for six to eight hours, until doubled in size, then bake as normal.

Low Effort
This low-effort approach to kneading was developed by baking legend Dan Lepard and takes a bit longer (although most of the additional time is spent waiting so you can do other things). Mix the dough as usual (but leave out the salt) and leave it to sit in the mixing bowl for 30 minutes.  Then add a teaspoonful of salt, mix the ingredients again for just 15 seconds and leave it for 15 minutes. Then mix again for 15 seconds and leave it for another 15 minutes. Finally mix again for 15 seconds and then leave the dough to prove (first rise) as for the basic method. 

Single Rise
The basic reason for knocking back the proven dough is to remove large bubbles and get a more even crumb. But one of the delights of sourdough bread is an uneven crumb so simply don’t bother with a second rise. 

Stretch and Fold
This method combines kneading with a single rise. Make the dough as for the basic method but, instead of stretching and rolling, gently stretch the dough into a 20cm to 30cm square. Now fold one side in about one third of the way. Then fold the other side in to overlap the first and form a long rectangle. Then fold in the two ends of the rectangle a third of the way to create a square. The aim is to trap air, so be gentle. 

Turn the dough over, smooth it into a rough ball and put it back in the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave it in a warm place for 20 minutes. Then repeat this stretching, folding and resting process twice more. After the third rest, gently form the dough into your final loaf shape then leave it for a final 40 to 60 minutes (until doubled in size) before baking as normal.

Sponge Method
Sponge refers to a preparatory mix of half of the flour with all of the water and starter. Prepare the sponge in a mixing bowl, cover with cling film and leave to prove in a cool place for six to eight hours. Then add the remaining flour and salt and continue as usual. This is effectively a long first raise.

Refrigeration
One of the problems with using the long second proof is the danger of the dough rising too much and then collapsing back on itself (a very sad sight). It is a particular problem in warmer climates but this method overcomes that risk. It is similar to a long second proof but, by putting the dough in the fridge overnight (or all day), it slows the rise down. Then bring the dough out of the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature for an hour or so to finish rising and bake as normal.  Alternatively take the dough straight out of the fridge and follow the bake from cold method (below).

Bake from Cold
Instead of pre-heating the oven, bake from cold. Once the dough is nearly doubled in size but not fully risen (which reduces the rise time by about an hour) put it into a cold oven and bake as usual but add the time it takes the oven to get up to heat to the bake time. In my oven, which is an electric fan oven, this only takes five minutes, but all ovens vary so time it exactly the first time and then simply add the time to the baking time.

The Results
Having worked my way through each of the methods and combinations of them I have found the one combination that works every time and produces great bread. This is the combination that works for me:

Sponge Method (I leave it to prove overnight in the kitchen).

Single Rise in a warm place (I use the oven with the light on).

Bake from Cold (which reduces the single rise time to around two and a half hours).

Basic Sourdough Bread

There are many different recipes and methods for sourdough bread but let’s start with the basics. This is a simple basic recipe for producing sourdough bread which uses the same process as making bread with commercial yeast and will produce a quite acceptable loaf.  
These quantities will produce a 660g (about a 1½lb) loaf:

Ingredients
Flour   350g strong white bread flour
Water 175ml preferably filtered water at room temperature
Starter 175ml sourdough starter at room temperature
Salt    1 teaspoon preferably sea salt

Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix them together. 

Put the water and sourdough starter into a measuring jug and mix them together. 

Now make a well in the centre of the mixing bowl and slowly add the water and sourdough starter stirring it until you have added all the liquid and have formed a solid ball of dough.  Add a little more flour if it is too runny or a little more water if it is too dry.  It should end up as a solid but slightly sticky ball of dough.

Once you have produced the dough in the mixing bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. You may find a plastic dough scraper useful for getting all the dough out as some tends to stick to the sides of the bowl.

If the dough is very sticky add a little more flour, if it is too dry add a little more water, but err on the side of stickiness to begin with. As you knead the dough it will become less sticky.

Knead the dough by first stretching it out into a long strand:

Then roll it back into a ball. Continue this process, stretching in a different direction each time.

After around 10 minutes the dough should feel smooth and satiny. 

Form the dough into a ball and put it into a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to prove in a warm place for two to four hours until roughly doubled in size. If you live in a warm country the kitchen will probably be fine, if not a warm airing cupboard should be fine or put it in the oven with just the oven light on (which is what I do as I was told off for getting flour on the clothes in the airing cupboard).

You won't notice as much of a rise in the dough as you would with a yeasted bread which is why it will take longer. The warmer the temperature the quicker the rise, so the first time check it every hour and once it is roughly doubled in size you are ready for the next step.

Once the dough is roughly doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface to knock it back and shape it.  

Knocking back consists of punching the dough gently to get rid of the gas in it and rolling it back into a ball. It should be roughly back to its original size following this.

Shaping the dough consists of rolling it into the required shape for your baking sheet or bread tin. 

Place the shaped dough on the baking sheet or in the bread tin and sprinkle the top with flour. 

Cover with a clean tea towel and leave it to prove in a warm place for a further two to four hours until it is again roughly doubled in size again.

Preheat the oven to 230°C (190°C fan), 450°F or gas mark 8 and put a small amount (about 100ml) of cold water into a baking tin or small oven-proof dish and place in the bottom of the oven to create some steam.

Using a sharp bread knife, score the top of the loaf. This is referred to as the baker’s signature and can be any pattern you like. The purpose is to allow the top of the crust to expand without splitting when it goes into the hot oven (called the oven spring).

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a good golden crust has formed and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. 

Note: baking time will vary from oven to oven, so be prepared to shorten or lengthen the baking time as required. When the loaf is perfect, make a note of the time and use that in future.

Turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the cooling oven, with the oven door slightly open (to get rid of any remaining steam), for a further 5 minutes.

Then remove the loaf from the oven and put it on a rack to cool for at least an hour. This is sometimes hard to do as the smell of the fresh baked bread is wonderful but it is better for the bread to let it cool down before cutting it.

Sourdough Adventures

I began making my own bread a few years back, first using a bread machine and then by hand. I produced white bread, whole meal bread and mixed grain bread along with French baguettes and pizzas. All produced using dried yeast with good results (after some initial teething troubles) but I always had a yearning to try sourdough bread. Two things put me off: the many conflicting methods and the need to produce a sourdough starter before being able to make sourdough bread. It all sounded a bit tricky and time consuming but I was wrong, it turned out to be simplicity itself!

The basic sourdough bread making process consists of just four steps:
Step 1: produce the sourdough starter
Step 2: mix the ingredients to form the dough
Step 3: knead the dough and leave it to prove
Step 4: bake the bread and leave it to cool

The final three steps are exactly the same as baking with baker’s yeast, the only difference is that the proving time is much longer (typically six to twelve hours rather than two hours). The longer proving time is because the natural yeast in the sourdough takes longer to prove than commercial baker’s yeast.

I will expand on the four steps over the next four blogs, starting with producing the sourdough starter, so watch this space.