# Same old, same old.



## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

Same old same old....

Most of the breads I make are my plain white bread recipe but with a slight variation to it.
I am sorry I don't go in for all these different recipes, which to my mind are just a variation on the same thing.
I some times just add cheese, or maybe tomato paste and a tad more flour to absorb the moisture of the tomato paste,or reduce some of the white flour and make the dough multigrain, or maybe whole wheat, with just a tad of malt added, or maybe a little more sugar and add raisins and currants for a fruit loaf. Or add milk instead of water, or Guinness as in the walnut and Guinness bread.
Some time I divide my plain white dough and make it into rolls, or just cut my whole wheat a different way, some times it's a Pullman loaf , or a boule, maybe divide the dough and make in to balls, roll out each and cook as pita bread.
It is all basically the same dough with a slight variation.
I might even leave out the yeast and use a sough dough starter, and finish the bread the next day, the choice is yours with out hundreds of different recipes.
That's just how I do it, nothing complicated......;-)))
Gotta to go and address my Christmas cards now. ))
qahtan


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

qahtan,
Heh, since your into bread making how do or do you make crusty buns? is it just a different technique with the same recipe" normally"(because you use the same recipe for everything). I've always wanted to make them at home.


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

I said I that most times I use the same basic recipe with a bit of variation added, cheese, whole wheat, raisin, etc. ;-)))

I think the steam in the oven is the crispy crust maker, and after what I paid for my oven I am not spraying water on the oven walls.;-)))))) qahtan


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

I agree that it's the steam. You can put pans of water in the oven to achieve a similar effect.


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

so is it a regular white bread recipe probably with no milk am i correct ? then the steam gives the crispy shell. But i find the inside is sooo light which is why i always thought it was a different recipe alltogether.
trulys


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## kylew (Aug 14, 2000)

This hardly sounds like plain white bread to me


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

Well I suppose what I should have said was that I don't have all kinds of recipes, you know like looking up a recipe for cheese bread or for whole wheat etc. ;-)))

To me it's a bit like pastry, I make all kinds of pastry for what I am making, add ground almonds for mince pies, add hard boiled egg yolk for a very delicate pastry, and I always use butter and fresh egg.

Maybe the purists would cringe, but I am afraid I can't get the hang of the bakers formula ) so I just go ahead and do my own thing. 

Works for me. ))) qahtan


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

gahtan , it sounds like your very talented and creative. So to clarify,you have a basic recipe that you tweek for various products? because that's what I ment by a regular recipe not to imply that your products were plain. I was only trying to get the idea so i could go and try again to make the crusry buns. What i've done in the past is i've used the hard roll recipe from the le cordon bleu proffessional cooking 5th addition, but thats when my motor blew and i finished it off by hand but it wasn't the same as i've had purchased maybe it needed more kneading.
trulys


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## rita (Jan 29, 2000)

Hi Gahtan,
Would you be willing to share your basic bread recipe?
I love making bread!!!!!
I think I am a frustrated want to be Boulanger, but too old to do anything about it, so I have fun trying; always on the lookout for a new recipe.
I cannot knead my dough because of arthritis so I have now the
Zojirushi Bread Machine: BBCC-X20. It does a great job for me.
Use to have a B&D;doesn't even compare.
Last week I made an Italian Biga and the next day 
Italian sourdough country loaf.I used to make this by hand so it took a bit of juggling but happy it turned out pretty good.
I have this book
Martha Rose Shullman 'Great Breads'.
My son bought me this on 1995 and it still my favourite.
I am not a Pro. and this book is perfect for me.
Looking for a similar one to use with a bread machine; can't find anything so I am trying to work her recipes with my ABM.
Rita
PS My husband's name is Gaetan(close to yours).


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

I really blew it this week, I thought I would make a genoese with brown sugar, just to see if it would work, bad idea, yes it worked and 
looked fine, but the taste just wasn't right. so I will not do that again.
Rita as you use the ABM I think maybe you would be better off using one of the recipes you have for that. 
I use the DLX mixer, before I bought that I made my bread in Cuisinart Pro 7. 
Just play it by ear, as you know to me bread making is NOT an exact science, you can't say proof it for yea amount of time, or that you use yea amount of flour. I use the dip and scoop method for my flour and we all know how the weight of that varies. The only time I do weigh is if I am going the pan the dough.


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

Same dough, but swapped one cup of white flour for one cup home milled whole wheat, and just cut a different way. ;-))
qahtan


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## rita (Jan 29, 2000)

That is just beautiful.i will show you acouple of my breads.
Rita


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## rita (Jan 29, 2000)

That is just beautiful.I will show you a couple of my breads.
I have hard time making nice looking rolls, buns; I would not even attempt to make Ciabattas.

Rita


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

Very nice Rita, whole wheat???????

qahtan


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## rita (Jan 29, 2000)

I love whole wheat so I try to always have at least 1/2 fo my flour whole wheat and some Barley Malt to give it a nice texture and colour..Do you use Vital Gluten with your whole wheat?


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

No, I don't used vital wheat gluten or any thing like that. 
qahtan


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## shaloop (Aug 16, 2005)

So.....

Are we gonna get the recipe?

:bounce: Pretty Please?


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## qahtan (Dec 7, 2003)

Just use a recipe that you know will turn out OK and then tweak it as, an earlier poster put it.
Here I used walnut oil instead of butter, Guinness instead of water, added walnuts, used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat. 

That's all I do. qahtan

GUINNESS WALNUT BREAD

1 cup Guinness or dark ale, just warm
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 1/2 cups strong white flour
1 1/2 cup strong whole wheat flour, home ground hard wheat kernels
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup toasted loosely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup toasted loosely chopped walnuts

Make a dough in food processor with all but walnuts. You may have to add a little more flour or a splash of water to get right texture. Change blade to plastic one, add 1 cup of walnuts and buzz just enough to blend in nuts. Proof, shape, rise, paint top with a little egg white and water mixed well, sprinkle with 1/4 cup walnuts. Bake 35/40 minutes at 380º.

YIELD: 1 loaf


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## rita (Jan 29, 2000)

That bread looks and sounds fantastic; thanks!
Rita


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