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It's been a while - but here I am, right where I need to be - in Paris at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie.  After a day of tour guiding "adventures" (including the return of the "Naked Baker" - a story for which the world is not prepared) I thought I would go over to the competition area, check out the day 3 baking and snap some photos.   Then rest my tired tootsies and post them to TFL.

This is me, taking photos - which I never do in Paris - not even at my Sunday dinner at a famous landmark - so set expectations accordingly - but here they are for you...

Team Italy - baguette fantasie and other breads

Team Italy - crumb shot

Teanm France - Crumb shot

Team France - Decorative scoring

Team France - Decorative piece

Team South Korea - Decorative piece

Team Taiwan - Decorative piece

Team Peru - Decorative piece

Team USA - Decorative piece

At the Judges Tables

I could go on and on about the nuances of the competition - the fact that Taiwan was the only team the first day to finish on time - that this year Team USA finished on time, also - that the Austrian judge saw both me and the guy standing next to me almost spit out a piece of the bread from Team Taiwan (seaweed in bread - this is a love it or hate it deal - which, in a competition, is always a gamble)- the reaction of Team USA to French flour (they don't much like it) - but you don't want the blow by blow - you want the pictures...  and I took all my camera could hold.

Tomorrow we learn the results.  Let me tell you, there is some tough competition (the scoring on Team France's breads just kills me...), but I will stay true to my team.  Go Team USA!!!!!!!!!!

I'm soooooo tired!

I made my favourite Pasta today, I only do this a few times a year and spend the whole day making them. I always make them in bulk and freeze them, tho most of the time my extended family end up taking most of my stash!lol.....Hmmm I made 100 Maultaschen today, I wonder how many I will get to freeze and eat?

This is a bulk recipe that makes approx. 100 large Maultaschen.

Maultaschen

Pasta Dough

2 kilos of type oo flour

2 dozen eggs

salt

Filling

500 grams minced bacon (minced)

8 medium sized onions (minced)

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 kilo pork sausage meat ( I used pork sausages and squeezed them out of their castings)

3 stale rolls soaked in water and then squeezed to remove the water

1.5 kilo cooked spinach ( I used finely chopped frozen spinach and removed all the water)

1.5 kilos ground lean beef

9 eggs

10 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste

1 egg and 3 tablespoons milk mixed (for brushing the pasta sheets )

Make the pasta dough and refrigerate until needed (depending on the size of eggs you might need a touch more flour). Mince the meat, bacon, garlic and onions and add all the ingredients and mix really well.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg...I recommend placing a tablespoon of mixture onto a plate and popping it into the microwave and having a taste test to make sure it is  tasty enough. I had to taste the mixture 3 times before I got the taste to my liking.

Roll out the Pasta into long strips ( Thank god I have an electric pasta machine, I used setting#7 as my final pass) Top with meat mixture (just under 1cm thick approx) and brush the edges with egg/milk wash and top with another strip of pasta. At this stage I normal have a mess everywhere and today I even got flour on my camera lens LOL

Using a wooden spoon handle make impressions to seal each individual Maultaschen.

Using a zig zag pastry cutter cut them into individual Maultaschen.

Drop a few (depending on the size of your pot, I cook 10 at a time) into boiling (soft boil or they might split open while cooking) salt water and cook for 15 minutes, then drain. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Reheat in stock and serve with either a beef or vegetable stock and top with slow dry fried onions. You can also slice and fry them in butter, or  scramble an egg over them.

My reward after a hard day of cooking :-)

Cheers Sonia

Mornings appear a little darker here after we quietly slipped into autumn with little fanfare or apparent change in day-to-day weather. Both Nat and I have been waiting so impatiently for the cool change of a winter’s day. And although we don’t get the biting cold and snow here in Brisbane, it will make such a refreshing change from the sticky humid weather of late.

While initially my baking centred on our home life, there has been an increasing amount of bread being baked for friends. And with each bake I am becoming less and less interested in baking with white flour. For me, one of the most exciting aspects of these bakes has been the opportunity to bake bread for our friends using wholly fresh milled flour.

Saturday was an example of one of these baking days … a bake day that started a few nights earlier. The bake list for Saturday included a batch of Wholewheat banana and choc-chip muffins, Desem Wholewheat x 2, Country Bread x 2, Walnut and Sage Wholewheat x 2 and a Vollkornbrot.

For our desem bread this week I wanted to use the white wheat fresh from my aunt’s farm near Dalby. This meant spending an evening during the week sorting through a kilogram of wheat picking out impurities and non-wheat material. My eyes were certainly a little blurry by the end of this process.

