CalBeachBaker's blog

Today's bake - Orange & Vanilla Sourdough

This bread is a mix of fresh milled hard winter red wheat and white whole wheat flour and AP flour combined with some orange zest I had in the freezer and vanilla extract. I was going for a mild orange/creamy flavor profile that I think I've achieved.

Tasting Notes

Crumb - Sweet/Dairy with notes of milk, orange, and vanilla

Crust - Resinous with notes of french roast coffee beans and vanilla bean

Grain Character - moderate with a slight taste of cooked oatmeal

Today's Bake

Rouge de Bourdeaux & White Whole Wheat Sourdough

Based on: Tartine - Book No. 3 by Chad Robertson - White-Wheat Blend (Ode to Bourdon)

I've become interested in milling my own flour but before I took the plunge I purchased some Rouge de Bourdeaux freshly ground flour from Barton Spring Mill (https://bartonspringsmill.com/products/copy-of-rouge-de-bordeaux) to check it out.

This is my 3rd time baking these delicious baguettes for friends and family. The common response I get - "I can't stop eating them!".

Easy and tasty - here's the link to the recipe.

Sources: Adapted from Roxana Jullapat @ BBGA who adapted it from Clotilde Dusoulier @ Chocolate & Zucchini 

To celebrate St. Valentine's day I made these delicious Sourdough Chocolatines. They have an intense chocolate taste while not being overly sweet. So far they have been a hit and make a nice addition to an espresso or coffee.

Recipe and process are below for those interested.

Scorched Crust Sour Rye - Gersterbrot (Germany)

The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

My latest bake - this bread has a nice light rye taste to it due to the amount of white rye in the recipe.

Hi everyone,

Here's my response to the Community Bake - Rye Bread, the Franconia Crusty Boule  /  Frankisches Krustenbrot (Germany) from The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

I am quite pleased with this bake. I really enjoy the added bread spice called Brotgewürz however the next time I make this bread I'll increase the amount. I can see how this bread goes with savory foods and dark beers and veined cheeses.

An additional photo and the recipe and process for those interested.

Ammerland Black Bread   Ammerlander Schwarzbrot (Germany)

The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

I baked this bread mid-Dec and haven't had a chance to post. 

This bread is a nice heavy and crunchy loaf. I think I baked it a little too long which made it a tad dry but I wanted to be sure it was not gummy.

Tasting Notes:

Today's bake is again the Valais Rye   Walliserbrot (Switzerland) 2nd Time - The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg.

This time with the adjustments suggested by my fellow TFL bakers (reduced proofing time and smoothing the top with a wet spatula).

I used a parchment paper lining  which made removal from the pan easy and had the added benefit of a vastly softer crust.

Valais Rye   Walliserbrot (Switzerland)  from The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

The latest new bake is a Walliserbrot courtesy of The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg. I had to scale this one for a single large pan.  Note to self, always use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for ease of extracting the loaf. Another improvement would be to bake it maybe 5 mins less, the internal temp got a little above the recommended 198 F, I think due to the heating efficiency of the pan. Overall I am pleased with the outcome.

Tasting notes:

Since the demise of my KA mixer and indecision on a replacement. I thought I'd experiment with hand mixing.

This bake is the White-Wheat Blend (Ode to Bourdon) from Tartine - Book No. 3 by Chad Robertson with a couple of substitutions.