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Well my hiatus is over.  The full market has begun and I'm ready to return to the weekly trading routine.  Been hooked on the stiff levain lately so i decided I'd switch in up and build a liquid levain and then do a second build and use a young levain to keep it mellow and sweet.  I had honey in the formula and opted to omit and allow the young levain to bring the sweetness.  I kept the pre-fermented flour low to give enough time to gently build the gluten.

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Sorry this is upside down. Don't know why that happened.

Lloyd D.

This is a country style bread (mix of rye, ww, and bread flours) 75%(+) hydration leavened with my home culture. The added protein and fiber comes from pre cooked French Lentils. The crumb is soft but chewy, aroma sweet caramel, and the taste is nutty and rye. Just some slight lentil flavor. Bread has depth of flavor but only slightly sour, which is the way I like it.

AM mix, ferment at 75deg F for 8-10 hrs, will smell very fruity like peach schnapps at the end

50g starter (AP 100% hydration)

175g rye (Hodgson Mill)

Something about bagels that make a Yooper (this is now an official Webster dictionary word) winter......I mean Spring.....

tolerable. 10 inches of snow on April 5th is a cruel joke, but I've decided to make lemonade out of lemons. Bagels, a hot toddy and a good book in front of the fire. Ok, more than tolerable. 

This is a photo from last year but the recipe is the same. Very easy if anyone wants it, let me know!

  Finally the weather is starting to turn and actually feel like Spring after one of the longest and coldest winters we have had in a long time.  It was time to fire up the grill and make some hamburger and hot dogs to really make it feel like a new season.

This was festive around here this week.  Our daughter turned 23 yesterday so a more festive bread was in order.  We decided to go back to baking two smaller loaves instead of one larger one.  That way we could get two different breads, one plain and one festive, out of the same dough and one bake.  The festive one would be packed with fruit and seeds which Lucy says is way more festive than a plain loaf…. even if neither was a pumpernickel

I have been thinking about making baguettes for some time, and I finally did it, using David's recipe.  I made SO many mistakes and learned a lot. I will do my best to do a better job next time.  I watched videos over and over to do the proper shaping and still did a pretty poor job.  I think I understand the error of my ways, so I can improve on my next attempt!

 I learned a lot going through the process. It was the first time for my using a French couche cloth.

As stated by Jan Hedh in his book Swedish Breads and Pastries ‘The advantages of scalding include better kneading abilities, a strong aroma and flavor…making the bread more durable.’

I would load more pics but I'm stuck at how to add more