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Skibum

I used a small amount of organic rye flour, perhaps 10% in my white bread flour starter and that seemed to kick things up a bit.I have reduced the proofing time to 40 minutes on the batard and while a little easier to score, my lame work still needs work.  Next bake I will try a 35 minute proof for the batard/ baguette.

The boule contains about 5% whole wheat and organic rye and it is a tasty loaf, but I liked my last bake with 10% WW and 15% organic rye better -- better flavour, greater volume in less time, better oven spring and my scores held their ears on the last one.  Okay, I was a little sloppy getting the loaf into the hot DO using parchment paper and oven mitts and need to work on that as well.

Perhaps the best part is that the flavours I am getting from my SD loaves is just amazing.  I also have some VERY happy neighbours as I have been in full on experiment and bake mode and simply cannot eat all I am baking!  The long slow SD process, sorry the DMAN process I have been using really brings out the flavours of the grains, very much P. Reinhart's thesis in using time to bring out flavour and explained som much beter by dabrownman!

Tomorrow I am baking up supplies for my upcoming BC road trip.  A couple of nights in Golden with friends to celebrate my birthday Monday and paddle the Kicking Horse River Tuesday, Wednesday to Sicamous for a couple of days beach time and then up to paddle the Clearwater River and have a look around.

Happy baking folks!  Brian

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Skibum

. . . just rolled in to flavour town!  This is one of the nicest tasting loaves I have ever produced.  I am totally hooked on sourdough now, am using dabrownmans excellent SD methods of work and am achieving the best tasting bread I have ever baked!  THANKS dabrownman, you are DMAN!

My next project is to re-bake all of my favourite recipes dman style in sourdough!

60 grams 100% levain

195 g bread flour

30 g whole wheat

45 g organic rye

210 g water

1 Tbs honey

1 Tbs oil

1 tsp salt

Autolyse WW and rye in equal quantity water for 7 hours, then add bread flour the rest of water and auto another hour.  Mix, develop dough and bake.  I baked this loaf in a dutch oven covered for 20 minutes @ 500F and a further 10 @ 450F convection uncovered, rotating the DO @ 5.  This recipe made a really nice sandwich loaf!

Regards, Brian

 

 

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Skibum

Since my mutant loaf a couple of days ago I have spent great care in both pre-shaping an shaping and the results are much better.  New to sour dough baking on a regular basis I let the first 2 batches proof for an hour and scoring was most difficult.  I suspected over proofing.  On today's bake I proofed the loaf on the right for 50 minutes and it was reasonably easy to score, though I had trouble with the lame and had to use a serrated knife.  The loaf on the left, which proofed longer was nearly impossible to score by any means, so definitely over proofed.

This is a lean hearth loaf at 80% hydration with total flour at 300 grams.  I suspect that even at 50 minutes the dough was over proofed.  Next bake I will proof one mini loaf for 40 minutes and the second for 45.

I am most impressed with the chew and crumb on this bread and LOVE the flavour the SD baking process brings to breads.

I got on the lean bread flavour kick a couple of weeks ago.  I bought some Western Bratwurst from my local Swiss deli then realized I had no long buns and bought one of their baguettes, which looked not bad.  This was my first store bought loaf since finding TheFreshLoaf and BOY was I disappointed. 

Reading some of the complex bakes here used to make me tired, just reading the recipe descriptions!  I have realized now, that very little time is spent building the levain's and dough's and one must let the magic of time do it's work.  I am loving the whole process and REALLY loving the finished results.  GREAT FLAVOUR!!!  I now get it . . .

Best regards, Brian

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Skibum

Okay this loaf definitely blew a tire and I am not sure why. Overproofed? Underproofed?  Poorly shaped?  Poorly scored?

This was a simple lean hearth loaf using my new SD starter and following dabrownman's excellent instructions:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/34282/modifying-peter-reinharts-recipes-sour-dough-starter

to the tee.  HELP, any suggestions would be welcome. Other than the sidewall blowout the crumb looks pretty good and the flavour is great!

TIA, Brian

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Skibum

I just baked a half batch using Syd-a's, recipe.  Great recipe and great pita the very first time:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/34155/pita-pillows

So it was pita pockets instead of sandwiches for lunch today.  This one definitely goes into my baking rotation.  I sized these at 104 grams and think I will go larger, say 120 g next bake.  Flavorings in the next batch would also be interesting.  Hmmm garlic and rosemary . . .

