Blog posts

This week, I baked a batch of SJSD baguettes. They aren't the prettiest I've ever baked, but I'll post a couple photos of mine, since there have been so many folks baking these and enjoying them recently.

Baguette is one of my favorites, but I have not got it quite right ... yet. 

I followed the authentic baguette recipe from Cook's Illustrated with the MegaSteam method. Based on the result, I think it was a nice try. I let the steaming going for too long, so the crust was a bit too thick. Of course more practices are needed for scoring ;P 

True to her word, Lucy took last week’s baguette bake and tried to improve it seve4ral ways.  She cut the cold time in the fridge from 19 hours to 13 hoping to the keep the dough from over proofing to get better spring, bloom and maybe ears.

She increased the sprouted whole grains for 19% to 29% - more than a 50% increase which help the flavor but probably hurt the possibility of a more open crumb.  She also subbed barley for last week’s Kamut for one of the 5 whole grains.

A continuation of my journey into the world of cold proofing the shaped, and sometimes shapely, baguettes.  This reporting of the trip again required no passport or Global Entry/Trusted Traveler documentation.  Just a curiosity of what happens when I retard the baguette dough in its final phase prior to its own voyage from couche to oven. My interest in investigating this method is nothing more than an experiment in learning about ways to control the time/temp elements of fermentation, baby steps at a time.

Like Rye breads with that tangy, sour taste?

I think this is my first post on TFL. I registered way back in July of 2011. I used to be active on CountryLife.net before Lehman's "rescued" it.

The other day, when I was making a batch of German-Style Many Grain Bread (from Peter Reinhart's "Whole Grain Breads") I did a search online to see if anyone had any comments on the recipe. A couple of the search results were on this site.

At first it was clearly the levain which objected to being returned to the west coast after spending several months on the east coast.  Finally it decided it would make due with its new, but in reality old, surroundings.  Then it was clearly my hands which had totally lost their mojo after spending those same months generously feeding the levain but not demanding that it work for its living.  One bread after another was poorly shaped, poorly developed or overproofed, or poorly scored.

I'm home for spring break, which means I'm without my starter and my scale. I've been wanting to try the tangzhong method, and I found a recipe that used cups so I could make it at home (http://www.instructables.com/id/Asian-Sweet-Bread-Hong-Kong-Pai-Bao-Hokkaido-Mil/).

These are 76% hydration, 20% levain, 30% whole wheat, with a smidge of pate fermentee for that little added umph. 

No crumb shots, because they were gifts. 

Abe, thanks for inspiring me with your scoring pattern! The boule is exactly your pattern, with a few extra very shallow swirls

Here's to making it through Monday, TFL!