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Back to basics for this bake.  This is my go-to, everyday bread.  I follow Hamelman's formula by the book.  I thought it would be warm enough to bulk ferment on the counter, but not much had happened by the time of the first stretch and fold, so I put it in the oven with the light on for a while.  At two and a half hours, the dough was still not where it should have been, so I did another stretch and fold and continued to ferment in the oven with the light on and off.

I had a lot of trouble with using knives to score my bread, and I ordered the French bread cutter, Bordelaise, from Amazon.  It makes doing this so much easier. Love it!  Made a 9-grain boule today, and the markings looked good. My husband even remarked about it!  It was well worth it, as I think it only cost about $15.

This is the first loaf I have baked using flour from my new Grainmaker mill—and the last loaf I will bake in this kitchen that I have been posting from for almost two years. We are moving house this weekend and amongst the piles of packed boxes and chaos I thought it might be a fitting end to try and find some time to bake a loaf and upload a post about it.

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this loaf is my second attempt baba BBA book! this recipes gives a soft and flavorful loaf for sandwich or eat alone. Gonna have it with tomato and cheese for breakfast tomorrow.

So, Tartine Country bread it is. I chose to try the much revered country recipe before venturing into more complex breads in Tartine book. Generally, I followed Chad’s instructions to the letter, including the shaping method depicted in his book.  The recipe yielded good sourdough bread, with moist interior, crackled crust, and smooth eating qualities with no acidic notes whatsoever. It is a really good bread, especially for those who have just ventured into making their own sourdough breads at home.

"Extra paradise" panettone from Cresci

I read the posts and blog entries on this forum pretty regularly, and I freely admit that there are far more sophisticated bakers posting here than I am. Many of the photos of breads, pizzas, and pastries I see look better; far better, and more appetizing than the products I see at local bakeries and restaurants.

I think that this batch is a bit better than the first, as I changed the proofing schedule a bit, making the dough late yesterday and letting it proof overnight.  I also hand kneaded it, rather than use the mixer as the recipe detailed. You learn something every time.  They seemed to puff up more during the boiling (that's the fun part; I love boiling the bagels!)   I made some homemade tuna salad, and my husband and I are going to try the still warm bagels topped with onion and garlic with the tuna salad for lunch.

I changed a recipe I found for Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread to include whole wheat, two kinds of raisins, oat bran and walnuts. It came out OK, but I think I may have left the dough to prove a bit too long as it had very strong sourdough taste.  My husband liked it, however, so that's a plus!

We were jonesing for some blueberry pancakes this morning, so I threw together the following:

2/3 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup whole rye flour

1/2 cup whole oat flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup fresh blueberries