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I really have to pony up and get some honest to goodness first clear flour, I keep trying other substitutes, but not the real thing. Of course, I seem to recall reading that it was originally used in deli rye because of cost, and now it looks like I'd have to special order it for a higher cost per pound then good old AP. Go figure. Anyhow, this attempt is around 25% pumpernickel rye and the rest Great River Milling "Unbleached Wheat Flour" which has 80% of the bran removed but otherwise is more or less whole wheat flour. Which means I probably could have gone higher with the hydration- I'm happy with the crumb, but kneading the dough felt quite stiff. But then again, whole wheat and rye both still have a way of throwing me for a loop in that regard. I kept waiting for the rise and end up giving it 6 hours before I had to put it in the oven so it I wouldn't be up past my bedtime. I love fennel seeds in rye and this time decided to throw in a couple of other seeds I had on hand.

3 Seed 25% Rye

211g Water

45g stiff levain

82g pumpernickel rye

225g GR Wheat Flour

6g salt

2 tsp each fennel, chia, and black sesame seeds

Mixed everything together and kneaded for a few minutes initially and then some kneading every so often for the first couple of hours. Shaped after three hours proofing at 82 F and let rise at 86 F for another 3 before baking in a Dutch oven preheated to 500 F and baked at 425 F.

Some time ago I posted on a chocolate borodinsky.  This was scaled to a mammoth 1.4 Kg to fill my 4x4x9 Pullman pan.  That's a lot of Borodinsky particularly since certain people in my domicile eschew high ryes.   (And eschew doesn't mean chew.)   So what do you do if you want a  bit of Borodinsky, or you are baking for other folks who love carbs, but not that many of them.   One cannot piece Borodinsky loaves as you could say a pain de mie.  Paste doesn't piece.   A dilemma.  

The answer?

Cut a piece of parchment paper to width of pan.   Fold in half and fold loose ends to form an upside down T.  Hold vertical in pan at right division point, and then spoon in desired weight of each loaf on either side of parchment.   When pan is full, smooth down each side with wet spatula.   Proof and bake.   As you can see above, this worked.   The division wasn't quite as straight up and down as I had hoped, probably because I didn't get the exact right spot to divide the loaf.    I baked this for 50 minutes, then removed from pan.   The divisions simply fell apart from each other.   No pulling required.   I baked outside of pan for around 10 minutes longer.  

Since this loaf was experimental, I decided to cut the small one right after cooling to see if there was any reason to wait 24 hours or so as I usually do.   (Electric light plus flash.)

The crumb was actually fine - not gummy as I expected.   And the taste was good as well.   I didn't do the scald until the morning for these loaves, but I think its better done night before.

The small loaves are kind of cute.

And I think more satisfying to have a whole small loaf than a cut big one.  

Update:   Here is second loaf crumb- cut after 22 hours (outdoor light)

Formula and method

scaled to one 450g (dough weight) and one 700g loaf. 

sprouting has been a routine now, since i don't have a flour miller. this is a good thing. been eating rye sprouts as rice with seared salmon and mushrooms even in my 5 eggs pecorino omelette. blend it in my protein drinks!! 

this is another way i used up the rye sprouts. baking SD bread.

a very simple formula.. 

300g starter

700g water (hold back 50g)

850g AP flour

200g sprouted rye flour (wet)

15g salt

add in

50g toasted flaxseed soaked in 50g water

basic SD bread method used. retarded overnight.

the number 10 ! 

made one with raisin and one without

this time i baked only till golden brown not dark brown.

crumb shot with raisin

enjoy... simple but satisfying :)

evon

Last night, I baked the sourdough seed bread. The recipe comes from "Bread: A baker's book of techniques and recipes". This bread contains a lot of seeds, including flaxseed, toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted sunflower seeds. Seeds match the sourdough bread quite well. The complex aroma is attractive. 

Here's the recipe. It's quite easy to make.

1.liquid levain build

2.Make the flaxseed soaker with cold water. Bake the sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

3.mixing all the ingredients with KA mixer on second speed for 3~4minutes. Do two stretch and fold during the bulk fermentation, every 40 minutes interval. Bulk fermentation: 2.5hrs, 24~25C.

3. Preshape, then final shaping into boule. Final proof at room temperature, about 24~25C. The dough can also be retarded for 18 hrs at hours.

4.Baking: Preheat to 270C, with normal steam, for the first 15 minutes. Then reduce to 230C for 25~30 minutes.

Cumb shot:

I had a really busy weekend last week. Except for baking bread, I cooked some delicious food. I would like to share with you guys. 

Home made dumplings:

Crawfish cooked with beer: 

modified a no knead recipe by Jeff & Zoe. 

