The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Compensatory baking

leemid's picture
leemid

Compensatory baking

I got back Tuesday from the big concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas Tuesday night. It had been a long time, perhaps 3 weeks, since I had baked. This weekend was to help make up for that. My 15 going on 16 yr. old said good things when she saw me starting batches of bread; comments about not having to eat "wonder bread." I had taken a couple of King Arthur flour classes locally and tried the sweet dough in cinnamon rolls which were great, and I wanted to try their 'Rustic' bread recipe which is just french looking yeasted bread with a biga. You can see the recipe on their site. Not knowing how it would turn out I had to be sure to supply the family with bread so I made my usual couple of batches of sourdough.

All went well after all, excepting that I had forgotten all and failed to turn the yeasted loaves about to bake evenly so one loaf got considerably darker. So I ate that one first. To ensure success I used my stone. Because I intended to bake my sourdough in the usual batards I couldn't use the couches and opted for baskets. Not knowing how big they would get, I just let them go. When fear of over-rising overtook me I popped them in with some steam. The result was so-so bread, compared to my sourdough. You might think they look good, and I do too, and they taste good but not fantastic, but how much of that is preference and how much is the fact that I haven't made this recipe before I don't know. But delete the expletive and know that toasted it is hard to stop at a couple of slices...

Yeasted boulesYeasted boules

Slap me for bragging or showing off but I have to include a look at the sourdough which many of you have seen before. I haven't tasted it yet so who knows? But I have given half of it away already so I guess I'm not too worried about it.

4 sourdough batards4 sourdough batards

And, oh hey, just to continue the excess, here are the last cinnamon rolls... sans buttercream frosting...Cinnamon rollsCinnamon rolls

As long as I am excessing, I made a batch of chocolate chip banana bread. I don't personally love it but the family does.

Chocolate chip banana breadChocolate chip banana bread

Did I mention my stop at the SunMaid raisin store south of Fresno, California? I had an Australian dried apricot coated in dark chocolate, but didn't take a picture. Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that one. But if you are ever near there or another of their stores and they have them, don't get just one.

That's my indulgence and I'm sticking to it. Or it to me...

Lee

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Find

I do

for a while

that when not baking

to myself

after the bread in the oven has been baked

peace comes.

--Mini O

Call it a form of "nesting."

bwraith's picture
bwraith

Lee,

Comfort and reassurance are words that pop into my head reading your post. I suspect kids feel this when bread and other treats begin to pop out of the oven, a routine they may enjoy inwardly more than they express in words.

Those sourdough loaves look great - classic slashes, ears, and crust.

Bill

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Looks great.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Good to see you back. Just like riding a bicycle, hop on and you're back in the breeze!

Eric 

leemid's picture
leemid

I do enjoy baking, and sharing with my friends. Sorry that most of you aren't close enough to get hard (or soft) evidence.

Lee