After a two month break
After a two month break, I finally am baking again.
This summer was hectic. I've been working a ton, plus there was a two week road trip around BC and western Alberta, including a few days exploring Banff and Jasper. Truly a stunning area. One highlight of being in that region was getting a chance to meet Skibum [1] and try his pulla, which was fantastic.
Right before summer began and before things got super crazy, I got ahold of a Brød & Taylor folding proofer [2]. During the summer our place is pretty warm, but as the nights are getting longer and colder, the days shorter, cooler, and wetter, I've been expecting it would come in useful.
So I finally got around to reviving my starter last weekend. I fed it Saturday night and tried baking with it Sunday. It was a cool day and things were progressing extremely slowly, so I decided to give the proofer a go.
I was very pleased with the results. My loaves which were taking forever to rise at our ambient room temperature around 18C (65F) perked up considerably at 82F. My starter wasn't dead, just a bit groggy after such a long slumber. The final loaves came out very well.
I also made a batch of yogurt in the Brød & Taylor, which I'd never tried before. It too was a success.
It's a neat new toy that I'm looking forward to playing with this winter.
ALSO, I don't know if you get it in the US, but in Canada and France today this is the Google Doodle:
It is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the Décret Pain [3], which defined a traditional French baguette.