Yippee's blog

Under the ‘pressure’ from Akiko – “…tell me how it turns out, even if you are NOT SUCCESSFUL. Please tell me the truth…,” I handled this bake with intense focus as if I were sitting for an important academic examination. I even violated the baking curfew I had vowed to administer. But I can tell you now, I’ve had no regrets doing so, even though the after-effects of sleep deprivation made me walk around like a zombie the following two days.

I first experienced the magic of wild fruit yeasts when developing my three sourdough starters two years ago.All three of them were built from wild yeasts in raisins. Today, my second jar of wild fruit yeasts are brought to life.Through the glass, I can feel the energy of these invisible microorganisms, see cycles of new lives, and almost picture my new breads!My heart is filled with joy.I’m looking forward to the many fun and exciting experiments to come!

Here are some pictures of my wild fruit yeasts:

I haven't really been taking full advantage of Mr. Hamelman's book. The 90% rye made at the beginning of this year was the one and only formula from his book I've attempted.  For the most part of the year, I've been taking my time to upgrade my equipment, getting to know their properties, and playing with a simple formula.  Now it seems that I've gotten a hang of the very basic aspects of bread baking, I'm ready for more 'adventures'.

I’ve been having lots of fun with my new tools.  They have brought additional peace of mind to the bread making process and have put an end to my frustration about oven temperatures. More importantly, they’ve delivered good results. Loaves in this bake all turned out crackly with a color that was neither too dark nor too light, and was just right to my liking. They were light in feel and the superb oven spring made them puff like a cute blowfish. 

As an old Chinese saying goes, 'If a craftman wishes to do a fine job, he must first sharpen his tools' (工欲善其事，必先利其器）,  proper gear and setup, in addition to the right techniques, are essential in making good breads.

Many years ago, I used to go with you and other friends on Sunday mornings to the Hot Bagels and Bialys on Main Street, often before it was open for business.  We were just there waiting, hoping to be the first to grab one of those freshly baked bagels, as if they were going to run out any time soon.  That's when my love for those crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside 'rings' started to grow.  My favorite was cinnamon raisin.

This was another white bread with a small amount of whole rye flour.  I’ve started to enjoy the simple shaping of a boule.  Actually, as they say in the commercial, ‘I’m lovin it.’ It does not require much intense planning or attention to details.   Processing of this type of bread is quite soothing, especially at the end of a long day, to an exhausting body and mind.   My original plan was to make baguettes but it was running late so I switched to a boule instead.