Blog posts

 I've made German Pretzel Rolls many times now and they are always a hit at parties and just one of the best types of breads to make.  I usually make the original version using yeast and bread flour but I've made them with some dark rye and sourdough starter before as well.

This time I wanted to push the envelope a bit and used beer instead of water and added some caramelized onions to really kick it up a notch.

To get that authentic pretzel color and crust you must use Lye but if you really are afraid you can use baking soda.

[quote]Ever wonder why supermarkets have bakeries close to the store entrance? Not only does the fragrance of just-baked bread signal freshness and comfort, but store managers know that when you smell bread you get hungry. Some supermarkets don’t even bother with actual bakeries. Rather, they pump the scent of (artificial) fresh-baked-bread through the ceiling vents.[/quote]

I found the article interesting from a branding perspective, but the final paragraph was the killer app.

I love the rich nutty flavor beer adds to a sourdough especially when there is a good hearty mix of whole grain flours and add-ins.

I have finally managed to translate in English this article I published in my Romanian blog about the history of bread and bakeries. My source was the book ”The History of Food” by Maguellone Toussaint-Samat. 

I hope you will find it useful.

 Bordelaise, nothing special, surprisingly heavy, probably over-mixed. Good for soup.

Husband preferred Field Blend # 1( in the back) , less bitter than T3, but thought both were very good. There is a little more wheat in the T3, might be the difference.

At least I didn't chuck any to the birds :)

Yesterday I baked 3 Rye breads from 3 different books.

 Lower left is Bordelaise from French Culinary Inst. 10% rye, 69% hydration, machine mixed.

2 on top are Field Blend #1 from FWSY, 25% whole grain, 75% hydration, hand mixed.

This bread is a different version of a formula that Lucy dreamt up back last May that we liked very much and can be found  here: 

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/33480/dark-russian-jewish-deli-rye-porter-onion-sprouts-and-aromatic-seeds

A dear friend bought all the bread @ Tartine & is mailing some to me! 

More to follow :)

ml

I decided to use up the last of my surplus eggnog and try to improve over the recipe in my previous post.

Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients

for the dough...

450 grams all purpose flour

450 grams eggnog (Southern Comfort brand)

1.5 teaspoons instant yeast

1.5 teaspoons salt

100 grams raisins

for the icing...

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

0.5 teaspoons dried lemon peel

Procedure

I first warmed the eggnog to around room temperature.

The dough is from here. But I only had white four so... wasn´t really country dough. Made the sauce myself which turned out pretty good. Got the sauce recipe from here. I made a nasty mistake with the dough though. Lets just say the outside of the pie crust ended up much thicker then the middle. Live and learn I suppose.