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Ask Questions, More Importantly Know the Answer

I think about bread a lot.  This idea is very hard for me to convey to people.  Then, again, many of my ideas are hard to convey.  This is typical of somebody with Asperger’s, even more so when the co-morbid obsession is bread.

I forget other people don’t know what I know.  It also irks me when people ask me to give more explanatory background on something I consider to be plainly obvious. 

So in response to a recent post, I decided to try Beth Hensperger's Sennebec Hill bread for myself, to see if the original recipe was problematic as I initially suspected. This is an enriched multigrain bread with 3 different flours, as well as rolled oats and yellow cornmeal. 

It's been too long since I baked up some Vermont Sourdough, so that was today's bake. Why have I waited so long?!   The loaves sang as soon as they emerged from the oven, and the crust developed those beautiful hairline fissures we all aspire to achieve. 

We were struggling with our normally robustmRye sour and Desem mixed SD starter.  It had been left for dead after its last feeding and storage about a month ago.  I had baked 4 loaves of bread from the 80 g stored and had 40 g left and it was looking the worse for wear.

Today, I baked 2 loaves of New York Deli Onion Sourdough Rye from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  They look ALOT better than the previous attempt.  It's amazing what can happen when you watch the bread and make sure it doesn't overproof.  I'm still getting used to my make-shift microwave proof box.  The temp in there is about 80F so proofing loaves goes really fast.  I also reduced the amount of yeast in the bread to 1 1/2 tsp. instead of 2 tsp.

I know this is off topic, but we're so pleased with the results, just had to post it.

The old stove never failed to deliver, but it was time to go

typical between-times mess

Finished. The stove is a dual-fuel Electrolux Icon

Yeast water + Water wheel + Buns = Yeast water wheel buns (I hope my math checks out)

Incubated for over two weeks, the yellow hued liquid bubbled and frothed, wafting a mild but sweet aroma. It was time, I thought. Time to test my very first yeast water---a culture of microbes created and substained by only three ingredients: mineral water, honey, and loose tea leaves.

I do not remember seeing any posts to the well-written and illustrated emagazine BREAD written by a Finnish enthusiast, Jarkko Laine. Volume 4 has just been issued and you can access it -as well as the three previous volumes at his website: wwwinsanelyinterested.com

Enjoy!

Mmmmm. Very, very morrish.

delicious cornbread

Don’t like to blow my own trumpet but this far exceeded my expectations.

I have never warmed to the idea of cornbread, even though I like corn.

This is really tasty, you could eat it alone with a nice salad.

I slightly rewarmed it today and had it as my lunch with a salsa type salad….Scrummy:)

In the better late than never category, I baked my first ever stollen tonight using Peter Reinhart's recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  I made up some of my own almond paste, using ground almonds, confectioner's sugar and Karo light syrup.  I am resisting the urge to sample this until Christmas.