Blog posts

I haven't made bread with my Yeast Water starter in a while so I figured I would try making a YW levain using my proofer set at 86 degrees F. and see how it came out.  I was hoping the proofer would allow the YW levain to develop better than it usually does and it did not disappoint.  The levain was made in 2 builds with the first one lasting 7 hours and the second about 4 hours.

 Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy! This is by far the most exciting and interesting Vollkornbrot that I have ever baked, and I have baked quiet a few of them! I got this idea from the Baeko recipe database. As you might expect, I made several changes to the original formula. This bread is loaded with whole grain goodness, a high amount of fermented flour, a high amount of soaked grain and a truckload of dried fruit and toasted nuts and seeds. My approach to this bread was to simply use the fruit and nut soaker idea and throw that into Hamelman's recipe for Vollkornbrot.

I am completely amazed every time I look up from my bench and to the left and see the oven. I talk to it as I walk past it in the early morning. I feel like I know it already as I have seen it formed from the ground up. We will make great bread together ... will just take time to get to know each other.

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Miche made with High-extraction Flour

March 20, 2013

I made the Pain Au Levain 'sourdough' pg. 158 from the book 'Jeffery Hamelman Bread'.

What a lovely delicious bread that has been enjoyed by many who have baked it.

When preparing my wfo for this bake, timing was very important because, I also make dinner in it before doing my baking.  

I call our dinner on Mike's work days 'time orders'.  

When he arrives home from a cycling exercise ride.  He has just enough time for showering and eating before, leaving the house.

So dinner is on table usually about 4:15.

I just returned yesterday from my first visit to Haiti as one of a group of 16 graduate students in public health, forestry and environmental studies, and nursing. Our route took us from Port au Prince, the capitol city devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010, through the Artibonite Valley, the epicenter of the subsequent cholera outbreak, and finally to the city of Hinche in the Central Plateau, the site of a suspected sewage dump that set off an epidemic that has killed thousands.

I hope you'll forgive me for making an off topic post, but my last post didn't do justice to how pretty it is Poland right now.  I wanted to do a quick post to share pictures of a few of the sites here.  

Warszawa:

Made this for the first time having read txfarmer's extensive post on this bread. It certainly does live up to its reputation of being the softest sandwich loaf ever. The extensive dough kneading required produced a dough so silky smooth that I couldn't help myself but to have a taste of the raw dough. And disturbingly I wanted more of it. Hmm..

Good enough to be eaten as a snack.

Kong

I love the crustiness I get with the Jim Lahey style bread. But if I store in in a plastic bag, it crust goes all soft. How can I keep it out on the counter for 3-5 days? Someone suggested keeping it in a paper bag. Anyone ever had luck with that?

By the way, I'm new to The Fresh Loaf but not new to bread baking. Started 40 years ago with the Tassajara method. Am now quickly become a Laher and Reinhart devotee (but I kind of miss the therapy of all that kneading).