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I would like to make a big shout out to dabrownman for pm'ing his detailed for producing and maintaining a YW starter. I have tried and failed twice and this time I was anal: boiled the glass jar, boiled the Brita filtered tap water and sat in the sun in a glass jar for the day to fully eliminate the chlorine. Next as per dman, 1/2 un-washed organic apple cored and minced and half crushed, ditto 20 organic raisins ditto. I am going to follow the dman's instructions to the tee and post daily photos. Another new fun project.

Thanks again dab, you are DMAN!

Regards, Brian

Yep, thats right!  ....Don Corleone...

I love Don Corleone...Not Micheal so much but I digress...

What does the Godfather have to do with bread?

Sicily...

Pane di oggi e' dalla Sicilia.

Stupendo, Bellissimo, Sfarzoso.....

amo questo il pane.

Che e' giusto, amo, amo, amo il pane dalla Sicilia.

Urgh my Italian is very very RUSTY!!

Another trip is needeD soon!!

the eye (occhi )

Practice, I will.....I promise before I lose any ability what so ever.

So yes, this yumminess is from Sicily.

It is distinct because it uses a lot of durum wheat flour.

I believe the durum wheat gives it a distinct  taste.

The recipe that I have used allows the durum to brew like a biga for a few days..

Tasty!

You need 2-4 days for this bread.

I will often start it on a Wednesday and we will have it for Saturday dinner.

DO NOT BACK OUT NOW!!!

Well worth the wait!

Lovely and fresh...

When people go "oh white bread , is so crap for you etc etc"...

It makes me angry because homemade white bread cooked with no additives or rubbish is fabulous...

Nothing like the taste...

It is only when we stick rubbish in it.

I love grain and rye breads too but there is nothing like a fresh white bread.

Anyhow without any further blithering....

the dough....

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

For the starter...

1 cup of durum wheat flour (semola)

1 cup of bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast

1 cup, maybe more of warm water to make a sticky dough.

For the bread:

All of the starter

2 cups of durum wheat flour  (semola)

1 & 1/2 cups of bread flour.

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dried yeast

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 and 1/2 cups of warm water.

Some sesame seeds....

My sons hate sesame seeds so I had to use poppy seeds which they will TOLERATE...

stretching it...

shape it..

Mix all your dry starter ingredients together.

Add in the warm water, forming a dough and knead the dough for 6 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover, leave for 90 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl and knead a little to knock it back.

Return to the covered bowl and place in the fridge.

The minimum time is one night but I like to leave it for 2 nights...

Flavour develops more...

mafalda

sesame seeded mafalda

plain occhi

Now the bread:)

Take the starter from the fridge and hour or so before you want to use it.

Warm the water, add in the honey and dissolve it and then stir in the yeast.

Let it become frothy..usually 10 minutes, add in the Olive oil.

Add this yeasty mix to the original biga and combine well.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add in the above wet ingredients, forming a dough.

Knead for about 8 minutes, you really need to work this as durum is a hard wheat.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave for 2 hours.

ready!

ready!

double trouble

Remove from the bowl and divide into 2 pieces.

I will usually roll each piece to be 30-35cms long.

I will make the occhi(eye) by rolling in one end to half way and then repeating on the other side.

The Mafalda, you do by giving it a zigzag shape and then pulling the tail up through the middle of the bread.

Place bread on a greased tray that is sprinkled with semolina.

I will then lightly brush with water and sprinkle on the seeds if any.

Cover the trays with plastic bags and tie tightly.

Place in the fridge overnight, at least 12 hours .

slice it real good!

Occhi up close

gorgeous crumb

Remove from fridge and allow to come back to room temperature for about 90-120 minutes.

Preheat the oven after 90 minutes to 245 Celsius.

When bread is ready, place in the oven.

Spray the oven walls to create the moist atmosphere we want to get that great crust.

Close the door and repeat 2 more times in the next 5 minutes.

Turn oven down to 210 celsius and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn the trays around, turn heat down to 200 celsius and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Try to restrain yourself for 45 minutes before slicing the bread.

Slice and ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!!

Gorgeous with Fig jam or chutney & cheese or just alone...

Cold meats, salad....tasty:)

a little butter?

yum...

yummy..

full frontal..

white bread??

the occhi..

Did you love this bread?

Have you tried the Pugliese?

Or the ciabatta?

Maybe the focaccia?

delish!

To make this bread I have over time adapted recipes from 'The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart & "The Italian Baker' by Carol Field.