Something I have noticed is the correlation between the how well planned a bake is and the amount of mess I seemingly generate. Let’s just say I am rapidly improving on both counts! And as seems to be my usual process, Friday afternoon was spent milling, sifting, soaking, building starters and then cleaning up. The desem dough was soaked overnight with the salt added ready for mixing first thing in the morning.

When Saturday arrived it felt hot and humid though Nat assures me it wasn’t that bad. The morning sun poured through our kitchen window bumping up the temperatures into the high 20s by breakfast time. This was going to be fast paced day. I mixed the doughs cool but found everything fermented quicker than normal and it was safer to prove the shaped bread in the fridge for and hour or so before baking. My oven is still proving to be a bottle neck in these situations.

It has been sometime since we have cut a loaf still warm from the oven and stopped for lunch to enjoy it. We cut open one of the desem loaves, enjoying one of the best bread experiences we have had in a long time – a simple fresh lunch with many sighs and nods of approval.

By mid afternoon the Vollkornbrot was baking in the slow oven while friends arrived to collect cooling breads. With the kitchen clean, we stopped, sat outside, enjoyed a cup of tea and watched the world race around us for a change.

Cheers,
Phil

I wanted to create a rustic rye, whole wheat, SD bread that was based on David Snyder's  technique for Pugliesi Capriccioso where it is baked upside down and no slashing is involved - since my slashing is primitive to say the least.  I also wanted to incorporate some rye, whole wheat and berries of each as as a boiled soaker to improve the taste, sour and texture of the SD bread while keeping the crumb open, soft and specked with brown bits.   The crust I wanted crunchy right out of the oven and turning to chewy as it cools and ages over 24 hours.  Well this it and it is named after the great Southwest of America - Rustic Southwest Sourdough Bread.   I am trying this with and without overnight retard to see which one I like better.  These pictures are from the none retarded bread that actually stuck to the benetton causing it's odd scar.  Wish I could do that every time.  This loaf also might have over proofed since I didn't get the oven heated in time to bake the bread when it was ready. It tastes terrific anyway.   The recipe follows the Pix's

Pain Rustique au Levain du Sud-ouest

 Yield: Two 850 g Loaves

Ingredients

Levain Build

50 g KA AP flour

50 g Whole wheat flour

50 g Whole rye flour

150 g water, cool (60 For so)

25 g active starter (100% hydration)

Boiled Soaker

25 g rye berries cracked

25 g WW berries cracked

25 g 6 grain cereal

Final Dough  (77% hydration, including levain excluding the soaker)

600 g KA AP flour

300 g KA bread flour

645 g warm water (80 For so)

14 g pink Himalayan sea salt (1.5%)

325 g  Levain

Boil and Soak – soaker ingredients in twice as much water by volume.  Bring to a boil and turn off heat and let soak overnight covered with plastic wrap.  Drain any excess liquid off in the morning.

Directions

1. Levain : Make the final build 10-12 hours before the final mix.

2. Mix: Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl, including the levain, but not the salt or the soaker. Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated into a shaggy mass. Correct the hydration as necessary. Cover the bowl and let stand for an autolyse phase of 60 minutes. At the end of the autolyse, sprinkle the salt over the surface of the dough, and knead 8 minutes with dough hook on KA 3. The dough should have a medium consistency. Add the scalded and caramelized berries and mix on KA 3 for 1 minute

3. Ferment with S&F: 2 hours. Stretch and fold the dough in the bowl 5 strokes at the 30minute mark. Stretch and fold again, 5 strokes, at the one hour mark folding it into a ball in lightly oiled bowl. Do 1 S &F two more times at 90 and 120 minutes.  Divide dough in two.  Form into ball stretching the skin tight and place in floured benetton or shape into batard leave to ferment 1-2 more hours until the dough is at least 75% larger than when you started the ferment.  Remove from benneton and bake as below.

4. If retarding: do 1 S&F in the lightly oiled bowl forming the dough into a ball again. Refrigerate 8-20 hours, depending on how much time you have and sour your taste.

5. Divide and Shape: take dough out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature about 1 ½ hours. Divide the dough into what 2 pieces and pre-shape, then shape into boules or batards 20 minutes later.

6. Proof: Approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours a t82 F. Ready when poke test dictates.

7. Pre-heat: oven to 500 with steam apparatus in place - 45 minutes minimum. I use a loaf pan half full of water and a dry12”cast iron skillet that go in the bottom rack of the oven at the beginning of pre heat and the stone on the rack above. When the loaves go in, I throw 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron skillet right after loading the bread on the stone.

