yozzause's blog

I was very fortunate to be given a quantity of fresh figs that i wanted to use in baking, unfortunately my first attempt proved to be a failure.Yes i still have them occasionally too.

i hydrated my flour in the morning but didnt get the figs til the afternoon and i think the prolonged period may have degrade the gluten because the dough became very sticky not wet sticky but glue like, in fact it stuck to every thing i did manage to bake it off by treating it like a foccaccia but it even managed to stick to the tray too. It smelled devine and tasted ok but that's all it had going for it. Suprisingly it seemed to have a hint of coconut about it.  

 Here is my second attempt but this time rather than incorporate the fig into the dough i've used the fig pulp  in a swirl i also hydrated equal flour to the water content for just 30 minutes. Overall quite pleased with the result and did justice to those lovely white figs

the fig pulp spread over the fruit dough

divided and on the baking sheet

proved and ready for the oven

out the oven and cooling

a close up look

Yesterday  i spent at home under our 5 day corona  lockdown, We had a run of 10 months with no community transfer. But a security guard has caught the virus from returning travellers in supervised Hotel quarantine and been out and about in the community . this triggered  a lockdown and vigorous contact tracing and testing and so far no other cases have emerged fingers crossed. The other Emergency is a large bushfire to the North of the city and already 71 homes have been lost in high temperatures and strong winds.

I did my interpretation of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning, Stayed Home and baked bread.

i chose to make an Orange Poppy Seed Fruit loaf  using freshly squeezed oranges (2) and their zest 

This is the first time i have scored fruit doughs so did a variety of patterns. i originally intended  making a 800g dough but when i had squeezed the orange juice i had to recalculate the recipe to use it all. and ended up with 1773g dough instead and 4 loaves at 443g.

With the fire still raging and lockdown entering its 3rd day i am looking at making another fruit dough this time using Fresh Figs and Fennel seed. I am hoping the fire fighters  and the people in its path stay safe.   

I said i would do a second rendition CB following the Caputo Integrale /. Granoro Semola Rimacinata. (100% Italian Flours).Everything was done almost exactly the same except the use of 50% Wallaby Bakers Flour and the use of Toasted Black Sesame seeds, I was going to reduce the fresh yeast as discussed with Benny  but in the end used 2% again. a better eye was kept on this dough and i elected to use the Sassafras clay baker this time around. The dough was actually final  proofed in the Sassafras but i did line it with baking paper.I also shaped slightly differently as it is my intention to gift half to my cousin who has just come home from hospital following a knee replacement. Cut shot will have to follow later still to warm at time of writing!

Both this and the previous Integrale version were hand mixed on the bench!

I decided to have a go at the CB  so yesterday went to the supermarket and purchase a 1 kg bag of  Granoro Semola Rimancinata from Italy i paired it with the Caputo Integrale that i had on hand  it was to be a 50/50  contribution .

I formulated a recipe that would give me a 750g dough it was my intention to use the Sassafras clay baker for my offering. 

This morning i was up early and wanted to use all the water that i had calculated at 65% to hydrate and Autolyse and equal amount of flour which accounted for all the Integrale plus some of the Semola. 1 hour was allowed before and the remaining flour the malt and yeast were then added and stirred through, i was thinking that this was going to be a challenge as i had quite a porridge form , i referred back to my notes and realised i had just added an equal amount of Semola as was added to the Autolyse 65.5g  rather than the 151g that was required, this correction made both the dough and me a lot happier. After the dough formed nicely i allowed a short rest period before adding the salt and olive oil to the mix. it incorporated well  the toasted and cooled Sesame seeds were then rolled into the dough and the finished dough was placed in a bowl to bulk ferment   

i was suprised by the speed of this dough  because in 80 minutes it had reached its full proof

 the dough was knocked back  handed up and give 10 minutes recovery time before being shaped 

 the dough piece was placed on the table linen couche up side down for its final proof.

 i should have kept a keener eye on this dough as it had shown it was not a slouch and suprised me somewhat when i unwrapped the couche to find that it was going to be like getting the ugly sisters foot into Cindarella's glass slipper.

i settled for a flat sheet instead and the dough piece just fitted diagonally. It stood up to the transfer from couche to tray quite well so my dilemma of whether to score or not was resolved with affirmative action. 

I then had to hurry around and prepare a steam tray and get this into the oven, it wasnt quite up to temperature which isnt usually a problem when working with the Sassafras as it shields the dough piece from the force of the high gas flame at that stage.  the steam tray was withdrawn after 15 minutes and the temperature lowered accordingly. The loaf did take on some colour but i am a fan of the bolder bake

and now as its cooling im getting some cracks

 just some slicing to do 

Just some slicing to do and the dough formula 

and the temperature in Perth was 40 degrees  and i made bread for Christmas day at our daughter's home. I have been wanting to bake a curry bread, the inspiration was from Shiao Ping (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/13018/curry-rustic-bread) and a bit like going back to visit Erics posts, was inspired to have a shot.

  A few major differences was that i used Caputo Integrale and an unexpected early Christmas present to myself  some Wallaby Bread Flour  flour from Lauke which was on special when i was at the supermarket this morning. Another departure was that i didnt have Cashew nuts so used all mixed nuts,

I also figured while i was having the oven on i might also make some baguette / sticks  for those that might not like the Curry loaf  This 2nd dough also featured Caputo Integrale and Wallaby  flours i also used fresh compressed yeast.  The curry loaf was plaited and final proofed in a banneton, and could have possibly gone into the oven a bit earlier than it did with that one.

The sticks were retarded  after shaping so that the would slow and go in the oven after the Curry loaf came out. 

