I couldn’t remember my last Soggy Bottoms experiment, so I had to look through the archives to give myself a refresher.
Turns out, my last bake was the creme caramel fail that turned into vanilla scrambled eggs. I think my mind decided to repress that memory.
Typically, I alternate sweet and savory recipes, which means we’re back to bread. Baking bread in a technical challenge fashion has always been tough for me. It’s cold right now in Boston and I have yet to find a hack to proof bread in a quicker fashion. But I really wanted to finally make bread that looked and tasted the way it was supposed to.
So I said fuck it. I’m going to bake this damn bread the way I want to.
Bake: Ciabatta
Episode: Series 5, Episode 4
Whose challenge: Paul Hollywood
Time limit (on the show): Three hours
Resources: I followed this recipe from Paul Hollywood!
Process: For those of you who don’t know, I picked up some part time work at a local bookstore. I also went on a mini vacation to the Keys in Florida recently. My free time at the moment as I settle into the new year is quite lean. Do I have a block of time to babysit bread? No, I do not.
It’s probably why you won’t see me competing on any baking shows where I have three hours to make several loaves of ciabatta.
Taking a more relaxed approach was lovely. I made the dough one night and let it proof in the fridge overnight. The following morning, I began the second part of the bake. It was…peaceful. I truly never thought I would put “peaceful” and “baking bread” in the same sentence.
My biggest concern was the short times for the bread to proof before going in the oven. What if they didn’t rise enough?
But like most of these experiences, I spend a majority of the time worrying and hovering despite things typically coming out completely fine (aside from those damn creme caramels).
To prove (hehehehe) my point, look at these beauties.
Have I ever seen a ciabatta before? Clearly not. I tried to keep them in longish square forms but let’s all be honest here. They look like girthy, uncircumcised bread dongs.
They were delicious though. I ate half a loaf, still warm, with butter at 11:30pm.
I was completely happy with the crust and the texture on the inside. It could have used maybe one or two minutes more, but I’m trying not to be overly critical for what is probably my third or fourth attempt at bread.
For those familiar with the show, the contestants had to make four loaves. I, however, am just one woman and I have no clue what I’d do with a bouquet of bread weens.
Reading material: It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian.
There is something about Sebastian’s books that make readers feel warm and cozy and well…satisfied. Take Ellen’s recent review of A Delicate Deception. Fresh bread is a wonderful comparison.
One of the heroes is also a lovable grump with a “crust” on the outside. Not a literal crust, obviously, but a shell that needs to be cracked a little. And while it may be on the nose, “two” is in the title and I have two lovely loaves here!
You can see the rest of my Soggy Bottoms’ bakes here or see the full list in the Soggy Bottom introductory post.
Thoughts on the ciabatta? Keep the peen jokes coming!
Looks like ‘Star Baker ‘ to me!
They look good, you are defintiely getting the hang of bread. Wise of your to do an overnight proving and good job on the not being hyper self-critical too, I know how hard that is.
Those look great! The only stress-free bread recipe I’ve found is My Mother’s Peasant Bread from Alexander Fuller. I make it in two stoneware soup bowls and give away the second loaf immediately so I don’t eat both in one day.
Amanda, my two favorite quick proofing places in the winter are the microwave for smaller loaves and pans (heat water to boiling in 2 cup Pyrex in microwave, then put in bread to proof), and the oven (turn on to low heat for a minute or two, turn off, then put pan in oven with container of hot or steaming water).
An easy way to proof bread in the winter (coming to you from Toronto, Ontario, where it’s -3). Turn on your oven – when the indicator shows 100 degrees, turn it off. Turn on the interior light. Put your dough in the oven until it rises to the desired height. Recipes are guides – don’t stress When you think the dough has risen enough, poke a finger in. If the dough doesn’t spring back to fill the hole, it’s ready. Check out King Arthur Flour website – they have lots of tips as well as fantastic recipes. After you’ve made bread a few times, you won’t bother with the recipes times except for the actual baking.
Amanda: I’ve baked bread for–let’s just say–many years. Many. Similar to Gingy’s method of proofing is mine: I turn on the oven light when I start the dough process. That’s just enough continued heat to rise the dough through however many rises are needed. (Kneaded?)
Congratulations!
Back in the day when I lived in an old house in New England I used to put my dough on the radiator to proof. If you have heating grates instead of a radiator, and they are not near a window, try putting a small table or laptop stand over the grate and putting the bowl on that, well covered with plastic wrap.
Your loaves look delicious, Amanda!
They look lovely. And if you’re looking for info and advice, I believe you have a certain Catherine among the reviewers who doubles as an amazing cook.
Disclaimer: Yes, I have staggered from her house more than once, wondering how I could eat so much but it was sooooo delicious!
This looks delicious! I’ve been rewatching The Great British Bake Off with Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry-it is my true happy place.
I love to bake, yet I have this weird fear of yeast. I have NO IDEA why! I look at bread recipes, and realize that even if I screw it up, it isn’t like I wasted expensive ingredients. I love Paul Hollywood, his icy blue eyes and sometimes stern demeanor, masks his nice guy self. Mary Berry is a true goddess! Funny thing, I worked at Borders oh so many years ago-I was always trawling the bargain book section. I actually have a bread book by Paul Hollywood, now I just need to gather my courage and face that package of yeast head on! Will I have a soggy bottom or a virtual Paul Hollywood handshake??
I’ve just been reading Breaking Cat News comics, so I’m imagining EC’s method with a cat enjoying the warm, cozy bowl of bread as a bed.
Thank you all so much for the kind words! I’ve tried the oven/water trick, but never had much luck. I have a gas oven, which I don’t know if that affects anything.
I do have an older radiator as I, too, live in an old New England apartment. At one point, I did leave the bread to proof in my warm heated room while I did errands. That worked well!
@GillianB: The SBTB Slack has seen photographic evidence of Catherine’s skills! Maybe I’ll ask her for some tips.