Every once in a while I feel the need to make a more simple bread; one that will make a great sandwich. With that in mind I decided to make a version of a Pain Au Levain using some French style flour from KAF, whole wheat and some dark rye flour and toasted wheat germ in the final dough.
Long time, no see, TFL.
In summary I've been away, coping with a hefty workload and tending to personal matters. Of course, I continued baking---a tendency I doubt will be curbed or abandoned. Why's that? Because baking is my stress-reliever. (I'm sure many homebakers can relate.)
Without further ado, I present to you my latest experiment: Cumin Walnut Cheese Rye Sourdough Bread.
I have too much starter, and I am too frugal to throw it out (sorry Mr. Forkish) so I made Sourdough-Bacon Pancakes
Then it was time to bake off the loaves from the overnight proof
Time to take the lids off
I've made Bialys before using high-gluten flour that I purchased via mail order. The cost with S&H for a 3lb bag is $13. That's OK for something I only make once in a while, but still I wouldn't be opposed to getting the price down. I don't know anyone that I could order commercial flour through, but even if I did I am not interested in a 50lb bag. What I want is something I can buy off the self at my local chain grocery store.
Yesterday, i was meaning to bake Hansjoakim's (a TFL member) Pain au levain with Rye sour, but changed my plans at the last moment. I stared at the Ripe Rye sour sitting in the bowl and thought of possible alternatives to my intitial recipe. I wanted a 100% wholegrain bread so I browsed through the bread books i have and found that most recipes needed a soaker of some kind, which i had none. I decided to improvise and bake some bread with my whole wheat and whole rye flours.
Somehow, I had overlooked the formula for Whole Wheat Multi-grain bread in Hamelman's Bread. Thanks to Khalid (Mebake) for calling it to my attention! When he named it his favorite bread, I knew I had to try it.
This is a 50% whole wheat bread made with a liquid levain and added instant yeast. It has a soaker of mixed grains and seeds. I found I had to add about 15 g of water to the dough during mixing to achieve a medium consistancy.
I baked W-chocolate campagne for valentine.
Cocoa campagne with lots of big chunk of bitter chocolate, cranberry and orange peel.
I love the combination of chocolate and fruit....the multiplication enrich the chocolate flavor!
best,
kiki
10/7/18 This post has been updated to include a sourdough starter here
Facebook friend and co-baker David Wolfe asked me to help him understand some terms in a German recipe. Google translate (always good for a laugh!) is not too fluent in professional German baking lingo.
Today was, well, not your ordinary Saturday.
Instead, the morning was spent in the company of 9 beginning bakers, ages 5-9 (and their adult "assistants"). Off-hand, I'd estimate more of the bakers were closer to the age 5 end of scale. There were three dad/daughter combos, a couple of grandmothers with grandson or granddaughter, and the rest were mom and child. All in all, some really nice kids. We baked two different breads; one a cheese and onion scone (some opted not to use the onions) and the other a Cape Seed Loaf.