Grazie to both for their bread wisdom.

http://greedybread.com/on-this-dayi-give-my-only-daughter/

I just posted the Sicilian Lemon Orange Sweet Bread that I made for dessert for my husband's birthday.....the main course was pizza (with salad made from lettuce and vegetables from the farmer's market. This was the healthy part of the meal....it was his birthday, so we were indulgent with pizza and dessert!)  I found a great sourdough pizza dough recipe that makes thin, crisp crust the way we like it (particularly my husband).  This was the first time I made it (I've made other recipes and the crust was too doughy), and this recipe really worked well.  I learned some things along the way, as it always happens, but there is no question I will be making this again. (Link to recipe below)

After rolling out the crust (very thin), bake it at 500 for 7 minutes (you'll see big bubbles), take it out and brush with olive oil to seal it and then put on the ingredients. Return to oven and bake until crust is done (I think it was another 7 minutes). I topped it with tomato sauce and mozzarella (not too much) and pepperoni, gorgonzola, mushrooms and marinated black and green olives. It was a nice meal!  If you like thin, crispy crust and have sourdough starter to spare, this is the recipe for you.

http://www.food.com/recipe/sourdough-pizza-crust-98733

When I was in the UK lfor a wedding around Easter time, I made this Paul Hollywood traditional Sicilian lemon orange sweet bread for my husband's family at Easter.  I didn't do the best job as I never made it before, but it tasted great and everyone liked it.  My husband requested it for his birthday yesterday, so I made it.  It turned out well.

When I made it earlier, it didn't rise very much and was more like cake.  This time, it got huge!  Live and learn.  I've attached a link to the recipe below:

http://harleybeecroft.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/band-of-bakers-paul-hollywoods-sicilian-lemon-and-orange-sweet-bread/

This weekend will see me take the first tentative steps in to the world of Sourdough and naturally leavened breads.  My barm (pictured above) that I fondly refer to as ‘Susie’ is strong and ready to go.  It’s scary but also very exciting to be taking the first steps away from my comfort zone of using fresh yeast – I feel I get better results both is action and taste with fresh -  and the yeasted loaf which in comparison is quite predictable and going in to this new frontier of Sourdough. 

I am really enjoying the rediscovery of my passion for bread baking and feel it is one of the best things I have done this year.  I love the relaxing rhythmic motion of kneading and the excitement of each stage of the bread baking process, will it ferment as expected? Will it hold its shape?  How will the slashes open?  What will the oven spring be like?  All these elements are a joy and if I’m honest an adrenaline rush for me.  I, although not artistic in nature, love the fact that baking gives you the opportunity to create something truly unique and often tasty.  I have been blessed that no matter how my loaves turned out with each formula tweak I have made, I have been fortunate enough to create an ever more flavoursome loaf that both my family and me have really enjoyed sharing.  I refer to my loaves as “yeasty loaves”.  Why I call my loaves “yeasty loaves” is a long story and I will save for a future blog entry.  

I am very much a novice and am nowhere near the level I was at when I baked on a very regular basis 5 years or so ago but I am improving.  Although I am impatient to get back to my previous baking level and go beyond it, I am enjoying the journey, the practice which I use as an excuse to bake and the fact that I no longer have to “suffer” the commercial shop brought loaf.

I am currently baking all my own and my families breads and have experimented with the formula of my ‘Yeasty sandwich loaf’ which is currently the staple in my household and I am really happy with my current formula.  As per Peter Reinhart’s advice I have tried to perfect one bread experimenting with formula form and shape and whilst I do not profess to have found the perfect loaf it is my best result yet and I am happy to move on to my next adventure of Sourdough.  I’m sure I will continue to tweak my sandwich loaf formula and technique as I learn and progress gaining the all-important un-teachable experience.

I have dipped my toes in to flavoured breads with my ‘Celebration Loaf’ and ‘Fiery Chilli Loaf’ but I really want to concentrate on the staple in my household which is the unflavoured loaf where up to now the flavour has been provided by enrichments as in my Yeasty sandwich loaf but I am so excited about creating flavour using my barm and fermentation with Sourdough.

My Barm is a mix of Rye and White flour and I am hoping that this may add a little something to my Sourdoughs.

As you can see I’m a waffler and if you have stuck with me and read up to here, let me give you the good news that this entry is almost over (I hear the sighs of relief). 

I just wanted to say that I had a bit of an epiphany last night.  I realised that I was getting hung up on the whole “is mine as good as yours”, is my slashing technically correct etc etc and was forgetting to enjoy the journey as I did before the age of internet when I was on the bread journey again.  I want to enjoy the whole learning process, my progress as (hopefully) my loaves improve, the feel of the dough in my hands and the smell and taste of the homemade loaf.  That said, with The Fresh Loaf I have the added advantage of a wealth of knowledge I can drawer on from like minded bakers who love bread who I have found are always willing to help out and advise and I can share my enjoyment of learning, baking and most importantly eating my bread with.  So to all the Fresh Loaf Bakers THANK YOU.