8. Bake: Do not slash loaves. Bake seam side up on stone at 500 F for 5 minutes, turn down temperature to 450 and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove steaming apparatus after 15 minutes. Turn down oven to 425 F convetion  now and bake 15 minutes more, turning loaf every 5 minutes for browning evenness as necessary. When done (205 F internal temp), leave loaves on stone with oven door ajar, oven off for 10 minutes. Move to cooling rack until loaf is room temperature.

Monday 5th March 2012

The sunshine returned to Northumberland today, allowing me to enjoy myself firing the oven and baking these different breads.

The sourdough seed bread takes inspiration from the Hamelman formula, but uses a stiff levain, very different leavening procedure and flour combination.   The flavour from the tamari-roasted seeds is intense.

I made the Leinsamenbrot in bread pans, although this is probably not authentic.   I used my liquid rye sourdough plus a flax seed soaker with 3 times water to seeds.   So the hydration in the formula is very high; intentionally so.   I'm pleased with the final result at 40% rye, 60% white flour.

The Roasted Almond and Raisin Breads have a biga pre-ferment and I finished off my current supply of fresh yeast in the final dough.   There is butter in the formula, but no sugar, or spice.   They baked beautifully in the brick oven too!

Recipe/formulae details given below, plus photographs.

1.    Sourdough Seed Bread

Levain Build:

Method:

• Build the levain as shown.   Prepare the soaker the night before.   Roast the seeds ahead of time to allow them to cool before adding to the dough.
• In the mixer, combine the flour with the water and soaker and mix 3 minutes on first speed, scraping down to clear.   Autolyse for 1 hour.
• Add the salt and levain and mix 2 minutes on first speed and 6 minutes on second speed, scraping down as needed.   Add the roasted seeds and mix on first speed to clear.   DDT 28°C.
• Prove in bulk for 2½ hours; stretch and fold after 1 and 2 hours.
• Scale, divide and mould round.   Rest 15 minutes and prepare bannetons.   Re-mould.
• Final proof 3 hours
• Bake in the wood-fired oven.
• Cool on wires.

2.    Leinsamen Bröt

Rye Sourdough Build

Method:

• Build the Rye Sourdough as shown, and prepare the soaker the night before.
• Mix the soaker, sourdough and white flour using a paddle beater, on first speed for 3 minutes, scraping down, until clear.   Autolyse for 1 hour.
• Add the salt and mix for 2 minutes on first speed and 4 minutes on second speed.   Use the hook if it picks up the dough, otherwise stick with the paddle beater.   DDT 28°C.
• Bulk Ferment for 2 hours.
• Scale and divide into prepared bread tins.
• Final proof 2 hours.
• Bake in the wood-fired oven.
• Cool on wires.

3.    Roasted Almond and Fruit Bread

Method:

• Prepare the Biga the night before.
• Combine all the ingredients in the mixer except the fruit and nuts.   Mix on first speed until clear, scraping down as needed.   Mix for 6 minutes on second speed with the hook attachment.   Rest the dough for 20 minutes then add the fruit and nuts and mix to clear using a Scotch cutter.   DDT 28°C.
• Bulk Ferment 1½ hours.
• Scale and divide into 3 x 1kg pieces; mould round.   Rest 15 minutes then shape as bloomers.
• Final proof 1½ hours.
• Score the tops of the loaves, glaze with egg and bake in the wood fired oven.
• Cool on wires.

Very best wishes

Andy

was looking for a focaccia formula. Had a friend who used to make focaccia. His was very wet and had to be folded several times before baking. Does anyone know what im looking for. thanks

I made two 1 kg boules of my San Francisco-Style Sourdough Bread this weekend. (For the formula, see: My San Francisco Sourdough Quest, Take 3) The formula and procedures were little changed. Some of the fermentation and retardation times and temperatures were changed slightly to fit into the times I (and the oven) had free, but the dough always had the final say as to when it was ready for the next step. 

These loaves were proofed in linen-lined bannetons. Overnight cold retarding was done after dividing and shaping a well-fermented dough. Final proof was for about 3 hours at temperatures varying from 68 to 85 degrees F, mostly at the higher temperature. (I baked each loaf seperately, so I had to use variations in temperature to have the second loaf at just the right degree of proofing when the oven was free and re-heated after baking the first loaf.  If you are curious, the loaf on the right was the first one baked.

I scored with a diamond pattern this week, rather than the square pattern of previous weeks' bakes. The loaves were baked at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes, the first 15 minutes with steam.

This weekend's mix had about 1% more whole wheat. I think I can see the effect of even this very small modification in the crumb, and I thought the flavor of the whole wheat came through a bit more. This bread was less like a 1960's-type San Francisco Sourdough and more like a French Pain de Campagne.

