Blog posts

Recently been corresponding with Katy 'Bakingbad' and the subject of Pate Fermentee was explored especially as a possible way of getting a stronger sour into S/D. As most of you are aware its a French term for adding old dough to a new mix.  It got me thinking about something i spotted years ago in a local West Australian bakery when i was chatting to the owner during his weighing up for his production. I recognised the different things that he was scooping up from under the counter bins  except one so took a closer look, he smiled and said its "bread crumbs".

This is a 66% rye bread made with fresh milled rye sifted so it's close to a medium grind rye flour.  I added some fresh milled spelt as well which really compliments the rye.  I had some left-over cheese grits from my wife's breakfast the other day so into the mix it went along with some mashed potatoes which were roughly mashed.

I've always wanted to bake hoagie rolls but for some reason was too intimated to try. Maybe because these involve shaping multiple little loaves at once? I don't know but I'm hooked! These were fun to make and they came out great! These are also a great way to practice shaping, as you have to do so many at once. I baked 12 loaves in al. Thinking of making sourdough rolls next, topped with sesame seeds! 

A few months after Alan (aka alfanso) posted his bake of the Scott McGee ciabatta, I finally got around to baking the bread.  The result was pleasing, with one loaf consumed at home by my wife and me and the other given away to a neighbor.

I've been baking bad for just over a year now. Sourdough obsession came, peaked and then subsided for a few months whilst travelling. Its back with a vengeance as is my bread!

I came home to a very sorry looking starter. Abandoned for two months it was grey and stinky and had black water covering it. So, I just poured it off, mixed it all together, took a tablespoon and fed it. 

After a few days feeding it bounced right back. Hello bubbles and sweet fruity aromas.

My brother, Aaron, and I are both enthusiastic amateur rye bread bakers. Since we live on opposite sides of the country, we often exchange pictures and messages about our bread baking adventures, and occasionally we like to bake the same recipe to compare results. 

A few weeks ago, Aaron baked Frisian Black Bread from The Rye Baker twice in the same week. He couldn't get the dough to rise very far in the final proofing stage and ended up with dense loaves both times.

For my second sourdough loaf I tried this awesome recipe:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/59838/stout-and-2year-old-white-cheddar-sourdough-oats

I followed it pretty exactly, but added caramelized onions and 1/4 tsp instant yeast. I still want to work on getting a slightly better oven spring and more open crumb, but it tasted amazing! I'm still trying to figure out if I am over proofing, under proofing, or not developing the gluten enough.

Provolone Piccante… again? Yup, last week’s bread tasted so good that I want Provolone in my bread for another week. Although I’ve kept the cheese, the rest of the formula is completely different. However, that’s still saying a lot considering how afraid of boredom I am.

I was so busy the past week that I wanted to make something quick to celebrate Father's Day. Instead of making bread, I decided to make cookies. This is just my second time to bake cookies; I am slowly exploring quick breads in my oven. It was quick but not that easy because of a few components which was inspired by the cookie principle of Monsieur Albouze. I made 3 giant single serving cookies, though roughly the same but with a variation for each.