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European Peasant Loaf

I am continuing my quest, as one of many others, for getting better oven spring and open crumb. This is my adaptation of Trevor’s European Peasant Bread.

Recipe:

150 g freshly milled spelt

150 g freshly milled rye

150 g Arva Mills whole wheat flour

820 g unbleached flour

50 g freshly ground flax

850 g filtered water

23 g Himalayan pink salt

30 g kefir

280 g 100% hydration levain (procedure for this is in recipe)

One of these kids is not like the others one of these kids is doing his own thing (a little sesame street jingle to introduce today's bake models).

With the Blue Blood Full Moon striking this week for the first time in 130 years, which won’t happen again for another 150 years, it was, if you missed it, you weren’t ever going to see it again……. unless if you are young and future medicine cures death for everyone.

I usually bake on a baking stone in a convection oven with mixed results.. Over the last few months I have managed some consistency and although the bread was good I never quite achieved what I wanted. So the other day I came across an old dutch oven in the back of my Mum's kitchen cupboard and borrowed it for a trial run.... I can safely say this is easily the best loaf I have ever made, the Dutch oven changed my bread in every single way... rise, crust, texture, taste.

Fried up these donuts for a brunch and filled them with a citrus curd made using blood oranges and rose water!

Recipe: 

Levain: 

110g bread flour

35g starter 

15g honey

60g water

Dough: 

500g bread flour

2 eggs

70g sugar

15g salt

130g milk

15g diastatic malt (optional)

all of the levain

130g butter 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

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Filling: 

1 cup sugar

8 egg yolks

20g corn starch

This week's bake was Trevor Wilson's Tartine Style Country Bread, along with a basic white to use up levain.

Monday 3 pm refresh starter 5 g + 10 g water + 15 g flour. mix and leave on bench. room temperature 26 deg Celcius

Monday 8:30 pm added 30 g water and 30 g flour. room temperature now 23 deg C. Leave overnight on bench

Tuesday 8:45 am add 45 g water + 45 g flour.  Room temperature back to 23 deg C,  Not a standard build, just wanted to keep it going till after lunch

Formula Tartine Style Country Bread

Lucy saw some Hokkaido Milk Bread yeast rolls posted last week that were based on Floyd’s great recipe.  I said at the time we would see if we could make this bread the traditional Japanese way with yeast water and a Lucy twist with her turn.

Due to long class hours, my lunch of rice and a viand cannot sustain me until dinner or until I get home. Halfway through the class after lunch, I am already starting to feel drained and lethargic and starting lose focus. Since bagels are a recent favorite and I know how satisfying and filling they are, I baked some to serve as an afternoon snack to fuel me and give some badly needed energy. :)

My first blog entry!

I have been wanting to bake my version of dmsnyder's excellent bread.  I prepared and baked as below, and I am delighted with the result.

I started with my usual 2 loaf sourdough recipe, adjusted the flours and add-in to match dmsnyder's recipe.:

Day 1: 10:00 pm

Prepare levain: