“Bread and Roses” – Artisan Baking, Training and Consultancy in Northumberland
“Bread and Roses” – Artisan Baking, Training and Consultancy in Northumberland [1] [2] [3]
I hadn’t baked for over a fortnight; very unusual. I didn’t have any plans to bake either. But, early on Thursday morning I knew I needed to bake. Alison and I are following quite a strict diet, so we are not eating grains at the moment…quite a tough call. I had made 4 Brazil and Hazelnut, Raisin and Apricot Scones on Tuesday as samples to celebrate the arrival of 1kg of the best commercial baking powder available in the UK today from my colleague at Kudos Blends…thank you Dinnie. So light! These are English Tea Scones, somewhat different to the US concept, I believe, and much-loved here in the UK. But I wanted to bake bread, and I wanted to fire up the oven; the winds have finally subsided, and today was cold, but beautifully still and sunny.
I built both the wheat levain and rye sourdough over Thursday afternoon and night, so I could start very early this morning. This is what I made:
1. “Rossisky” using the Auerman Method
One Pullman Pan
Rye Sour build:
Day | Time | Stock Sour | Dark Rye | Water | TOTAL |
Thursday | 15:00 | 80g | 160g | 160g | 400g |
Thursday | 20:00 | 400g | 120g | 120g | 640g |
Material/Stage | Formula [% of flour] | Recipe [grams] |
1a. Rye Sourdough |
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Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour | 30 | 300 |
Water | 30 | 300 |
TOTAL | 60 | 600 |
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1b. “Scald” |
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Sifted Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour | 15 | 150 |
Red Malted Barley Powder | 5 | 50 |
Boiling Water | 35 | 350 |
TOTAL | 55 | 550 |
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2. “Sponge” |
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Rye Sourdough [from 1a.] | 60 | 600 |
“Scald” [from 1b.] | 55 | 550 |
TOTAL | 115 | 1150 |
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3. Final Paste |
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“Sponge” [from 2] | 115 | 1150 |
Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye | 30 | 300 |
Gilchesters’ Organic Pizza/Ciabatta Flour | 20 | 200 |
Water | 20 | 200 |
Salt | 1.5 | 15 |
TOTAL | 186.5 | 1865 |
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% pre-fermented flour | 30 + 20 = 50 | - |
% overall hydration | 85 | - |
% wholegrain flour | 75 | - |
FACTOR | 10 | - |
Method:
- Build the sour as described, make the Scald at the same time as preparing the final refreshment of the sour. Cover and cool to room temperature overnight. Make the Sponge first thing in the morning and ferment this for 4 hours.
- Mix the Gilchesters’ Pizza flour with the water for the final paste and autolyse for 1 hour. Add the salt, remaining Dark Rye and the sponge to the autolyse in a mixer, and combine with the paddle beater to form a paste.
- Bulk proof for 1 hour.
- Line a Pullman Pan and other bread pans neatly with silicone paper and scale the paste into the pans, neatening off carefully. Top with some freshly crushed coriander seeds. Attach the lid.
- Final Proof 4 hours. Bake a minimum of 4 hours in the “dead” wood-fired oven.
- Cool on wires
Photographs below; no crumb shot, sorry. I took these photographs straight after the loaf emerged from the oven and Alison came downstairs mesmerised by the aroma and, frankly surprised bread was emerging from the oven so late at night.
[4] Chocolate...Dark Chocolate!
2. Gilchesters’ Miche/Boules
Makes 6 loaves: 2 Boules @ 400g, 1 Boule @ 800g and 2 Miche @ 1200g.
Levain build:
Day | Time | Stock Levain | Strong White Flour | Water | TOTAL |
Thursday | 15:00 | 40g | 100g | 60g | 200g |
Thursday | 18:00 | 200g | 500g | 300g | 1000g |
Thursday | 21:00 | 1000g | 250g | 150g | 1400g |
The leaven was then allowed to prove slowly overnight in the fridge
Material/Stage | Formula [% of flour] | Recipe [grams] |
1. Wheat Levain |
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Marriage’s Organic Strong White Flour | 25 | 750 |
Water | 15 | 450 |
TOTAL | 40 | 1200 |
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2. Final Dough |
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Wheat Levain [from above] | 40 | 1200 |
Gilchesters’ Organic Farmhouse Flour | 75 | 2250 |
Salt | 1.8 | 54 |
Water | 56 | 1680 |
TOTAL | 172.8 | 5184 |
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% pre-fermented flour | 25 | - |
% overall hydration | 71 | - |
% wholegrain flour [approx 85% extraction] | 75 | - |
FACTOR | 30 | - |
Method:
- Build the levain, see description above.
