Bread (The Making Of) Part 2
In the continuing series of 'how much garlic is too much for a garlic bread' it's time for another instalment of my bread-making activities, this time complete with an amusing mishap and a sequence of headaches.
Starting with my fourth attempt we have a white-flour loaf with a good helping of salt/pepper/herbs. This loaf actually tasted nice (it was shared between a few people) however despite adding what I thought was an overzealous amount of seasoning the taste wasn't as strong as I expected. Still, at least this one held its shape.
My fourth attempt (possibly my best success so far?)
When people say that getting the quantity/proportion of ingredients correct is important, take note, as this is what can happen when you get things wrong. My fifth attempt combined a larger mix of herbs/spices with too much oil and water (due to it sticking in the machine and me adding too much to try to help it). It failed to rise properly and looked amusing when it was removed from the machine. Ironically it did taste nice and herbs really came through.
My fifth attempt not looking great in the machine
As you can see the top really didn't raise
You can see it had cooked, but too much moisture/steam broke the final raise
After the last failure it was time to be more careful with the ingredients, going back to a strong white loaf using flour purchased from a farm shop. The results, a nicely raised loaf that tasted good and was by far the lightest I have made so far. It was the first time that cutting a loaf became interesting as the inside was so soft that the slightest amount of pressure would crush it.
The sixth attempt, perfectly raised and very light/fluffy inside
Time for a wildcard... As my attempt at adding spice into bread (in powder/liquid form) hadn't really worked it was time for drastic measures. I decided to switch out the oil for chilli oil, add a good amount of mixed spice, and throw in 5 diced-up Peperami Firestick to add some pep. The end result, an amusingly coloured loaf which you could taste the spice in, but left you with a headache after eating it each time. This is by far the weirdest loaf I have made so far, and the headaches were definitely not appreciated!
My seventh attempt, and no, that isn't tweaked colour...
Despite its flaws it raised perfectly and has a good top
The internal consistency was good, as was the crust thickness
With seven loaves down the quest for the perfect loaf continues. I still need to master the art of making the bread have a significant garlic taste, just as I need to try to make chocolate bread. Watch this space ;)