Cheerio for now and Happy Baking,

Yeasty Loaf

(I will update my blog with my Sourdough adventure)

Baking log:

³    14/10/2013– standard direct enriched dough white bread my first loaf and ‘Yeasty Loaf’ mark #1 (2 [1lb] Loaves)

³    17/10/2013 – Yeasty ‘Celebration’ Loaf – Cinnamon, Sultanas & Nut Bread.  Based on the BBA Cinnamon, Raisin & Walnut Bread substituting the Raisins for sultanas and the Walnuts for a combo of Cashews, mixed nuts and chopped walnuts.  (2  [1lb] Loaves)

³    18/10/2013 – Yeasty ‘Fiery Chilli’ Loaf – Same dough formula as my standard direct enriched dough white bread with 1oz of dried Jalapenos added.  The Chillies are chopped and added in the final stages of kneading.  Note: Future bakes I will only add ½oz of Chillies to tone down the heat. (2 [1lb] Loaves)

³    19/10/2013 – standard direct enriched dough white bread ‘Yeasty Loaf’ mark #2 (3 [1lb] Loaves)

³    20/10/2013 – Yeasty ‘Sandwich’ Loaf – (MARK #3) – Experimenting with the formula I reduced the enrichments (Buttermilk, egg & butter) in my opinion the result was a lighter springier texture to the crumb whilst maintaining an improved more complex flavour.  (3 [1lb] Loaves)

³    22/10/2013 – Yeasty ‘Sandwich’ Loaf – (MARK #4) – Further experimentation with the formula in addition to the reduced enrichments of Mark #3 I further reduced the sugar and butter.  In my families and my opinion the result was the best tasting sandwich loaf with the lightest crumb and best crust we have ever had.  Therefore, at the moment this is THE Yeasty Sandwich Loaf.  On a separate note this is the first time I used my Lame, oval Bannetons and shaped a Batard (I normally make Cob/Boule shaped loves. (3 [1lb] Loaves)

This is my first bread. I made it following the instructions of the instant Lesaffre yeast plus some stuff I saw in a BBC video with some french cook who loves too much the bread and cheers artisan ones. The portion is small as it's just for me ^_^

• 250 gr 0000 flour.
• 10 gr butter
• 2 tsp of honey.
• 175 ml milk
• 2.5 gr instant yeast, all purpose.

Just mix everything, make sure the milk is not hot otherwise that will kill the yeast, knead for 10 minutes (no knead is no fun!) and let it rest for an hour. After that, gently press a little bit to flush the excess of CO2, massage it a little bit, give some shape and put in the pan. Let it rest for another hour. With a sharp knife make some cuts and throw in the oven at 150 ºC until it's golden brown because of the sugars and you are done!

Decided to play around with the percentage of the red fife flour to get a better sense of its flavour vs normal whole wheat flour. Made an approximately 40% red fife loaf with the other 60% using Robin hood AP flour. Here's the recipe in cups:

1 spoon of starter

1/8 cup water

1/4 cup flour

Combine and ferment overnight. Mine took 10 hours and was all bubbly and ready to go.

Combine the above with:

1.5 cups water

1 cup Red Fife flour

2 cups AP flour

1.5 tsp salt

Adjust water to get a 70% hydration feel.

Bulk ferment 8 hours at 15-20C with 2 S&F in between. Proof 2 hours at 24C. Bake 240C for 45mins with steam in the first 15mins.

Here's the final product out of the oven

and crumb shot

Quite satisfied with the final product with a relatively open crumb, slightly chewy but soft. The Red Fife is relatively mild at least to the normal whole wheat that I have baked with. But other than that, I do not really notice any special flavours of sort. I must add that the AP flour has been performing really well, definitely strong enough for bread making but not too strong that it becomes too tough or chewy. The bread has a nice wheat taste with a sweetness from the long fermentation and a creamy mouth feel. A very decent all purpose bread to pair with anything.

Still adapting to the oven. I found out that when it is on the "bake" setting only the bottom element is activated and the top is activated when it is on the "grill" setting so I am switching between the two to achieve the level of baking I desire. 

-Tim

Well after 2 disastrous bakes in a row, it was nice to get a good result. I have borrowed tips and techniques from Ken Forkish, Chad Robertson and Peter Reinhart. I prefer a sweet rather than sour loaf so use the levain when is quite your, like CR.

