Blog posts

It's a non-baking day (i.e. I don't bake for customers on Mondays), so of course what I end up doing is baking. I usually try out new recipes or variations on Mondays. Given that I got a lovely Pullman pan for Christmas, I decided to try Pain de Mie. This was a recipe from America's Test Kitchen "Bread Illustrated". I followed it exactly, but if I make this again I will cut the amount of yeast in half.

This is the continuation of my sourdough viennoiserie series. This time I used AP flour for the dough. I also have some milk that is going to expire so that's what I used as the liquid. For all the levain builds I also used milk as the liquid and fed it with AP. 

I've been baking this traditional sourdough for quite a while now.

The method is described here:

http://breadtopia.com/whole-grain-sourdough/

I changed it by using rye sourdough starter rather than wheat as called for in the description, and because I was a little low on whole wheat flour this particular bread has a higher proportion of spelt.

My recent effort in defiance of the 'vegetables belong with your main course only' claim: courgette (or zucchini to many) loaf - here's the link to the detailed recipe. Sliced and cooked courgettes plus some mashed potatoes - the bread has great texture, slices well so a good sandwich loaf, and it toasts like a dream.

This weekend's baking was totally different from my normal style. 

I dug out a package of IDY that I bought a year ago (it's been that long since i've used it) and made a focaccia.

It turned out good. I didn't manage to get a crumb shot, because i made it for a dinner party and, you know, its a bit awkward to stop everyone from eating while I take a few photos! LOL! But the crumb was nice and open, full of bubbles and I think that's how it's supposed to be. 

Well friends, ski season is full on! I have been baking lots, but have not had a lot of time to post. Well this pita certainly had a pocket! I haven't baked pita in a while and the last recipe I used had a very short, 2 minute rise time. I googled some pita recipes and ended up letting the rolled out pita proof for nearly an hour. Based on my results, it worked!

The bomb for some pork souvlaki.

I've made this loaf many times before, and it's one of my favorites. It's also a bit of a crowd favorite, at least among those who like olives.