February 2025 Cookbook Challenge

[BakerAunt]

We have discussed dusting off one of the cookbooks on our shelves and trying a new recipe out of it. On this thread, post what cookbook you will use and which recipe (with page numbers) you plan to try, then when you bake or cook it, then report back on the results. The idea is to make your chosen recipe (we don't have to all do the same one) before the end of the challenge month.

Does that sound good to everyone?

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[BakerAunt]

I've chosen Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day as my cookbook. The recipe is "Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread" (83--85). I will follow it without making any changes, but I will use the honey rather than the sugar option.

[Mike Nolan]

I don't remember if I tested that recipe back when I was helping to test the recipes for that book. I spent a LOT of time on the baguettes and laminated doughs. I know I tried the pain a l'ancienne several times but never got it to come out like it should. We ate a LOT of baguettes during the testing for that book!

I'm almost out of wheat berries, but I do have some white wheat berries I could grind up and use in that recipe. (I'll be ordering more wheat berries later this spring, probably from Azure Standard.)

I don't think I'll be doing any hands-on baking until next month, though.

[chocomouse]

I made a couple of recipes out of that book for Peter Reinhart, but also do not remember which ones I made! I may have also tested some of the recipes in his Whole Grain Breads book. I do remember every recipe turned out great! I'll have to look for any sticky notes I might have pasted into the recipes. I took today off from all cooking/baking - over the past week I've spent a ton of time in the kitchen and I needed a break.

[BakerAunt]

I started my chosen recipe today, "Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread," from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day (pp. 83-85). He says it is a simplified version of a recipe in his Whole Grains Book.

I was surprised that the recipe called for mixing the dry ingredients and putting them into the mixing bowl first, but the ingredients combined easily, and the bowl did not have dough stuck all over it. The vegetable oil (I used canola) is whisked into the egg. I chose the honey option, and I have active rather than instant yeast, so I proofed the yeast in the water to which I added the honey before adding the buttermilk. (The recipe says milk of any kind.) I followed the stand mixer directions and was amazed at how well the dough came together. With my Cuisinart 7-qt mixer, I used the second speed for the low, and the third speed for the medium low. I used speed 5 for the last 20 seconds. The recipe requires three stretch-folds. I did them on a small Silpat mat, dusted with about 1 Tbs. of whole wheat flour, covering the dough with a large, inverted metal bowl between folds. I put it into a 4-qt. lightly oiled dough bucket and stuck it in the refrigerator. I plan to bake it tomorrow. When I last checked, the dough had more than doubled and was at the top.

[Mike Nolan]

Are you doing a full batch (two loaves) or just one loaf?

[BakerAunt]

Mike--The recipe is for two loaves.

[Mike Nolan]

I know, I was considering making a half-recipe.

[BakerAunt]

On Saturday, I took the dough out of the refrigerator at around 11:30 a.m., as the recipe says to remove it about three hours before planning to bake. My dough was actually pushing at the lid of the 4-quart container. I may use a 6-quart one next time. From what I can tell, the dough is shaped cold after removing it. I found it easy to shape the cold dough, although I used a different shaping method from Reinhart. (The description and pictures on how to shape loaves for pans did not seem to align.) I flatten the dough to a rectangle, then fold in the long sides, then the short ends, before rolling it from the long side.

The dough needs 2-3 hours to rise. I checked it after two hours, but it was ready at 2 hours and 35 minutes. The house temperature is about 67 F. The loaves required 40 minutes to bake. I followed the directions to rotate the pans after 20 minutes, which is not something I usually do. Both my husband and I noticed the wonderful aroma, which differed from the usual wonderful aroma of baking bread.

[BakerAunt]

We sliced some bread last night, and we really like it. I did not know that a whole wheat bread could be so light and soft. I'll be baking this recipe again and trying some of the suggested substitutions of oats, mixed grains, or other wholegrain flours.

I'm going to try to post pictures--my first time to do so.

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[RiversideLen]

Pictures, BA, woohoo! Great looking loaves! It's great when something new turns out well.

In Reinhart's BBA book, he also has a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread that uses both a soaker and a poolish. The soaker calls for course ground whole wheat or other course ground grain. Where do you find course ground whole wheat flour and can you use regular WW in it's place?

[Mike Nolan]

Some of the stone-ground whole wheat flours are labeled as 'coarse ground'. I have a Nutrimill so I can adjust the degree of grind from coarse from fine. (A Mockmill does an even better job of that, or so I'm told.)

[Joan Simpson]

BA congrats on your photos and the bread looks wonderful!

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Joan. Your picture posting inspired me to give it a try. The new computer we got 18 months ago also helps, as I can send the pictures from my phone to it, which I cannot do with the older computer. It does mean running upstairs to do the post, but that's a small price to pay.

Thanks, Len. I think that cookbook authors should give us a list of sources for ingredients that are not readily available.

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