Blog posts

The 123 SD recipe is one of the very best ones and by far the easiest to remember.  It seemed the perfect recipe for Job’s Challenge Bake where the baking process in the temporary, brick WFO would be a bit complex and way more complicated than using the electric Big Old Betsy that bakes our usual loaves.

I had some Chocolate Coffee flavored Malted Wheat left-over from a rye bake from last year and it was just crying out to be used in a porridge style bread.  Throw in some cream cheese and shaved Parmesan cheese (not that grated powder stuff that tastes like saw dust) and mix with some freshly ground Spelt and Whole Wheat and a few other goodies and what's not to like?

I have been making panettone for some years now but I have always done them with commercial yeast. I've always wanted to try to do them with natural leavening but everything i read about such recipes seemed to indicate that doing them was a life's work.  So, since I am retired and my life is fairly free and clear I thought I'd give it a go. I was also intrigued by this recipe: http://http://www.academiabarilla.com/italian-recipes/regione-lombardia/panettone.aspx 

One of my pilates instructor is going to a party and she has to bring a homemade gift. The problem is that she isn't very domestic so I volunteered to make her one of those soups in a jar and a loaf of bread. While I was at it, I made up enough dough to give the soup kitchen 3 loaves next Monday. I usually bake for them on Sunday but I can't make up the dough on Saturday as usual since my family is having Xmas dinner on Saturday and I won't be home. So this worked out well.

Here isJob;s Challenge Post - http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/49867/no-oven-bread-day-december-16-2016

Pretty much the same recipe as my first bake, except for rye instead of whole wheat and no honey. 

I'm never trusting non nonstick pans again, but it tastes great. 

• Water: 400 grams, 1 3/4 cups
• Sourdough Starter: 70 grams, 1/3 cup (omit if making the instant yeast version)
• Instant Yeast: 1 tsp.

A trip down to that fabulous Italian grocery store, Laurenzo's, a week ago to pick up more durum flour.  20 lbs. in three buckets, because a 50 lb. bag is just way out of my league.  

The owner asked if I was making pasta.  No, bread.  After some shop talk and few snapshots, he said that his dad would love some of the sesame semolina.  Could I bake some for him?  Why, yes.  And I added an olive levain to boot, just for fun.  

Levain

40g starter

40g AP flour

40g bread flour 

80g water

Dough

350g bread flour

122g AP flour 

340g water

9g salt

184g levain

25g honey

Method

Mix levain and set in warm place for 6 hours

Mix flour and water 2 hours before levain is done

Mix everything 

Slap and fold (I gave up half way through so the gluten wasn't well developed) 

Set in oiled bowl and rest 30 min, then stretch and fold 

Repeat 30 min rest then stretch and fold, 3 more times