My Community Bake and tribute and acknowlegement to Eric Hanner . i made my first post  on June 10 2009 and received nice replys from Sylvia H,.dmsnyder. marni, ehanner, ques2008 and fellow Aussie  Shiao Ping who told me she had just joined TFL recently herself. Eric was always replying to posts and gave great encouragement not only to me but to most posts and made everyone feel very welcome.

So my Rye that i'm submitting is a little unusual and if anyone has followed my last few bakes i have been using Caputo Integrale flour from Italy, i have also used my home brew stout in a recent bake too. Anyway i have managed to marry them all up. The Italian w/m flour the New Zealand  Miners Stout and Dark Rye Flour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I liked the post from  AG and thought that 35% Rye was about right, i also thought that 65% liquid in the form of my Home Brew Stout was about right to and it mirrored recent bakes that i had done. so all the Rye and i added some of the Caputo flour to equal the liquid content so 30% and i added 0.5% dried yeast to the sponge/soak this was set aside  for 2 hours. The remaining Caputo flour 35% the salt 2%, malt 2% and olive oil 2% were then mixed in by hand  and slap and folded on the bench this was done in 2 spells over 25 minutes and 0.5% Carraway seeds were also mixed in that second spell. the dough was then bulk fermented for 3 hours . i also soaked 0.5% fennel seeds in preparation for the topping.  Final proof was  just under 2 hours in a banneton it was tipped out onto baking paper the dough piece was washed with a boiled cornflour paste and the soaked fennel seeds applied, The dough piece was scored and then lifted into a cold clay baker which was put into a rising oven that was cranked up to 250C  the lid stayed on for 20 minutes and the temperature was dialed back to 210 and the lid removed  it was baked for 40 minutes. The aroma is intoxicating . i believe that Caputo flours are quite aromatic anyway but with the dark rye and the dark stout would you really expect anything else. I will wait until tomorrow before cutting into this one.

     This is the dough near full proof after 3 hours      

this is the dough knocked back and degassed

Out of the oven and cooling

Kind regards Derek  and thank you Eric!

On the spur of the moment decided to have another run with the Caputo Integrale this time  using Potato, Rosemary and Thyme. I soaked the Caputo again 65% but this time just plain water 65% and again 0.5 yeast for 2 hours .Then mixed the remaining White plain flour 35%, salt 2%, malt 2%, potato 10%, butter 2%. rosemay and thyme  3:1 ratio 0.5%. mixed on the bench and bulk proved for 2 hours. divided handed up and bench rested  then shaped and into bannetons that were dusted with dark rye flour within half an hour,  placed in plastic bags and final proofed, 1 in the fridge  and the other on the bench for 1 hour and 15 minutes. the first loaf baked on a pizza tray with a steaming towel in a tray on the bottom of the oven and the second  was baked in a cold Schlemmertopf straight after.  

the one below is the 2nd loaf baked in the Schlemmertoph

I have just completed my second bake using Caputo Integrale  and my home brew stout. I made a few minor changes this time around, previously i made it a 50% wholemeal this time i opted to use equal wholemeal to the liquid in a soak  so it was 65% Caputo Integrale and 65% Stout i also added 0.5% dried yeast to the soak too and gave it 2 hours.

Previously i did the soak for 1 hour with no yeast and 50% w/m and 15% white flour. all the other ingredients were the same salt 2% malt 2%  and oilive oil 2% the previous bake had 2% yeast added after the soak. The doughs were both mixed by hand on the bench this dough was  a 3 hour bulk ferment  and the first loaf was 1 hour 15 mins final proof whilst its mate went into the fridge so that it could follow into the oven. 

This was a very nice bread full of flavour and great aroma  i had wanted to try the Caputo Integrale for a while  and am very pleased with the result mind you the home brew stout  shared equal place in the  success.

Having a family gathering on the occasion of my sister in laws birthday, so i made the bread for the lunch, i decided on two loaves and would require 1500g of dough. I had some Sweet Potato that i had unearthed from my garden and thought that would be a good  inclusion, i also added a small carrot to make up the required weight which was to be 15%. The veg required cooking off and i thought i might just as well add the olive oil @ 2% to it and fry it off in a sauce pan with the lid on, once this was cooked i mashed it and added to the dough . 

The flour required was 785g and i elected to use 285g of wholemeal flour  and 500g of white. i added all the water to the wholemeal first and stirred it in. Water was first calculated @70% but i actually had to add more later so would recommend 75%  allowed this to soak for about 30 minutes while i weighed up other ingredients and cooked off the Sweet Potato. I added all the other ingredients salt @ 2%,  dried yeast @ 2%, and the white flour and formed the dough and then added the Sweet Potato and oil mash which was still quite warm, more water was added as previously stated,  mixed it by hand on the bench and formed a nice smooth dough.

This was then set aside for 2 hour BF.   The dough was taken and divided into two pieces following a 15 minute bench rest both  were shaped an placed into Bannetons for final proof  i used the longer banneton for a loaf that was destined to go into the Sassafras baker.                After an hour one was turned out onto a tray and scored and went straight into the oven with a steaming  tray and boiling water and towel. The other was turned out and scored and the placed into the sassafras and placed in the fridge as there was not going to be enough oven space to bake both at the same time. This worked well although i did get a bit of crust stick to the bottom of the clay baker, the first time this has occurred i might add. 

Happy with the bake and this morning we are blessed with a beautiful day  bright sunshine and a forecast 22 degrees here in Perth perfect for a birthday celebration!

kind regards Derek

Following on from the good result that i had with the 50% W/M Raw Red Onion and Poppy Seed loaf  that i really enjoyed i had another go this time it was 50% W/M  Raw Red Onion with Black Sesame Seed S/D Baguettes Oh and i used full cream milk as well and again very very tasty indeed. Dough started at 8 this morning and  all don and dusted  at 8 in the evening.