Blog posts

   I have not made a porridge bread in a while and I have not used eggs in any bakes either for quite some time.  I like the extra flavor and moisture eggs add so why not use them in a porridge bread as well?

Whole eggs are around 76% water so in this bake 150 grams of eggs equals 114 grams of water which is why the total liquid amount is not higher.

Yep it is over proofed

Normally Lucy and I would be the first ones to lead this charge but we didn’t need any bread and had a few bakes scheduled in front of another 50% whole grin bake.  As most know this is probably the bread we bake the most but we usually also out in multi-grains and or sprouted flour …or both like this one.

Hi bakers, 

I've not posted here in a while because I got graduated and I was very busy, but I didn't stop baking bread and I'm happy to repost here with a new experiment: baguette!

I wanted to challenge myself with a new shape and new shaping techniques and I have to admit that all the process was challenging but far from impossible! 

The Ultimate Fast Sourdough by Jim Lahey

I haven't baked a white loaf since my disastrous encounter with Leckford Estate bread flour, so I thought it was time to excise some demons and have another try - with a different flour!

Having had success with a bulk retard in my last bake A Trio of High Extraction Loaves I decided to use the same technique again.

My first "bagel-crust" squares were a hit; a tad softer and fluffier but with all the loved characteristics of a bagel. We loved them so much that I decided to make them again with a different variation. Ian (isand66) always reminds me of the seeds and other bagel toppings in my past bagel bakes so I made this one with his suggestions in my mind.

Isn't it funny how goals change depending on where you are on your journey?

Firstly, Open crumb as a keen and quite naive beginner in October was top of the list...quickly followed by 'scoring'...oh those elusive ears in my overproofed loaves in the warm fridge phase...

Then, a new oven and a new wine cooler...everything changes again!!!!!

So, now with things being a bit 'settled' I aim to have a number of formulas that I know so well that I can 'read the dough' and get a  sort of reliable 'good' result... I seem to be getting there with the Champlain....

A few weeks ago, someone posted about a rye bread, and David Snyder referenced a recipe for Hansjoakim's 70% Sourdough Rye.  Having dabbled a bit with whole rye flour (as in Field Blend #2 from FWSY), but never having plunged deeply into that area, I decided to give it a go. Especially because the recipe sounded relatively simple and straightforward.

If you are looking for a bread with a nice rye flavor and texture, try this one.  Thanks, David!

I take photos with my phone. The Fresh Loaf upload procedure is too slow for me. I want to test out posting an image hosted from a different website.

If this works properly, you should see some pizzas we baked tonight.

 I have setup a granite slab to bake some baggies up to 12" long. Following Alfonso's setup, this one seems to work quite well. My oven has no bottom heating element, so I have to flip the baggies to color their bottoms. No big deal, and some initial poolish baggies yield seen below. Yep, they look more like batards, but tasted great.