Comments on: Buttermilk Bread

By: Tom Stocker

Tom Stocker — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:53:09 +0000

I’ve mixed two cups sour buttermilk to 3 cups flour and 1/2 tspn salt and 1 package of years and about 1 tbspn honey and let the mixture sit (no kneading just stirring ingredients together) for 18 hours then turn out on a floured board and with floured hands folded it over into a ball with a seam then put cornmeal on cotton towel and put ball on top of cornmeal and covered with another cotton towel. Let sit for two hours and preheat oven to 450 with a covered deep pot, glass, enamel or dutch oven in the oven. Carefully remove pot after bread dough sits two hours and put dough seam side up in pot and back covered for 1/2 hour and uncovered for another 15 mins to 1/2 hour until top is golden brown brown.

By: Mike Purvis

Mike Purvis — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:23:08 +0000

Hi Michael, here's the recipe you're referring to. I'm not familiar with the properties of instant yeast, but given the choice between ten minutes of kneading and ready in three hours versus no kneading and having to wait 18+ hours, I think I'd rather do the kneading.

Besides, I like kneading bread dough. It's very relaxing and undemanding.

As to your question, I think the dough is typically covered to prevent the edges from drying out. When you cover it with plastic, it keeps the stuff consistent throughout. I imagine that the floured towels are supposed to provide the addition flour that would typically be added in the kneading phase. If you're determined to get the recipe working, perhaps it would be worth adding a little extra flour in the initial stage?

Honestly, though, if I find a recipe doesn't work the first time, I'm disinclined to spend the time and effort giving it a second shot.

By: michael

michael — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:15:02 +0000

i was inspired to begin a type of cooking i’ve always avoided for several reasons; breadmaking seemed to me to be a certain commitment to huge amounts of time, and a certain kind of labor not fun–and the product resulting, as a choice of many cooking skills fell by the way, in favor of sautees of vegetables, excellent soups, and a range that was the other side of the carbohydrates.
then i saw last week in the NYTimes jim lahey’s recipe for no-knead bread–not i’m a practicing greenhorn, with a lotta questions–elementary ones, watson!
for instance,
why does this recipe [the ingredients being-- bread dough, 3C; water ~1.5 C, a quarter-tsp instant yeast, and salt]
call for the second riseto be with the loaf completely covered, swaddled in 2 well-floured cotton towels???
when i use towels, with this very-high water content dough, the dough begins to work its way into the towel fabric, so that it cannot be separated clean, pulled free, from the towel after the recommended 2 hrs of rising time.

basic question is “why put the rising loaf in any particular thing–what’s wrong with just leaving it in a bowl, or on a marble slab with a bowl over it?

as i say, i’m new to this art.
thanks,
michael

By: Christine

Christine — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 23:08:54 +0000

Mike, it’s a deal.

By: Mike Purvis

Mike Purvis — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 04:59:01 +0000

Christine: You could always teach me some Circuits. (And by teach me, I mean stand there and smack me with a slide ruler until I get through all the homework, providing corrections where necessary...)

Hannah: Aw thanks, you're such a sweetie.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 04:22:07 +0000

Um, what sort of bribe is required for you to send some of that over to mac? I obviously dont need TONS of help getting the freshman 15 whilst on mealplan...but who's counting?

Your site looks awesome mike, im so proud to know/be related to you sometimes. The girls came up to visit me last weekend and we missed having you, although i think my room would have been a tad crowded with all four of us in here. I'm listening to mtv mash-ups right now, they're fun, although highly uncool I think. But who can say no to listening to snoop dogg and the guns n roses at the same time? the cure and the black eyed peas? yes please. My fav is the verve and jay-z: bittersweet dirt off your shoulder. haha. ok i just wanted to say hello, I have to go to bed because I have a 4 hour clinical lab with a real fake patient tomorrow, doing vital signs and such. k have great night. love, Hannah

ps. sorry for hijacking the discussion, I just noticed your little notice below..

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 03:47:11 +0000

So… what sort of bribe is required to get you to come here & cook for us?

By: Mike Purvis

Mike Purvis — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 16:12:19 +0000

Well, if you get headaches today, I take no responsibility, Mr. Mildly Lactose Intolerant. It is pretty unhealthy stuff. At a cup of sour cream already per loaf, you don't want to be spreading too much butter on it...

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 15:21:46 +0000

I would have to agree with Mike that this bread is impressive. I had a nice big slice of it yesterday with some cheese and pickles, and it was definitely better than any bread I've ever eaten. I may just have to start making myself lunches so that I get to eat more of it, instead of buying my way into destitution.

Thanks for baking, roomie!

By: Mike Purvis

Mike Purvis — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 02:10:44 +0000

About.com seems to be a good source for a lot of recipes. I've had good luck with a cheese sauce recipe from there. I think the best thing is that they're presented by staff authors, so there's that extra level of quality control over somewhere like allrecipes.com, where any old shmuck can post whatever they want.

Anyhow, yeah, it's a terrific book. It's got several good roll recipes, too, one of which looked like this and was received quite well by my housemates.