I added some whole wheat sourdough starter, reduced water content then threw in a cup of feta cheese and some hot Italian peppers. Baked on a pizza stone! 

     The summer will be here before you know it, although with the rainy and cold sub 50 degree weather we had the last couple of days it's hard to believe.  It is nice though to see some of our flowers start to bloom with many more ready to be planted today and tomorrow into the garden soil weather permitting.

I've been so busy at work the last few weeks it has been difficult to have time to think about baking anything creative.  I've had this bottle of Crema de Tequila sitting on my desk just asking to be used in a bread.  I received this as a gift from one of my vendors after I noticed a poster he had printed with several different tequila on it with this being one of them.  It tastes similar to an Irish Crème but slightly different due to the tequila versus whiskey.

I thought what else goes well with tequila but limes so I added some Persian Lime Olive Oil that I recently picked up from a specialty store which carries a whole assortment of olive oils and vinegar.  My wife and I just visited yesterday and bought some maple balsamic, blue berry balsamic, and several infused olive oils.  Certainly some of these will be incorporated in future bakes.

I learned from the past that when using a liquor it is best to keep it at 50% or less for the liquid element or it will affect the rising power of the levain and you end up with a brick.

I created a starter using French Style KAF flour, oat flour and Kamut flour and used the same flour combination for the final.

The final bread came out a little dry due to the fact that since I baked this as one big loaf and I forgot to lower the oven from my usual 450 degrees F. it took longer than expected to bake thus drying out a bit too much for my liking.  You can definitely taste the tequila in this bread along with a subtle hint of lime from the olive oil.

The crumb turned out a little dense but that is too be expected when using a liquor in bread.  Overall though the bread has a nice chewy crust and pleasant taste that goes well with some cheese and olive oil.  A nice fresh mozzarella and tomato salad would go well with this bread as well.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, tequila and most of the water (leave a little to adjust after the autolyse) together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and olive oil and mix on low for a minute.  Add the rest of the water unless the dough is way too wet.   Mix on low-speed for another 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.  I made 1 loaf using a wicker basket.  Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees(if making 1 large miche style loaf, lower to 425 F).  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Some of the flowers are starting to bloom, so per Evon's request here are some photos of my gardens.

Mr. Toad's House

German sour adapted from  halfpenny http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/33528/hippie-bread-german-accent

(please follow instruction from above site)

i converted the cups to grams... and used fruits YW

Soaker (Poolish)
122.5g whole wheat flour
11.15g wheat bran
18.3g wheat germ
45g buckwheat flour
48g cracked wheat
1-2 tsp salt
1 cup liquid sourdough starter 100% hydration
¼ cup yeast water ( Banana)
2/3 cup warm water

Sponge (Scrap Dough)
330g white unbleached flour
½ cup steel cut oats
1/3 cup rolled oats
1-2 tsp salt
1 cup liquid sourdough starter
½ cup yeast water (raisin)

Final Dough
Make more yeast water (see above)
330g  white unbleached flour
½ cup molasses
½ cup honey
2 tsp celery seed
3 tsp poppy seed
1/4 cup flax seed (toasted n corse grind)
All sponge dough (pinch this off in 1 inch chunks as you add it)
All soaker dough
1 cup liquid sourdough starter. 100 hydration

1/2 cup of the Yeast Water (Riasin) added more YW 

 i made 4 medium small loaves

good taste of sour and lovely hint of celery seeds.. great texture. fruit YW made it soft .. eventhough it looks densed

had it with eggs and bacon and lots of greens.. 

yummy. 

thank you halfpenny it is a keeper :)

it is a good change from dried fruits version to wheats and oats

evon

I won't be posting for a while, the Sainted Wife and I are moving to a different part of Kalifornistan. I fear I will lose my starter in the move, this too will pass. Patients and Calmness are the order of these days to come, moving is never fun.

Cheers all,

Wingnut

Toad in the hole!!

Delish…so yummy and wonderful for winter.

Perfect for the cold!!

Veggies & gravy too

Peeking out!!

Ok, not truly a yeasty but a battery type bready/dumpling concoction…

Plus I am not really a savoury girl so you know for me to post it, it has to be good!!

Bonus is that its easy, quick, and you could do a variety of things with this recipe actually..

I used Lady Gouda’s recipe as a guide and tweaked it accordingly…

The dry’s

Bit of this!

Eggy mix

batter ready to rest…

You can of course add onions, etc one of my greedyboys would not have a bar of onions….

so no onions…

But caramelised onions with rosemary in a gravy actually baked in the batter would be scrummy!!

Mmmm nom nom nom..:)

And and and if you don’t use gourmet sausages, a cheap wee tasty meal:)

Browning…

Some batter on…

Covered

Bit of me old mate, parmy!!