Thanks again for sharing Syd-a!

Happy baking!  Brian

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Skibum

Well my nieghborhood has turned into a reclamation camp.  I had EMS and Technical Rescue workers from as far away as the State of Illinois set up in front of my house for two days:

These people are here to help my friends and neighbors, so I baked a big batch of Pulla -- 4 loaves to help feed our helpers.  It was a hit with the Fire and EMS people on the scene.

I have been working with very small bake batches, ie 300 g flour for several months now.  I have to say that I got a better product working with a larger amount of dough.  This is the best Pulla bake I have ever had and chalk it up to the baking experience I have gained over the last 1 1/2 years of Fresh Loafing:

For some the world is returning to normal, but for others the real struggle begins and the recovery continues:

This has been very sad and most hard to watch.

After a week's closure in both directions the Trans Canada Highway re-opened today.  It still looks like a war zone . . .

Happy baking TFLers!  Brian

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Skibum

. . . bake on a day like today.  I baked cheese bisquits from PR's ABED. I'm afraid I haven't had much appetite these past few days as the southern half of my province, my town and immediate nieghborhood have bee hit hard by record flooding.  My first thought was to bake something up for the troops in the 'hood, but they were gone by the time these were out of the oven.

The first photo shows my home on Grotto Road, Canmore, Alberta, Canada, looking soouth east:

The next photo looks south west.  These homes back on to Cougar Creek.  Please note the police tape:

This photo shows why the police tape and mandatory evacuation for those families was made:

By this time Saturday, 8 huge shovels had been working nearly 72 hours continuously to try and save the houses. Sadly all but 2 of the houses visible on the left are deemed NOT fit for habitation and are in danger of demolition.

For 2 days I defied the evac order collecting rain water to filter, boil and use.  We had electricity the whole time and after 3 days, the gas is back on and I can pack up my old Coleman camo stove:

Happy baking folks and ALWAYS appreciate the bounty of what you have.  It can be taken from you at any time.

Happy baking folks, Brian  :-(

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Skibum

I had a hankering for something sweet and PR's cinnamon buns from ABED turned out great last time.  Both raspberries and blueberries, my favourites, were on sale 2 for 1 this week, so I also wanted to bake with berries.  My inspiration ws to take a handfull of rasps and a handfull of blueberries, coarsly chop them and spread them on the first part of the ready go roll cinabuns:

You just got a taste of berry on the inside of the buns and the result was good enough, I will increase the amount of berry next time I bake thee!

YUMMM!!!

Happy baking!, Brian

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Skibum

I googled and came across a vbery interesting recipe where the baker was doing tiramisu in cupcakes:

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2010/08/tiramisu-cupcakes.html

I baked some lady fingers in a cupcake tray, cecided there was not enough room for filling and baked the rest of the ladyfingers in small ramekins with lots of room for yummy filling AND for cupcake bake layers.

The actual recipe I used was c/o Wolfgang Puck:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/wolfgang-puck/tiramisu-recipe/index.html

Topped with grated dark chocolate, these bad boys are setting up now.  Do yo think a dollup of whipped cream would be over the top?

This will be a nice cool down following a dinner of blackened chicken alfredo!

Happy baking, Brian

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Skibum

I finally got up the nerve to try this recipe and to my surprise, was not that difficult.  I had this batch of dough on the go when Floyd posted his raspberry version.  As raspberries and blueberries are my favourite field berries and are (almost) always in my fridge, I used a half and half mix of berries.  This is a seriously tasty coffee or dessert bread and one of the best things I have ever taken out of my oven.  As Floyd says, "HEAVEN!" Amen to that.

I rolled the dough out thinner than the recommended 1 cm, but it didn't hurt the final result.

Ready for the oven.

Enduring the cool down period.

The fin ished goods!  I found that a half a batch made quite a large loaf, so I gave some to my neighbours.  Their five year old girl coundn't get enough of it, so I am starting another batch.  I will try and apple and cinnimon variation for this batch.

GREAT RECIPE!

Regards, Brian

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