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Back again with a loaf I can't resist writing about because of the aromas the ingredients filled my house with while it was being prepared.

The corn meal used in this loaf was cooked in the morning along with part of the water, all of the molasses and all of the coconut oil.  It was left to sit out and cool all day.  The fragrance from the pot was intoxicating.

The results were a loaf with a beautiful dark golden crust and a very soft crumb.  

I've begun fiddling with Scottish Oat Cakes.  They are a bit of a departure from my usual yeasted bread baking.  What makes it tricky is that I really don't know what my target is; I suppose I may have to wait for our trip to Scotland and Ireland this summer to see whether I'm on the right track.

Hi all,

I have not autolysed for more than 2 hrs., & would like to try the "enzymatic 12hr autolyse". I have been told that this will not work with my regular starter.

Has anyone tried a 12hr autolyse with regular starter?

I will experiment, but would like to know.

ml

A very easy to make whole wheat bread:

This is a method I came up with, that marries two good techniques: Delayed fermentation, and the no knead technique.

today's baked..Beetroot and purple carrot sourdough kamut flour with seeds n raisins/walnuts

:) thank you for all the great tips and advices. and this is the results..

evon

It feels so strange to stop for a minute and think back over the week ... It has been a blur of oven firings, dough mixing, baking and cleaning.

In some ways it has been a week of major milestones ... the FIRST bake!

... but now that I am test baking everyday in the oven it really feels down to business. I have entered into a relationship with this wood burning beast and I need to tame it.

I now often think of something that Chris Bianco said about woodfired ovens - he said they teach you about heat.

Just pre-ordered Chad Robertson's next book, due out Nov. available through Amazon!

I'm sorry about the pictures on this post.  We can't get them to line up no matter what my apprentice does :-) 

Sometime things just happen because they are triggered subtly and naturally by our senses.  We are reminded of something and then these thoughts lead to other unrelated ideas.  Next thing you know you have a new bread formula designed by the simplest of things - in this case smell.

Do you get tired of kneading? Sometimes, I do. Especially if I find myself with nothing interesting to think about. Because, let’s face it. Kneading is somewhat repetitive. It’s hand-wringingly repetitive.

Others clearly have the same feeling. Some people resort to using machines to knead. But I’m not wild about using machines. They take up so much room and they’re so loud. And they aren’t easy to clean – I’m always worried about cutting myself….

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