This is my second try at baguettes, my first was unworthy of a blog, it was overmixed, shaping was lousy, and crust and color were lacking. Now that iam getting the hang of it, i really love Poolish baguettes. The nutty fragrance of a poolish is indeed intoxicating.
My last week at work brfore going on leave rolled around and i decided to make a batch of bread and give my starter to someone that i hope to be able to trust looking after it, i chose someone who loves my bread and has promised to look after it in the manner that it has been accustomed.
Hello,
I first tasted Pan de Cioccolate, an amazing bread!, when it was served to students at SFBI's weekend Baguette workshop last October. I was so happy to see that bread again, when attending my recent class there :^)
The formula for this bread is in Advanced Bread and Pastry, so today I gave it a go.
My husband loves it too, and upon tasting it, requested that I bake it for his birthday and stick a candle in it! :^)
We took a little driving holiday down to San Francisco, and stopped at some really nice bakeries while we were away.
I took some pictures! Couldn't resist!:
Pearl Bakery in Portland, OR (large pugliese!):
It's much nicer to live with my wife, along with San Joaquin Sourdough, than alone. And if there is any bread that makes her happier than San Joaquin Sourdough, it's the Cinnamon-Raisin-Walnut Bread from BBA. So I baked some today.
The Bread Bakers Guild of America recently hosted a class, “Introduction to Artisan Bread”, at SFBI on June 18-19. I signed up for this one - it was a really good class!, with theory and lots and lots of hands on. SFBI generously donated their space for this class, and SFBI instructor Mac McConnell and assistant David were both volunteering their time.
Today I made a variation on Reinhart's Cinnamon-Raisin-Walnut Bread from Bread Baker's Apprentice. As usual I mixed Pecans and Walnuts. This time--being out of raisins--I used dried cranberries, soaked, drained and sprinkled with sugar.
Here it is:
It's very good. The cranberries have a nice tooth and touch of tartness.
Glenn
While I enjoy a variety of breads, the San Joaquin Sourdough remains my “go to” bread. It's easy to fit into a busy schedule. It uses few ingredients. It always tastes delicious. It's wonderful freshly baked but also makes great toast, French toast, garlic bread and croutons for salads or onion soup. It is almost as good after being frozen as fresh. What's not to like?
