Artisan Baking

Crust at Last...........

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Having struggled with my oven, my stone, steam and burned bottoms for some time, I finally got everything to come together today. The recipe is Vermont Sourdough from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread. The only change I made was to add 2 Tbs. raw wheat germ, a practice I adopted from Nancy Silverton. The bread was retarded overnight, having undergone a 1 hour final proof the day before in bannetons. I let them warm up for two hours in the morning, which was a little too much, as they deflated some when scored. Next time I will settle for one hour.

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Is there really that much of a difference?

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Artisan Baking

I have been feeding my rye sour using Hamelman's formula provided in Bread, that being a 100% rye sour for over a week now. It's been growing nicely and has been needing refreshing almost every nine hours since it how now become a darn desert in my apartment due to the heat.

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Question on lye pretzels

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Artisan Baking

I made lye pretzels for the first time yesterday following Hamelman's formula in "Bread". The shape and volume is fine, but the color is not as dark as I expected. Not as shiny either.

While it tastes good, the crust is not as crispy and hard as I would like.

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Rustic Bread from Peter Reinhart's ABED book

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Artisan Baking

Hi all,

Just want to share a picture of a Rustic Loaf I made yesterday, based on Peter Reinhart's "Artisan Bread Every Day" (ABED) book. The book is fantastic and easy to follow - great for beginners like me. Hope you like the picture of the loaf. If anyone has any comments / goood advice, do drop a line!

Sue

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If you could choose just one bread book to buy, which one please??

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Artisan Baking

Hi everyone, I currently have:

The Bread bible by Rose B

The Italian Baker Carol Field

foccacia Carol Field

100 breads Paul Hollywood

Cordon Bleu: Bread

and jus some miscellanious small books etc

I jus want to get one bread book, as I really have too many cookery books, so from your experience which one do you think?

Thanks heaps :)

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How Much Flax Seed Meal Can I Add To a Sourdough Formula?

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Artisan Baking

I would like to add coarsely ground flax seed meal to a sourdough bread dough. I have read that too much flax seed meal can adversely affect gluten development (due to enzymes in the flax seed).

What would be a recommended amount in baker's percent? How high could I go?

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Why do we turn down the oven after introducing the bread?

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Artisan Baking

It's commonplace to recommend turning down the temperature from 500 to 450 when the proofed loaf is put in the oven. Why do we do that? In a WFO, you don't do that, and I would expect that in a commercial deck oven you wouldn't either. Is it to simulate a stone hearth which might be hotter than the air in the oven? I don't think so.

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Baking Stone - How to Transfer?

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Artisan Baking

Hi,

I've recently purchased a ceramic pizza baking stone. What's the best way to transfer the bread dough (like a boule) to the baking stone while it is pre-heating inside the oven. I don't have a peel.

At the moment, I proof my dough on a thin silicon mat. Prior to baking, I'll remove the baking stone from the oven, and slide the whole thing (silicon mat and dough) onto the baking stone, before putting it back in the oven again for baking. I do not remove my silicon mat until the baking is complete.

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Pain Au Levain

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Artisan Baking

Hello Everyone,

In "between times" I've been slowly improving a version of Pain Au Levain ala Poilane. Quite a journey considering where it began several years ago and is due in no small part to this site and the persistent bakers who populate it. Thanks to you all!

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A White Bread Makeover - From Drab to Fab!

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Artisan Baking

I gave Peter Reinhart's White bread a bit of a makeover. Check it out!

http://saltandserenity.com/2010/05/18/40-white-bread-makeover-from-drab-to-fab/

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The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Artisan Baking

Crust at Last...........

Is there really that much of a difference?

Question on lye pretzels

Rustic Bread from Peter Reinhart's ABED book

If you could choose just one bread book to buy, which one please??

How Much Flax Seed Meal Can I Add To a Sourdough Formula?

Why do we turn down the oven after introducing the bread?

Baking Stone - How to Transfer?

Pain Au Levain

A White Bread Makeover - From Drab to Fab!

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