- For mixing, first of all mix on first speed for 3 minutes with a hook attachment, then autolyse the Gilchesters flour with the water for 1 hour.
- Add the levain and the salt. Mix on first speed only for 10 minutes. Dough Temperature Calculation worked out as follows: WT = 3[DDT – FRH] – Leaven Temp – Flour Temp. 3[84 – 1] – 18 – 20 = 45. Water temperature required at 45°C. The gentle nature of the mixing action is evident here with just 1°C rise in temperature due to friction!
- Bulk prove the dough maintaining DDT of 26°C for 2 hours.
- Scale and divide as above. Mould round and rest for 15 minutes. Prepare bannetons, re-mould dough pieces and set to final proof.
- Final proof DDT maintained at 26°C, for 3 hours.
- Tip each loaf out of the banneton onto a peel, score the top and set to bake on the sole of the wood-fired oven. Small loaves bake in half an hour, next biggest takes 40 minutes and the biggest loaf took around 50 minutes. The oven was fiercely hot!!!
- Cool on wires.
There is stacks of flavour in this bread. It’s not sour, but the crust is dark and well-fired, and the crumb as moist as could be, nicely gelatinised, soft and very tasty too. Photographs below:
- 3. Brazil and Hazelnut, Raisin and Apricot Scones
On Tuesday I had arranged for the local Food Safety Officer to come and visit to look over my operation and food safety systems. She used the visit to scrutinise all my traceability systems and to go through all the baking operations thoroughly, ending up listing the visit as a full inspection…which I passed, with just some bits of advice how I can build on the work already in place. So I made these Scones just before she arrived using the paperwork trail I had devised, in order for me to test the systems and her to verify them. Here’s the recipe and formula:
Material | Formula [% of flour] | Recipe [grams] |
Marriage’s Strong Organic White Flour | 40 | 64 |
Gilchesters’ Pizza/Ciabatta Flour | 60 | 96 |
Pell Opti-Scone Baking Powder | 5.6 | 9 |
Organic Slightly Salted Butter | 25 | 40 |
Full Fat Milk | 50 | 80 |
Free Range Egg - Beaten | 6.25 | 10 |
Caster Sugar | 18.75 | 30 |
Chopped Brazil Nuts | 6.25 | 10 |
Chopped Hazelnuts | 6.25 | 10 |
California Raisins | 6.25 | 10 |
Chopped Dried Apricots | 6.25 | 10 |
TOTAL | 230.6 | 369 |
Method:
- Pre-heat the electric oven for ¾ hour to 210°C, then turn down to 190°C and use the ordinary fan-assist setting.
- For such a small mix, I made these by hand. Weigh the milk and add the required beaten egg. Dissolve the sugar into this and set to one side. Sieve the flours and baking powder well, then add the butter cut into cubes, and crumb carefully. Add the prepared fruit and nuts and bring the mix together carefully by adding the liquids.
- Roll out the scone paste and cut out 4 scones using a fluted cutter. My scones weighed 75 – 80g, and I had a small piece leftover.
- Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with silicone paper, and brush the tops with beaten egg. Rest the scones for 15 minutes, then bake for 15 – 18 minutes in the pre-heated oven; I baked them on top of a baking stone for maximum lift.
- Cool on wires
I kept the small scone, and found good homes for the other 4 on condition of getting feedback. Very positive on 2, still waiting to hear back about the other 2. Here are a couple of photographs:
The New Year has been all about developing the new business. I have a website but it just has the bare essentials of a frontpage and a bit more besides. I have a food safety system approved, but still to be completely perfected and implemented…nearly there though! Trading Standards have confirmed my retail plans are all compliant and I have an Insurance Policy in place too! Best of all, I’ve been accepted onto the Local Farmers’ Market at Alnwick, taking place on the last Friday in the month, every month…just 2 weeks to get ready for this now. And, I have an up and running financial package on my pc to take care of the accounts too. I had a meeting on Monday afternoon with a Community baking group and have some consultancy work with them commencing a week today, Friday. I am also in negotiations with the soon-to-be ex Chief Exec at Allied Bakeries Gateshead. We are looking at training packages to sit alongside the Management Consultancy project he is setting up. I also have a timetable to work to of 2 days a week baking and gathering wood; 2 days for study and the remainder for training and consultancy work. Busy and exciting too; sufficient to mean I can delay preparing the Business Plan for a few months all being well. The plan in my head is working out sufficiently well so far.
Happy New Year to you all
Andy