On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 09:38:54 -0800, victw wrote:

> Mac,
>
> I finally made a loaf of french bread I am happy with (not sourdough
> yet) taste and texture wise.
>
> I have the same problem you have about the spreading. I was wondering
> how you solved the problem.
>
> Thanks.
> Vicki

Well, I posted here a while back, and a lot of different ideas were put
forward to solve the problem. I don't think I have it 100% beat, but I
have seen some significant improvement.

What I did is modify my kneading technique (I knead the bread by hand on
a granite counter top) so that the skin of the dough touching the counter
top gets tighter and tighter. This skin will eventually become the top
of the loaf. The basic motion is to fold about 30% of the dough over, push
down, lift the dough, rotate, fold 30 % again, etc. I make sure the dough
doesn't stick to the counter by sprinkling just enough flour if
necessary. I knead the same way for the first and second rise, but I
suspect it is more important on the second kneading.

When I am done kneading, I shape the dough into a ball where the side
which was touching the counter during kneading becomes the top of the
loaf. I hold the dough in both hands and gently coax it into a ball shape
by pulling the surface tight and rotating. The bottom of the loaf may be
just slightly untidy, but that is OK.

Timing, as noted by others in this thread, is also important. The longer
you let the dough sit, the more liquid it tends to become, in my
experience.

And if all else fails, you could always use a bread pan. ;-)

Hope that helps!

--Mac


> Mac wrote:
>> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:05:14 -0800, Dusty wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> > As most of you know, I eschew the use of most of today's modern
>> > technological advances in my baking. But I'm looking at this issue
> from
>> > a health and nutrition point of view. I think there's a gain to be
> made
>> > there...but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I like whole wheat
> bread,
>> > but I'm not a fan of 100% WW--tends to be too dense for my liking.
>> >
>> > As an aside, does anybody know of someplace in the bay area (left
> coast,
>> > USA) where I might be able to purchase some freshly milled flour
> for
>> > testing, before I spring for a mill? I Googled but didn't come up
> with
>> > anything useful...
>> >
>> >
>> > TIA,
>> > Dusty
>>
>> I just got a hand-mill (retsel). I haven't really tried it out yet
> except
>> for a small test batch. It is a lot of work!
>>
>> But I have a solution for you! If you want freshly milled wheat, go
> to
>> Whole Foods, take about 5 lbs of wheat berries from the bin area, and
>> bring them over to the coffee area. Then put the wheat berries in the
>> store's coffee mill, and grind away! Be sure to let the first half
> pound
>> or so go onto the floor, as it will be contaminated with coffee
> flavor. If
>> anyone stares at you while you are doing this, just smile and say
> "Hi!"
>>
>> All kidding aside, how dense is your 100% WW bread? Maybe there is
>> something wrong with your starter. (Or maybe you just like very airy
> bread.)
>>
>> Here is a picture of one of my 100% WW sourdough loaves:
>>
>> http://uploads.savefile.com/users/uploads/816274150.jpg
>>
>> It is a little WIDE, as you can see, but since then I have learned
> how to
>> keep the loaves from spreading quite so much when they rise. And I
> could
>> always use a bread pan, too, as has been suggested by some.
>>
>> --Mac