uh oh!  this happened again!  As usual, my timing for baking was way off.  I tried to fit breadmaking into a very busy day.  Same batch as usual, 123 sourdough with 1/3 of the flour being whole wheat.  I took the dough from the fridge and divided it into 3 batards.  Let rest 20 minutes and shaped into 3 baguettes.  scored with slashes.  The "porcupine" loaf was cut by my 5-y-o daughter. and that one split up the side;  whoops.  I don't think I sealed them well enough, and the porcupine cuts aren't deep enough.  The other 2 are all my fault.  Not sure what happened;  lots of oven spring.  Is this due to underproofing? (note, I am quite pleased with the two loaves, they turned out great!)

the diagonal slashed loaf came out great.  The long lengthwise one less so;  I've seen examples of that on this site, but haven't tried it.  And the porcupine loaf exploded.  crumb shot when it cools if I can wait that long......

Hi everybody!

During the weekend I tried a recipe for brioche that comes from a mix of different recipes given by friends and found online. I added cream cheese to the dough with the idea of making it fluffier. I really wasn't sure about the result...I had never made brioche before...but the result was suuuuper good. Don't expect anything suuuuper sweet as American stuff usually have. And don't expect them to taste like cheesecake. They are more like a sweetish bread....which make them perfect for both breakfast and a snack. Here is the recipe, but you can find it also on my blog http://caffeiiina.blogspot.com

Sorry but i still have to figure out how to upload a pic in this section.

Sara

 

Cream Cheese Brioches

Ingredients:  yields 14-15 small brioches
170 gr (6 oz) all purpose flour
50 gr (1.75 oz) sugar
70 gr (2.5 oz) cream cheese

15 gr (0.5 oz) melted butter
50 ml (1.7 fl oz) warm milk + 3 or 4 extra tbsp for brushing
5 gr (1 tsp) sugar

7 gr (1 and 1/2 tsp) instant yeast  
few drops of vanilla extract 

Dissolve the yeast in some of the milk, together with one teaspoon of sugar. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients with the dissolved yeast and the remaining milk until the dough is homogeneus. Don't get scared if the dough seems to be a bit too fluffly as long as it stays compact. 
Place the dough in a clean bowl,  cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (at least 2 hours).
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface into a 10-12inch square then roll. Using a string cut into 1/2inch thick piece. Place them onto the baking sheet covered with baking paper, cover and let rise until doubled volume. 
Brush the risen dough with a mixture made of 3-4 tbsp of milk and just a few drops of vanilla extract. 
Bake for 20 minutes maximum or until lightly golden brown. (make sure not to overbake them as I almost did!)
Let cool on a rack. Serve them plain or with some butter or jam.

 

I’ve been following all the wonderful things being baked by the testers for Norm and Stan and decided I need the excitement of a challenge. Over the years I have had more rye bricks than loaves but lately I use Beatrice Ojakangas’ “Whole Grain Breads” and get good results but I wanted the Sour Rye experience.  We used to have a great German deli that carried some but alas they are gone. I picked “Eric’s Fav Rye”.  Got a quick order of First Clear Flour from KAF, and last Friday evening began converting my starter to rye. First feeding 50/50 white four/medium rye left out over night, a.m. fed all rye and once again late Sat. night. It was very active right off and seemed ready to go Sunday morn so I had at it. Started early so the sponge could sit 8hrs. and I’d have the bake finished sometime around 10/10:30. (Just in time for the annual 4th of July war zone type explosion of our neighborhood)

               

If absence makes the heart grow fonder can not doing a task give your hands the opportunity to learn it on their own? For 6 months I’ve been barely baking except quick sandwich loaves...shape up, drop in the pan. Suddenly I noticed a totally different feel or awareness when shaping this rye, and the same thing with a sourdough bake for Fathers Day. I think I’m finally getting a strength and tightness to the gluten cloak. It just happened and seemed so natural. Oh that elusive assuredness in the tactile core of this bread baking thing. Isn’t it glorious.

Well, the oven preheated an hour and I don’t use the pan water/ice for steam but mist heavily with water and use a deep aluminum roaster as a cloche. It’s rectangular so for this batard shape I just stretched it out a little and smooshed it in so it would sit flat and be elongated. Not elongated enough!! Guess I got that cloak going real good. the shaped batard was just under 12” and the roaster was just over 13”. after the first 12 min. when I went to remove the cover it stuck, really stuck and I ended up pulling off about 2” of each end getting it off. A biter sweet moment indeed. I was amazed and so happy with the oven spring but now I had a rather strange endless loaf of rye. No heels!!! boooo. Didn’t get a pic of the shaped loaf to compare size to the finished bread but the difference was pretty great.

What a great bread this is. Had to zoom out first thing Monday for the corned beef  kraut and deli pickle. Reuben time! Great sour flavor moist crumb at the just right mode, not too light nor dense. I may try the Greenstein Jewish rye that dmsnyder worked up and posted awhile back. It uses the First Clear flour also. (looks like I may need to order more) Has anyone tried the recipe on the bag from KAF? It has sour cream in it. Ooooh ssoouurrr ccrreeaamm!....

Here’s a “bonus” pic of the sourdough I made for Dad this Father’s Day. One of the prettiest I’ve done even if I do say. It’s good to have the gifts turn out that way. No crumb shot, it was for their meals that week.

Bake on!.......
Dosi