I autolysed for 30 minutes usiong 100F water, then added the levain, mixed, added salt and yeast and rested for 20. After a lengthy bulk on the counter and overnight in the fridge, I shaped and proofed in a wire mesh collander lined with  2 layers of rice floured linen  for 45 minutes and baked this @ 75% hydration in a hot cast DO for @ 500F for 12 minutes, then uncovered for another 10, turning. I am getting better at both pre-shaping and shaping and I proofed this seam side down, so it would bake seam side up ala KF. I was worried the seams wouldn't open so I scored a single crescent shaped slash. It also looks like the seams did burst as well.

I like the boule format for sandwiches and although this is only 300 grams of flour, a small loaf I am going to need a longer bread knife!

Final formula:

300 g bread flour, total

225 g water, total

Levain @ 100% 50 g

Coarse sea salt 7 g

instant yeast scant 1/4 tsp

So fresh baked bread, home smoked pastrami, smoked tomato and corn salsa and smoked carrot and squash soup. Rats, out of creme fraiche . . . but still mighty fine eating!

Happy baking folks! Brian

What could be more simple, or more difficult than a baguette?   It's safe to say that in the few months since I decided it was time to learn to make baguettes, I have tried around 20 different approaches.   Many of these failed, and many were pretty good.   Many followed along with strategies outlined by TFLers.    And yet a tweak here, a chainsaw there, and pretty soon I was off on my own.  

So many decisions when it comes to the humble baguette:

1. Hydration - Is it really ciabatta when you head north of 72% or is that the place to be?

2. Flour -  If you add whole grains is it still a baguette?

3. Commercial yeast and/or starter?

4. Bulk and/or shaped retard?

5. Are you allowed to use baguette trays?

Ok probably more but that's it for now. 

So here are my answers, and I have to say this is what I've arrived at, and certainly not where I started:

1.  I don't care if it "should" be lower.   The best tasting baguettes I can make are 77% hydration.   Lower the hydration and the baguettes look nicer, but the taste isn't quite as wonderful.

2.  I love whole grains, but none shall sully my baguettes.

3.  I can't believe this is the answer but commercial yeast is the way to go.

4.  Bulk retard for both flavor and schedule.   Shaped retard?   No, at least not with my approach.

5.  Hooray for baguette trays - a pox on flipping shaped baguettes around.  

Just to be clear, I worked very hard to create an approach that gave me a very short preparation time in the morning without shaping the baguettes the night before.    This was entirely a function of wanting to sleep until 5 am on farmer's market days and still arrive by 7:30 with fresh baguettes.   Also I wanted a baguette that I could make with minimal fussing, as they would be made at the same time as many other breads, so my fussing time was limited.

So to make one 16 inch (short) 300 gram baguette:

Bread flour (KAAP)  167g

Water 129g

Salt 3g

Active dry yeast .5g

Pour water into bowl and sprinkle yeast on top and wet thoroughly.   Add flour and salt.   Mix all in mixer to incorporate and then for 2 minutes more to develop.  This time is for Verona Assistent speed 1 which does a lot in a short time.  Development is moderate.   Use spatula to consolidate dough in center of bowl.   Cover and refrigerate immediately (around 33deg F) for 17 hours.   Remove, cut and preshape into logs very very gently.   Rest around 5 minutes.   Shape as gently as humanly possible.   Do not seal bottom seam with your finger - just use the pressure of the rolling out and the stickiness of the dough to close things up.   Flour bottom liberally and place in baguette tray.   Proof 40 minutes.   Score and bake at 480 with steam = pour around a cup of water into a perforated pizza pan on floor of preheated oven (preheated for 40 minutes) at beginning and then another round at 8 minutes.   Total bake is around 30 minutes.

Scoring these things is brutal - sort of like scoring jello.   At that point in the process the shaped dough is just kind of lying there flat and dead.   It's almost impossible to believe that the scores are having any effect whatsoever.   And then magically (as Larry has described) they start to puff up.  Every now and then I even get some bloom.

These are a tender little treat.

Is this my last word on the subject?   I doubt it.

Inspired and reminded by breadsong,  I put together a sesame semolina batard.   I had forgotten that you can make breads with durum without going up to 50+% durum flour, and I had forgotten what a great combo sesame and durum make.  

This is 20% durum flour, 80% bread flour, 67% hydration, 20% prefermented flour from 67% white starter.   Now all I have to do is learn how to braid it. 

Finally,  a friend of mine who is excited about my bread hosted a bread tasting for me at her home.   I baked six different breads for it, a lot of people came, and it went very well.   We put together a bread centerpiece that had all the breads in it but the Borodinsky, which surprised me by being the hit of the evening.

I adjusted the wheat to 125g and the AP 675g to have more wheat And to make up for not having rye flour. They proofed for 5 hours on the counter and in the fridge for 9 hours.  I got a nice rise.  I was afraud I had over proofed my dough.  I will never throw out dough just in case it surprises me, and it usually does.

Warm regards,

Casey