sayersbrock's blog

I made a large, dense pagnotta foggiana over the weekend and the entire process went really well. Whole wheat flour for the biga with cornmeal mixed into the bread flour for the dough. Coarse, chewy, and crusty. Typical of Italian bread in general, maybe closely resembling a nice Pugliese loaf. 

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Because I worked all weekend I had to do all proving in the refrigerator and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My scoring improved and my experiments with baking at higher temperatures have paid off. 

I do have a general question though.  We are experiencing unusually hot and humid weather currently in Michigan and I decided to gradually add bread flour during the mix until the dough was perfect, knowing that the absorption would be effected by the weather and following my usual ratios might not have worked. 

So, no matter what method of bread making you use, is there a certain step in the process that you give leeway for due to environmental factors?

Grazie!

Michael Brock 

The incredibly hot and humid weather has not deterred me from a hot oven. And for some reason a stressful week becomes less stressful when I have bakes planned intermittently. 

I had my first go at a Pain Campagrain using bread flour, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, barley flour, flaxmeal, and sunflower seeds. I have not cut into it yet, but it turned out somewhat flat and dense. I baked at 400F for 20 minutes then 375F for an additional 30 minutes. I will probably up the temperature for the first part to get more spring. I am also hoping for some nice chew as I've been experimenting with steaming methods. 

I also baked a tray of Malva Pudding, a South African treat that is reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding but flavored with apricot jam. 

Happy baking!

Michael Brock

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My first blog post is about this wonderfully classic teacake with a rich tradition.  Back when bread dough was prepared at home and then baked in the village baker's oven, bara brith (Welsh translation is mottled or speckled bread) was usually the leftover scraps of dough thrown together and sweetened with dried fruit. 

It did, however, grow into a standardized loaf consumed during teatime, still filled with an abundance of dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries...). 

My version includes raisins, currants, and chopped dates soaked in sweetened Earl grey tea. Enriched with butter, an egg, and orange marmalade, it made for the stickiest dough I've ever worked with. I became a quick convert to the slap and fold technique after failing to knead with other techniques.

Michael Brock