For some reason my starter takes way too long for the second rise and I underestimate the time it takes to get a 'solid bread'. Solid I got this time.. brick (on the left). Don't know why I did not see that coming, didn't see the signs. I thought/hoped the oven would do wonders. From last time I learned to always make different kinds of bread, it increases my changes on a good result. See the improved starfish bread! (and the originator of the idea)

The rest of the breads are universal rustics, with walnuts. Only the starter stayed one night in fridge, then baked it at the end of the next day. In the first bread, I tried the get an A. The W is not just my name (Willem), I tried to get the Wordpress logo into a breadform (semi succesfull). Taste was great, six breads were gone in 2 hours after baking (party at our house..some 15 'kids'/young adults). For that I thought it wise not to experiment with new things.

Wish I had more time for baking and TFL...Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

I am only slowly progressing with Reinhart's Crust and Crumb, 'master formulas for serious breadbaking'. The universal rustic bread is now 'under control', I did add a bit more salt then the recipe mentions. After a first test, I did score the dough a bit (just a slice down the middle), it just does look better this way. The biga does notably contribute to the taste.

Next is the sweet rustic bread, it uses a spoolish style sponge, a bit more work. I found it a bit more difficult to control the result.

Here (above) I rolled the dough and cut it in slices, which stayed in the fridge overnight. It waited two hours in the morning, before I put them in the oven. Sweat!

San Francisco Sourdough is really becoming my favourite. I altered a recipe from Bread Alone (which you can find in Carl Griffith's Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter Brochure). A few pictures :

I have never seen this pattern before, so I named it zeesterbrood (starfishbread). From now on, it is pattented!

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

as promised a picture of the proofing baskets 'in progres'. I fill them up for about two thirds, then let it rise (in about two hours) before I put them in the oven.

Scoring about 30 minutes before they go in the oven. you can see that the direction of the cut has quite an influence on the final shape.

These JW breads are more "W" breads, came out nicely.

and these I just named 'pain michelle', after the person that got me the bannotons. I just tried a different way of scoring and like the result.

No complaints here. One of my best bakes so far, really made my (satur)day.  

BTW: I have two starters in the fridge, 'out of the air', I build them up in 3x times 8 hours, then build a biga overnight, then finish in the morning, mix, rest for 2.5 hours, a couple of stretch and folds, final rise. I split up the dough in three parts, added flax, sunflower and some sourdough extra taste I once bought in a store (it is finished now, not too bad, but you really don't need it). I did notice less holes in the middle of the bread, but not a realy issue. Half an hour of extra wait should do it for next time.

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

as mentioned, I got a basket from the sfbs. It took a few weeks before I could try it out, TFL is a good resource for tips. The first attempt is actually a slow bread, it looked promising. The pattern is not that good. The other breads are all SF sourdough.

Here (below) I tried scoring the bread, but I guess it was not deep enough (or too late in the rise).

Here the scoring has improved, slowly getting there. I should have noted the rising times... too much flower as well.

Getting closer where I want to be. The wooden shoe (size US12/EU46) is there to get an impression of the size of the breads. I am happy with the crumb! I will go back to new recipes, when I 'perfected' this form.

Expectations about the taste have even been higher, when my 'customers' (friends and family) see the new form. I can definitely recommend getting a basket like this (and I will get the oval shape at a later point in time).

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

I've been far and away, hence a lot less active on TFL. That will change again soon. I received 'Crust and Crumb' in the mail (wanted to buy it in a store in the US, no such book available). This is a serious book, I really enjoy reading the first chapters. It is the mise-en-place before the actual work start in the rest of the book.

I updated my breadcollage, which I use to ask people to 'read' before they can pick a bread for me to bake.

In case you like to know: the questions I ask:

Which bread is the most 'work'?
Which bread is the easiest to make?
What is the relation between shape (looks) and taste (content, inside)?
Which bread is slowrising, which is multicomponent?
Which type I got right first time around, and which one am I still struggling with?

A few of the questions I get (apart from the 'you got to be kidding you can do this'..)

- what do you do after you knead to bread? (what do you mean with knead?)
- how much does a bread baking machine cost? (I don't know, don't have one).
- is this way too much work? (if time is your only perspective, buy bread in a store)
- what about the costs? (this is actually cheaper then buying quality bread, but don't count the labor costs...)
- why would you do this? (as mentioned before: taste, healthy food, sharable, care for my family, learning experience, 'chemistry')

Happy baking, 'I'll be back' with Pain de Michelle.

Cheers,

Jw

here is an update on some of my recent baking. I started to experiment with a few new shapes.

I don't know what to call it, tubeshape?

On this picture are just a couple of fastbreads, put in the fridge late in the evening, baked early in the morning. Brought them over to a friend for lunch. Made a BIG impression, a lot more then the effort I put in.

