Hello from the Hudson Valley, NY
Hey All!
I've been following all the tips for a while here, but figure it was time, as I've gotten more serious about baking to sign up, introduce myself, and start posting.
I recently moved to an old stone house in Kingston, NY and had an opportunity to renovate and install my dream oven and kitchen. Previously I was living in various apartments in Brooklyn, NY and Berkeley, CA so having a big kitchen with a real full size oven is a huge step up and has launched me on a lot of baking adventures.
I've been baking on an off for the past 5 years, though mainly I've been focusing on and perfecting my Pizza dough and technique. In this new house and kitchen, I've continued to work on my pizza but started doing sourdough again, trying out the Tartine and Josey Baker techniques. I had a lot of failures and a lot of note taking and revising before I finally started making some good loaves in the past month that I'm proud of. (Picture above is of a 15% Rye Country Loaf) I'm on the hunt for new recipes/techniques and the chance to make the bread even better.
Excited to find such a positive and knowledgeable community of bakers! Looking forward to being a part of it,
--AQ
I am up the road from you a mile or 50. Hillcrest Foods, the Northeast distributor for King Arthur, is located outside Saratoga so if you have other reasons to come up you can buy a 50# sack at wholesale and offset the cost of your gas.
Also a former San Franciscan and big fan of Tartine and Josey Baker. Otis
Bet it tastes better though! Welcome and
Happy baking
Beautiful loaf quirkey, and very nice crumb and even crust all all the way around!
Would love to see your dream oven and kitchen! A beautiful old stone house sounds amazing. Congrats!
Cheers!
Thanks for the tip BurntMyFingers - I have a friend in Saratoga so would be great to get a huge sack as a bonus if we get up there.
Welcome, fellow New Yorker! You're in the heart of a great emerging bread culture . . . the Hudson Valley and environs seem to be undergoing a grain/bread renaissance, as New York becomes more focussed on developing its regional grain project. Looking forward to seeing more great loaves from you.