The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Semolina Bread

umbreadman's picture
umbreadman

Semolina Bread

Semolina (Durum) Bread - From Hammelman's Bread, only without the sugar for the "flying" sponge.

I would have used my sourdough except it's whole wheat-ish and i didn't want to mix that with the creamy yellow semolina.

Hooray! Huzzah!

This used a sponge preferment consisting of semolina and bread flour. I adjusted the final flour amounts to be closer to 80-85% semolina, 15-20% bread flour. I like the color, smell, and texture of semolina and didn't want it too diluted. This recipe also calls for some olive oil, which i think is a great addition.

This beauty is going to be sacrificed to the french toast gods in the morning. All shall rejoice!!

Finally got a full loaf shot, and the key to a good oven spring is really coming through. That final proof, when the dough doesn't really kick back after being poked...it makes so much of a difference. And investing in a cheap glass-scraper to use as my one-sided lame was a great decision. The thin, sharp edge on a razor blade like that makes slashing a breeze. The days of the flat, dense, paper-cut french breads seem so far behind me now...

There's always that point in a learning process when things start to click together and make sense in your head, start becoming second nature, and I feel like i'm reaching that point. I may not be an expert, but i'm not bumbling fool anymore either. I can whip up something with a few calculations of proportions, use one of a few trusty procedures, and have something pretty good in the end.

This sense of confidence has spurred me on a baking binge, this is my third batch in...two? no three days, and bagels are in the fridge right now. I also plan to make some dark chocolate/cherry bread like someone posted here before. I'm inspired by Zingerman's version of the bread; not only is the place just down the street from me, but a guy who lives in my house sells their bread, and often brings home some day-olds. While they're great to eat, they're inspiring me to emulate and extrapolate on their creative mixes. It's made me want to try making a cranberry-walnut bread, maybe with a little orange zest.

 

Bread! Wooooooooot! 

Comments

staff of life's picture
staff of life

Pardon me sir, but I believe the correct use of that bread is with some Tapenade. :)

SOL

 

umbreadman's picture
umbreadman

My friend, semolina french toast is something very much worth trying... it was so good.....with threw some cooked apples on them too...oh man. But who's to say that one should be better than the other? If i had some tapenade, I would eat it on this. alas...i do not.....

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

Your semolina loaf looks wonderful!  I bet that french toast was good.

dahoops's picture
dahoops

My mouth is watering looking at it; care to share the recipe?  Thanks!