Do you know this kind of bread? it is called frysian rye bread. This is from a store, I'll try making it someday. It tastes real good.

Next is a zopf, but also in a different form. Just looks nicer, not easier to cut.

A couply of these will be gone in no time, great with home grown marmalade.

Since my yeast is 'back online', I am making the standard overnight bread again. Biga late at night, started finishing it early in the morning.

This is my bread in ten (hours). Starting a biga as late as possible, then finishing it early in the morning after the sun's salutation, in a couple of hours. I let it rest for 2.5 hours and then do a 2x 30 minutes wake-up before final shaping. Sometimes the scoring looks much better then on this picture, no effect on the taste.

I am actually in San Diego this week, hoping my order from sfbi has arrived... 

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

upon multiple requests, here is a picture overview of my lazy bread (slowrising). It takes 20 minutes 'work', excluding oven and wait time, incl cleaning up. I don't remember where I once started out, I guess it was BBA.

Ingredients: 500 grams water (half a liter), 5 grams instant yeast, 440 grams white flour, 220 grams five grain flour (or rye), 2 tsp salt, 50 grams of seeds.

Stir the luke warm water and put in the yeast and let is rest for 5 minutes (while you mix the flour)

Add the salt to the flour, mix it to the water with the yeast. Mix it for about 1 minute. Left it up a bit and add some oil (this is walnut oil).

Cover it up with plastic seal, let it rest for 30 minutes before you put it in the refridgerator.

After 8-16 hours (usually just overnight, a few days should still be ok) take it out of the fridge. I use the tool to remove the dough from the side of the bowl and then turn the bowl completely over. 

Put some flour on the surface, do not knead (...). Shape it roughly, try to build some tension in the surface .

After 45 minutes, the dough will have spread a bit more. Turn on the oven (preheat at 250 celsius) and score if you will. I add a bit of water to the surface to the bread, add some rye flour and seeds. Moisterize which ever way you like best.

Here we go. 15 minutes at 230 celsius (450F) , 15 minutes at 200 (390F), then minutes with 'temp off'.  Then take the bread out so it can cool off.

And here is the crumb. Just today I saw an add selling these breads for 4 euro (5.5 USD), all my ingredients costs me 70 eurocents (1 dollar), excl the energy for the oven (plus I know what I eat, plus the taste is great, plus it's a great smell in the house, plus it only takes 20 minutes, plus I can take care of my own family, it is great to share bread with friends and family).

The disadvantage: there is no zen of breadbaking in this type anymore (for me).

Happy baking! 

Cheers,
Jw.

I have been making a lot a lazy bread lately. Takes me 20 minutes (incl. cleaning up, excl. baking time) for two breads. I always add seeds, makes the taste much better.

For flour I use 2/3 white, 1/3 rye or 1/3 five grain flour. I have tested the different percentages, mostly I go with 1/3 en 2/3.

The round bread: I was trying to make a bread for a bigger party. This would make cutting a bit easier (and it did).

The eary bread is pain de provence (I believe). I used wild yeast instead of instant for these.

I like this close-up!

The piggy bread is full rye. Very heady and solid, didn't rise very much. Great taste with a brettlejause! (just a table with good food, bread, sausages, cheese etc),

I'll have some more exiting pictures next time, finally got a new camera.

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

I took a break while on a businesstrip to Berne, Switzerland, and found a breadmarket! I was sort of a promotion, all different booths. It was a promotion activity of http://www.swissbaker.ch. Looks like the Swiss bakers community. Just a few impressions:

Roses decoration, looks nice! Pictures quality is from my phone...

Lots of figures. I guess you can eat this as well, but kind of hard to take along to work...

Steinhauer brot, Macenbread? looks from a realy fire based oven.

Cow bread?

I took a few more pictures. Will post them on request. What a shame I could not take anything along home...and what a great break from work.

Cheers,
Jw.

A few weeks ago I asked around at TFL if I could freeze my starter. Thanks for the all the tips: I turned half of the starter into ice cubes, left the other half in the fridge. The result: the icecubed starter needed some awakening (feeding for 2-3 days). It has a stronger taste then the starter I put in the fridge. Both as still very useable.

A first result with the icecubed yeast: spelt-honey-SF style (and extra honey on top). It all looks a bit pale, but that is not yeast related. Great sauer taste, a bit stronger that the mother-starter (which just needs more time to get tastier, eg. overnight).

A first result with the started I saved in the fridge, with 'line seed'? Flax?. Saved in a typical breadbox.

On this SF style bread you don't need any butter, just this 'stroop' (like solid apple syrup).

We have been away on a holiday to Sweden. No need to bake bread there... Look up baker Flink when you make it to Enkoping. Great bread.

Greatest surprise when we got to our cottage: it had a real wooden oven in the garden.
No time for that during the holiday. If you ever need a baking vacation!

That's what I would call happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.