The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bakery slashing

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Bakery slashing

My daughter recently moved into a near suburb on Milwaukee's South side which is known for great Italian and Serbian foods. Now that I think about it, it's a pretty well rounded area with many ethnic restaurants. I was happy to find a neighborhood bakery just down the street that had 'European Bakery' on the sign. Today I had a little time so I stopped in.

This was my youngest daughter's (14yo) first time in a commercial bakery I discovered. I wasn't ready for the array of breads and pastry's on display. The wall was a bread rack filled with all the usual suspects and the aroma was wonderful. The display case must have had 40 kinds of sweets, muffins/cookies/dough nuts/cheese pockets. They had a decent size case of high end anti-pasta salads and sold fresh pizza dough by the pound along with good Parmesan and buffalo cheese. I was thrilled to see al this Italian bakery.

I bought a little of this and that and sent my daughter to work with a large box of treats for gang at work. I brought home a few things including a 1/2 loaf of Italian that made me think of Marks small loaves from yesterday and a nice rye loaf. The slashing pattern is distinctive and the result is striking I think as you see it below. I was going to drop this post into the current thread on slashing patterns but I didn't want to prattle on in Davids thread which is interesting in its own right. Anyway, I thought this was interesting especially for a commercial shop allbeit a small one. The cut pattern down the length is puzzling to me.---Eric

Milwaukee Rye
Milwaukee Rye

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Eric.

Could that longitudinal "slash" actually be a fold rather than a slash?


David

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

David I was thinking the same, was looking for what "traditional" fold and slash method that would identify this bread. Looks to me like a southern italian fold with slashes (reminds me of finger marks) across the loaf. But I think the slashes start high, just over the middle of the folded mound of dough and then taper down to the fold seam in that kind of motion. ???

I count 5 slashes.

Mini O

ehanner's picture
ehanner

You may be correct about the fold. It is interesting looking. I'm less impressed now that I have tried the bread. It's surprising really. They looked so good but it's tasteless. The crumb looks to dark and must have been colored. It eats like a wheat bread with a little caraway. I bought a baguette, short Italian and the rye. I gave the Italian to my daughter for dinner so I'll hear from her later but the baguette and rye were just awful I'm sorry to say. These folks have been around for a long time, it is puzzling. 

The pastries were wonderful though and especially the cheese pockets.

I don't do pastries so I guess I can continue to deliver breads to the south side of Milwaukee.

Eric 

nbicomputers's picture
nbicomputers

anybody think that could be just a mistake?  go back to the shop and see if they all look like that

ehanner's picture
ehanner

They were all like that Norm.

Did you see my question about onion water in rye? 

nbicomputers's picture
nbicomputers

no i did not.  i just searched and still did not find it point me in the right sirection please.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Here is the link. Onion water.

 

Eric

holds99's picture
holds99

Eric,

FWIW, I agree with David.  To me, the long crease lenthwise (bottom of loaf) and at the tip of the left end, looks like part of a fold done during shaping, prior to final proofing...but it's really hard to tell.  Interesting scoring though.  Looks like whoever did the scoring pulled the scoring tool around at the top, cutting, to allow finger-like shapes.

Howard

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

And I was scanning Italian breads, silly me.... Found it under Bloomer style shaping ... at least that's the English word for it. Here is a link.

Still looks like it was folded first, then bloomerized!

Mini O

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I think you are right Mini. Nice find. It sprang like a white bread and like you say I think it was folded in close to the edge.

 

Eric