The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Hello from Wales

greyspoke's picture
greyspoke

Hello from Wales

Hi there, I have in fact posted a couple of things here, but am still relatively new here.

Firstly, I have found this forum really useful in getting back into baking proper (non-machine) bread, so thanks to all the regular posters, past and present, for that.  Now I am retired, I have the time.  I am still experimenting with what type of loaf suits us, and working out how to get my fan (convection) oven to make nice bread (basically a Dutch oven is needed, but I am getting crusts a little too thick).  I am also experimenting with sourdough, although as I find anything sourer than "just a hint of sourness" unpalatable, I am not sure if it is worth persevering - but it is fun, the microbiology intrugues me (many decades ago I obtained a chemistry degree), and I do like that hint of sourness.  Anyhow, I have managed passable sourdough mainly white and mainly wholewheat-with-grains-in loaves, but not quite the way I would want, particularly with high wholegrain content.  I like the strength and chewiness you get with higher hydration longer fermentation time loaves, but now I realise that softer fluffier loaves have their place, so I am looking into recipes for that.

Meanwhile, here is a loaf pic.

TIM

WatertownNewbie's picture
WatertownNewbie

TIM, even if you have already posted a couple of times, I will still say hello and welcome.  Your bread looks great.

My wife and I drove through Wales last September, beginning in Cardiff and going through Swansea up through the center of the country and on to Aberystwyth, then continuing to the Slate Museum and Snowdoinia, and eventually exiting Wales and heading to Liverpool.  What a beautiful country you have.

Sounds like from the description of what you like in bread that you will find plenty of ideas and suggestions at this site.

Happy baking.

Ted

Martin Crossley's picture
Martin Crossley

Welcome indeed - there are quite a few of us UK types here!

By the way, I can reassure you that it's entirely possible to make a proper sourdough loaf that does not taste AT ALL sour - but still has a flavour, keeping capability and nutritional value that's in a different league. It's all to do with how you manage the production process: in particular, to ensure that the microbes doing the work are producing lactic acid instead of acetic. In fact, as you're a chemist you might enjoy reading this post by someone well qualified to discuss the topic: Lactic Acid Fermentation in Sourdough.

There's a whole part of the forum dedicated to SD so do feel free to pop over and say hello :)