cristina.w's blog

Back on the site after a long hiatus, though I've been baking away! Thought I'd post some photos of my version of Hanseata's butter croissants recipe! Her formula is so descriptive, and the timing breakdown was wonderful to plan out my attempt. 

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As a student, baking has become a wonderful way to work and create in a different way as well as relieve stress! These past few months have been full of final papers and exams, but with some nice baking breaks. I thought I would post the photos from a few loaves lately!

Two of the sourdough miches I bake most often!

Almost forgot a crumb photo before I slathered it in cheese...

This loaf was made with leftover cooked pot barley, which added a wonderful flavour but a BIG crunch in the crust. 

I have also been inspired by TFL users like WoodenSpoon, adding wine-soaked fig and toasted walnuts to a bake. Thank you for your inspiration! 

Cristina 

I had intended to try baguettes again a few weekends ago, but some cookbook photos of a pain d’épi changed my mind. So much crust on these!

I made a basic baguette following this formula:

-       500 g levain

-       750 g AP flour

-       10 g salt

-       0.5 teaspoon instant yeast

-       430 g water

The dough got a 30 minute autolyse, about 30 stretch-and-folds, a bit of a rest, and a few more S+F and repeat. To experiment a bit with flavour and fermentation time, I put 2/3 of the dough in the fridge overnight, and made one épi after a few hours. 

This first one was 560 g of dough, and I discovered was too thick to cut and shape into a nice looking épi. The ears started out alright, but the top of the stalk looks a bit more like a zig-zag than wheat. Despite its less-than-perfect looks, we were still able to stomach it…

After about 14 hours in the fridge, and 1.5 hours coming to room temperature, I weighed and divided the remaining dough. Instead of 2 loaves as planned, I divided it into 3. These were 375 g or so each, and I shaped them thinly enough to cut and shape nicely this time. They baked at 480 F for about 20 minutes.

The flavour was great after the overnight fermentation, and I found they looked nicest with a good sprinkling of flour before being sliced up! They also got a decorative double point, which I saw here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5QL_kaowQ

It was so much fun to make (and eat) these, and they were just great for sharing at a dinner party! 

Hello! This is my first post on TFL, after a year of following along as I've begun bread baking. I'm looking forward to participating occasionally and enjoying this wonderful community! 

I started a liquid levain on January 1st, and named him Munchkin. He's contributed to a number of sourdough loaf experiments with darker flours. Both loafs pictured were from a "pain de campagne" recipe I adapted and had great flavour!  

I thought this time to try a lighter loaf, and tried dmsnyder's "San Joaquin Sourdough" formula. As a relative newbie to sourdough, I didn't think my first attempt would be so delicious. I was so impressed with the wonderful crumb, and though I wished for a nicer ear and shape, the crust blew me away as well!

I'm already so grateful for the wisdom on this site, and thanks to David for the recipe! 

Cristina