The crust was nice and crunchy. The crumb was cool and moderately chewy with a nice complex flavor and moderate sourdough tang.

David

Sending this to Yeastspotting.

Index for my blog entries

Banana was on sale, as always, I bought way more than what I need, hence this banana levain bread. The idea came from Shiao-Ping's banana pain au levain, but I used the light rye levain formula I like.

Light Banana Rye

- levain
whole rye, 86g
water, 68g
rye starter (100%), 9g

1. Mix and let rise 12-16hours.

- final dough
bread flour, 510g
salt, 12g
banana, 280g, mashed, about 3
water, 138g
all levain

2. Mix everything, autolyse for 20 to 60min,mix @ medium speed for 3-4 min until gluten starts to develope.
3. Bulk rise at room temp (~75F) for about 2.5hrs. S&F at 30, 60, 90min.
4. Shape into batard, put in basketes smooth side down, put in fridge over night.
5. Next morning take the dough out to finish proofing, about 70min for me. Score.
6. Bake at 450F with steam(either put in preheated cast iron pot and cover with lid, or put dough on preheated baking stone and pour water in another cast iron pan to create steam) for the first 15min, take out the pan with water, keep baking for another 30-35min. Turn off oven and crack the door open a bit, and leave the breads inside for 10min before taking out.

Pretty happy with the scoring.

Crumb is open with noticable banana flavor - it's definitely not a sweet bread, but you would know there's banana in it.

I love how moist the crumb is, yet the crust was still crispy. Shiao-Ping is right, it's heavenly toasted with peanut butter. I think it's yummy with more sliced banana too -- and this way, more banana can be used up.

For the rest of bananas, I made quick bread using this recipe

It uses up both extra bananas and extra sourdough starter, perfect!

Moist, fragrant, soft yet with a bit of bounce, yum.

This isn't the prettiest soda bread I've made but then it was very tasty and first of the season.  

I had only about 3/4 of a cup of regular all purpose flour.  I usually use all regular AP.  Today I added my King Arthur AP flour to the regular all purpose to bring the total up to 280 grams measured...not counting the reserved AP that is added to board, hands and light knead of the SB.  Having your soda bread turn out requires that you work the dough quickly and lightly handling it as little as possible.  

I have similar instructions with photos on an older blog post of mine... search box - Sylvia's Irish Soda Bread, there is also instructions to make soda farls.

Today I used:

280 G of KAAP mixed with Regular flour -   Also set aside a small bowl of apx. 3/4 cup of KAAP for mixing, sprinkling heavily the board, hands and any extra you feel you might need to handle this tacky dough.

7 g fine Sea Salt

7 g Baking Soda

289 g Buttermilk  - well shaken

3/4 reserved KAAP flour for  board, mixing, hands

In a deep medium bowl.  Wisk together dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Pour in your buttermilk.  

With a fork.  Gently, quickly, mix together to form a mass of just moistened dough together in a shaggy ball.  Use floured hands and gently push to hold together and dump out onto a well floured board.  Shape gently and quickly just to form a ball and gently flatten a little with well floured hands.  Do not over mix.  Sprinkle flour on top and slice a deep cross all the way down, to sides if desired 'traditional cross'.  Place into a pie pan with a little flour on the bottom of the pie pan if desired.  I don't use anything in my pan.

Baked 375F in a pre-heated convection oven  for 30 min.

Sylvia

Today's family breakfast included rye bialys with cream cheese and smoked salmon, we enjoyed them!  The dark rye pre-ferment for these was adapted from The Bread Bible's rye pugliese, but the main dough, as well as the proportion of pre-fermented dough, is quite different.  In addition to the dark rye and unbleached flour, they also have KAF whole grain white wheat flour, which I sifted to remove the larger bran pieces.  The bran was used to coat the outside of the bialys in place of the tradtitional flour coating.  The onion, poppy seed, salt and pepper filling is from the Bread Bible's bialy recipe, it's a great filling.

The pre-ferment was mixed and left overnight (12 hrs) at cool room temperature, until doubled.

The flours, yeast and water were mixed and autolysed, then salt and pre-ferment added, and the main dough kneaded for about 5 minutes in my stand mixer.

Bulk ferment was 75 minutes at 80F.

Final proof was 60 minutes, also at 80F.   Before baking, I docked the centers and filled with the onion-poppy seed mixture.

Baked about 10 minutes at 500F.

Last time I made these, I used bread flour, which I think I'll go back to next time.  These were moist and tender, but I missed the chewiness of the bread flour.  The centers are dark from the poppy seeds (not burnt onions).