Hi.  I think it would be very helpful to have a moisture meter to check the moisture content of my sour dough.  I have never been able to find one.  Can anyone tell me where I might?  Has anyone ever used one?  I tried using my soil moisture meter, but dough is so moist that it reads right off the scale.  The manufacturer has not answered my query about whether I could solder a resistor into it that would put the dough oisture level within the range of the meter.

                                            Rocky the Wannabe Italian Bread Baker

After years of futile attempts of creating a ciabatta with those gorgeous huge holes and a chewy crumb, I finally got very close today, in no small way thanks to all the excellent advice I've found o this site! 
I used a poolish starter (100 % hydration) with just a speck of yeast and a 16 hour ferment, then made a 72 % hydrated dough, of which the poolish made up 30 %. It was very wet and imposible to knead, so I just brought it together with a stiff silicone spatula in the bowl, then folded it 2 times during the first rise, and baked super hot with steam and all - pretty straight forward, a pain working with such a wet dough, but well worth it. 

I know how to slash my bread but my brand new razor blade still drags, pulls, bread. Right now a loaf is rising for 2nd time. I smoothed on flour, then covered pans w dry kitchen towel. This way I should get a slight crust, so that my blade won't drag. But any other ideas?? Thanks.

Hi Friends:

I'm new and couldn't figure out how to answer the person who couldn't get a crisp crust. Maybe she'll see this. I get a gorgeous crisp crust by using a 2" paint brush and paint my bread w water just before baking. I also throw in about 1/4 C water onto the side of oven 3 X within first 5 mins. After the first 5 mins, no more opening till u think it's done.

Hi, everyone.  I've been baking bread for about a year now, mostly sourdough, with no commercial yeast.  Most of what I bake has good flavor and is chewy, with (usually) moderate to large holes.  However, while I've been able to get a chewy crust, the crust is never crisp - you know, that good, crackling crust.  I use a baking stone in a conventional electric oven (heating the oven to about 500 for an hour before baking and then dropping the temp to about 425 for a basic sourdough recipe).  I spray the sides of the oven with lots of water for steam during the first 15 minutes or so of baking, and then let the steam out for the remainder of the bake.  

My first try at French Bread went well. I followed the formula in the BBA so it was a full-flavored bread.

What I want to work on next time is a more open crumb characteristic of the best French Breads. Mine had a fairly small crumb with a few large pockets here and there. What I'm trying to figure out is how to create a more open crumb. Part of the problem, I know, is that I have an old, crappy oven that doesn't cook evenly. But is that all? Did I not handle it gently enough after primary fermentation?

What are your suggestions for creating a more open crumb?

 thanks,

So,  I was watching something or other on FoodTV the other day, and they mentioned that Poilane will ship loaves overseas.  Since Reinhart seems to be so taken with the Poilane miche, I thought I might take a look into trying one loaf.  I know that it will be basically highway robbery, but it would be very interesting to give it a try and see what "The best bread in the world" might taste like. Maybe a birthday present to myself.  But the Poilane website isn't terribly helpful on what the actual costs will be.  It seems that I would have to click the button to confirm my order before I was really told what the price might be.  Has anyone else made an order from Paris?  Were you pleased with the shipping time and the quality of the bread after shipping?  Was it "worth" $20+ to try a loaf?  Of course, that is cheaper than a trip to Paris...

Immediate opening is available for a Head Baker. Artisanal bakery in Evansville, Indiana is looking for someone experienced in artisanal breads.

We are a small family-owned bakery. Knowledge of cakes, cookies, pastries and Mexican baked goods is a definite plus. Also, a kowledge of the Spanish language a plus, but not necessary.

For info, call 1-812-402-2253. Ask for Claudia or Antonio Carillo.

Wow is right! Mountaindog recommended this bread, and I have to agree it tastes fantastic! I haven't used Glaser's "Artisan Baking" very much, I think like mountaindog, it was a little too advanced for me when I got it, and then I learned from other books and it was left on the shelf. I also get stuck in ruts, and get lazy and ignore recipes with 5 hour rises, etc!

A couple of notes on deviation from the recipes. One, I just converted a seemingly happy and active wet starter to a stiff one, and it was taking a bit longer than 8 hours to triple in size. It's either the cool temperatures in my house, or I just hadn't refreshed it enough to encourage the beasties that like dry conditions. So, I used a little more preferment than recommended, AND I cheated and threw in a 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. I was on somewhat of a schedule yesterday, and wanted my rising times to be a little more predictable. Even so, I let the first proof go for almost 3 hours, and proofed the final loaves at least 2 hours. (The original recipe called for 4-6, and 3-5 I believe.) Oh and I used malt powder instead of syrup as that's what I had.

Whipped up a few loaves of bread for our annual Christmas Eve open house. These included my second sourdough loaf which was much improved over my first attempt. Of note, based on some hints from this site, I had moved my starter toward a much drier starter, then mixed the dough in the evening and popped the dough into the fridge for about 14 hours for the primary. I pulled it out and let it warm up, then gently folded a few times and proofed for about 4 hours at room temp before baking. Results were a nice chewy crumb with a gentle sourness that was quite lovely and not at all overpowering—perfect!