So what do you need ?????

For 6 people

12 sausages, decent quality would be fab but mr cheepy is ok too….

3 cups of flour

2 tsp baking powder

big pinch salt

1 tbsp mustard powder

good dash of ground pepper

4 eggs

2 cups of milk

wee bit oil oil to start

1/2 cup of grated parmesan.

butter for greasing.

For the GRAVY:

Dash of soy sauce

Enough flour to make a roux

salt and pepper

beef stock 2 cups

Fresh rosemary.

Mmmmm Goldy

Love bangers!

I cooked this recipe in the roasting dish and I would recommend the same BUT any dish is ok.

Heat saucepan/frypan, add in oil and then add in sausages and cook until 3/4 done and brown.

While cooking add all dry ingredients into a bowl and combine well.

Mix eggs and milk together and whisk well.

Tasty

Battery…Mmmm

Remove sausages from frypan but keep the fat from bangers in the fry pan, you will use it for gravy roux starter.

Grease roasting dish and place sausages in the dish.

Add milky egg mix into dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Cover lightly and allow batter to rest for 30-60 minutes.

A large slice?

Pre heat oven to 220 celsius and pop roasting dish in the oven when temperature is reached, removing sausages first though:)

After 5 minutes, place sausages into the roasting dish again and pour batter over them, covering them totally.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of grated parmesan.

Bake in the hot oven for 20-25 minutes and remove when golden brown and puffy.

Lots of sauasges

Whilst baking, heat the sausage fat in the frypan and add in enough flour to make a dry paste.

Cook out the roux and brown it a little.

Remove from the heat and add in 1/2 cup of beef stock .

Whisk till smooth and add in s & p and a dash of soy sauce.

Add 1 cup of stock and whisk until smooth, return to the heat and allow to come to slow boil, whisking away.

Where’s my sausage??

Add in last stock amount and whisk in and turn down heat a little and bring to slow simmer.

Season more if needed, slow simmer until Toady batter is cooked.

Slice toad in the hole, pour on that gravy, have some veg or salad and you are away laughing!!

ENJOY!

Cause I did….

Almost need a grappa afterwards as a digestive as I ate toooooo much!!

Lovely…..

http://greedybread.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/winter-warmer-toad-in-the-hole/#more-3382

I've put myself to the test.  I plan to summon 10 loaves of my own at home, freshly baked, every Saturday Morning, to bring to my local farmer's market as trade. This is week one for me.  As some already know I am a full time professional baker and believe it or not the last thing I want to do on the weekend  is bake. Actually as I've aged I prefer to cook opposed to bake on my free time.  I used to bake at home endlessly but with a full time job doing such that teetered off.  I'm back.  I see all of the wonderful stuff created from home on this site, much of which blows away professionally made product.  I want in.  I'm gonna be a part-time home baker.  I bet I'll need some advice from those of you with more skills baking bread in rinky dink home ovens with pots and pans and the such.  I've done it and done it well but I'm only a novice.  Most of my breadwork is with commerical tools, and in some cases top notch.  

Also my plan is to be spontaneous and just kinda wing a new loaf every week.  This week I've made up what I'll call the "Super Grain Sour Wheat"  I did some reading on super grains this week and thought well those should be a soaker for a loaf of bread.  So I made a levain of Central Milling High Mountain High Protein, Central Mill freshly ground whole wheat, Central Milling freshly ground whole rye, starter, and h20.  This was built off of a 100% cold living white starter and essentially a second build 8 hours after it was previously fed 1:2::2. 

Soaker:

3 oz toasted millet 3 oz, toasted buckwheat (kashi), 3 oz toasted kamut, 3 oz toasted quinoa

Levain

3 oz Rye

7 oz Wheat

10 oz HP

20 oz H20

10 oz White Starter 100%

--------------------------------------------------------------

Rise 8 hours.  

Final Dough

85 oz HP

20 oz Wheat

70 oz H20

3 oz  Sea Salt

4 oz  H20 #2

----------------------------------------------------------------

Autolyse 2 hours 

Add levain, salt, soaker and mix on speed one (uh oh super wet) 5 minutes

Turn to speed 2 (medium)  5 minutes (looking better)

Turn to speed 3 hi about 5 minutes (phew it came together)

Bulk Ferment plan: 3 1/2 hours (3-4 s+f) at 20 minutes intervals but I'll let the dough lead

Shape/ partially proof (2-3 hours) Retard overnight

Wake up early set up my oven and bake in 3-4 waves.   cool down. make sure its not terrible and then head to market

I'll add some pics of dough and the such as I go.  

I'm mostly sharing this to motivate me to do this and to document some of my findings.  Hey I bet I'll make a few good loaves before the markets over in November.  

Happy Baking

Josh