First Attempt at Making Bread

[lynjess]

WENT TERRIBLE! :cry: :cry: :cry:

I tried to make a whole wheat bread. Followed EVERY detail of EVERY instruction. When I took the bread out of the oven and it had a huge dip in the middle and it was ugly. When I tasted it, it was sour.

So there's my fuck-up in trying to make bread. :cry: I'm NOT gonna try this again, what a waste of flour!

[AngryEthiopian]

DON'T Give up! What recipe did you use? Sometimes it's all in how you knead the dough! Do a little more research on kneading and maybe this time, don't let the bread rise for as long, because that can tend to make your dough sour.

I LOVE BAKING BREAD!!! I wish more people wern't afraid to do it. I learned from my mom, and my man loves to bake too. It's such an awesome family tradition for us. Great thing to be able to pass down too.

[cattygurl]

Hmmm you have to learn to feel the texture of the bread. seems lik you used a bit too much yeasy when you have a big concave bread and it's too sour.

[minbo]

My thought is that you did not do the fermentation correctly. If it is sour than it is likely that it was over-proofed. Either over-proofed due to too high temperature or allowing it to sit too long. Or did you just do one proof and not punch it down? That varies depending upon intended bread.

The center may fall when the bread is over proofed in the second proofing due to the gas bubbles from the over fermentation being to large and bursting when heated.

[vsoy]

Jesslyn, don't feel so bad, I even mess up bread machine recipes with my gnarly, knotted tops of bread!

I'm by no means a baking expert and these guys know way more about the specifics, but for me, the key to baking is being super duper ANAL with measurements. Cooking is a dash of this and that. Not with baking. You gotta be using measuring cups and spoons that are in good shape, levelling the top with a knife, etc.

[ellencho]

minbo is right. If anything, it's better to underproof your bread than overproof it. The way you can tell if your bread is overproofed is if you press your finger into the loaf during the final fermentation, and if the dent your finger left doesn't fill in, that means you've overproofed it. If it fills up slowly, you're ok.

[Subwaybrum]

lol my mum just uses one of those automatic bread makig machines :lol:

[cattygurl]

measuring by volume will always be inaccurate compared to measuring by weight (pref. grams). Recipes by weight (in grams and kgs) are far more accurate then imperial (oz) measurements by weight.

Flour absorbs quite a lot of humidity so if you're working with bread on a humid day, you might have to add more flour and if you're working on a dry day, add water. I only had to add several teaspoons at most. If you're having to add more than 3-4 tablespoons of either to adjust, there could be problems.

It's important to know the intended texture of the dough. Even with bread machines (which I use now), you can screw up if you don't understand working with appropriate texture. I've always adjusted my baking recipe by a few teaspoon here and there to acheive the right texture of the dough.

What vsoy and mimbo said are correct- you do need accurate measuring devices and what mimbo said about over-proofing is right on.

[Taliesin Stormheller]

Use a mix of yeast and baking soda; that does it.

[cattygurl]

actually, baking soda isn't used in most long-rising breads, because it loses steam too quickly. It can also provide an off-taste if it's not called for in the recipe. That's why it's used in batter breads and biscuit/pastries like banana bread, where the recipe calls for the lighter cake/all purpose flour. It's also not strong enough for breads with developed gluten strands (which is a by-product of kneading and gives bread its chewiness and body).

[MATHABA]

Maybe the dip was caused by you opening the oven too early, letting cool air into the oven causing the bread to fall.
I never follow recipe or instruction at home just wing it.
my basic bread:
flour, water, yeast, salt and nothing else. only a pinch of salt, not too much.

[lynjess]

Well I tried my second attempt making cinnamon-raisin bread the other day and ultimately fucked it up again. Burnt raisins and sour bread were the result. My 7 yr old nephew told me it tasted like "rotten cake." :cry:

I'm gonna scrutinize recipes (I'll have to request one from ellencho) and make another attempt in a couple weeks. If it goes wrong then thats it for bread. I'll just stick to pasta dishes and soup.

Though I made Cuban Black Bean Soup last week and it was great.

[ellencho]

If you want I can send you a ciabatta recipe. It's really easy to make ciabatta. The dough is on the wet side but it's definitely manageable.

[AngryEthiopian]

If you want I can send you a ciabatta recipe. It's really easy to make ciabatta. The dough is on the wet side but it's definitely manageable.
Oh oh, I'd like to see it too, maybe I'll try it out. I doubt most of my family will even be willing to try ciabatta bread, but i've been craving spice and lately the only breads i've been eating have been homemade sweet buns.

[kimtae]

They say cooking is an art while baking is a science. If, like in an science experiment, you are measuring exactly and following all directions, there is no reason why should be failing. Somewhere along the way you are either not measuring properly or you are not following some other instructions. Try making something simple like foccacia/fougassi bread first. You really can't screw this one up.

[ellencho]

Ok, so I finally have a spare weekend, and I plan to make ciabatta. I'll start a brand new thread on it on Friday night when I get started on it. It'll be one of those step-by-step little tutorials so you can see every step. Ciabatta is definitely a good non-fussy starter bread, I hope you all try it at some time.

[lynjess]

Yes ellencho, I've been meaning to ask for that recipe. Can you send it to me? I think I'll try that after I get some groceries this weekend.

[WuZhao]

Wow. i never knew so many people still make bread themselves... Very Impressed :D