The first trick is to get a supply of strong white flour. Not standard cake flour. The main trick is patience and a warm room. It's all about nurturing the yeast.
I am going to write the recipe like a Victorian, not giving quantities, because making small batches is easier on the arms, but it is messy, making large quantities depends on the size of one's oven and also how much time one has to bake multiple oven-loads.
Start a tablespoon sized piece of yeast, or the dried granules, with a little warm liquid that is sweetened. Milk will do at a pinch, (but I don't like the smell when it is yeasted) - honey or molasses is good. After ten minutes or so the mixture should be frothing. Add a handful of flour and mix to a saucey consistency - like a smooth paste. Wait for another ten minutes. Now add the liquid for the main recipe,(should be like comfortable (not too hot) bath temperature when testing with your finger). Stir it all up and start adding flour in stages.
For reference the ratio is about 3:1 flour to water - depending on how high the moisture content of the air is around you.
First mix the dough to a porridge consistency, and let it double in size. Now add flour and any salt (or kelp), and mix to a stringy dough. At this point the mixing-stick or wooden spoon can go - dump the dough on a floured bench and use hands to keep just dusting the flour in. One hand for dry flour and one folding and mixing. Have patience, the flour goes in by small handfuls at this point. Knead. After a while the dough will feel springy and alive. Twenty minutes of pure exercise. Now, the lump should be left to rise with a floured cloth over it.
Preheat oven to hot 450 deg.
Knead again and shape into buns, loaves, knots, whatever takes your fancy. One can flatten the loaves into flat-breads and cook on a griddle at a pinch, or as a taster, while waiting, because everyone will be going crazy at this point.
Rise the loaves 15 minutes or so (and flatbreads) again and bake.
Thank you very much, fren. I totally understand and appreciate your “Victorian” directions. Really appreciate the emphasis on the process as opposed to precise amounts. Also get the part about ambient humidity. I live in the woods and humidity is always a factor. Warm room not a problem, I may even work it on the table in the sunroom. Agree what you said about whole wheat flours, although way back in the day I had 5 gallon vacuum packed bucket full of wheat berries and we ground our own flour till gone. Don’t even remember where I got the berries but they were part of a long term food storage supply that needed to be used up. Never had such a great tasty flour before or since. Thanks for the tip about molasses or honey, never heard that, but makes total sense. Thanks again! 👍 I’ll let you know how it turns out. 💪
The first trick is to get a supply of strong white flour. Not standard cake flour. The main trick is patience and a warm room. It's all about nurturing the yeast.
I am going to write the recipe like a Victorian, not giving quantities, because making small batches is easier on the arms, but it is messy, making large quantities depends on the size of one's oven and also how much time one has to bake multiple oven-loads.
Start a tablespoon sized piece of yeast, or the dried granules, with a little warm liquid that is sweetened. Milk will do at a pinch, (but I don't like the smell when it is yeasted) - honey or molasses is good. After ten minutes or so the mixture should be frothing. Add a handful of flour and mix to a saucey consistency - like a smooth paste. Wait for another ten minutes. Now add the liquid for the main recipe,(should be like comfortable (not too hot) bath temperature when testing with your finger). Stir it all up and start adding flour in stages.
For reference the ratio is about 3:1 flour to water - depending on how high the moisture content of the air is around you.
First mix the dough to a porridge consistency, and let it double in size. Now add flour and any salt (or kelp), and mix to a stringy dough. At this point the mixing-stick or wooden spoon can go - dump the dough on a floured bench and use hands to keep just dusting the flour in. One hand for dry flour and one folding and mixing. Have patience, the flour goes in by small handfuls at this point. Knead. After a while the dough will feel springy and alive. Twenty minutes of pure exercise. Now, the lump should be left to rise with a floured cloth over it.
Preheat oven to hot 450 deg.
Knead again and shape into buns, loaves, knots, whatever takes your fancy. One can flatten the loaves into flat-breads and cook on a griddle at a pinch, or as a taster, while waiting, because everyone will be going crazy at this point.
Rise the loaves 15 minutes or so (and flatbreads) again and bake.
Thank you very much, fren. I totally understand and appreciate your “Victorian” directions. Really appreciate the emphasis on the process as opposed to precise amounts. Also get the part about ambient humidity. I live in the woods and humidity is always a factor. Warm room not a problem, I may even work it on the table in the sunroom. Agree what you said about whole wheat flours, although way back in the day I had 5 gallon vacuum packed bucket full of wheat berries and we ground our own flour till gone. Don’t even remember where I got the berries but they were part of a long term food storage supply that needed to be used up. Never had such a great tasty flour before or since. Thanks for the tip about molasses or honey, never heard that, but makes total sense. Thanks again! 👍 I’ll let you know how it turns out. 💪