Blog posts

I decided to repeat my last weekend yeast water/sourdough levain bake.  I had run out of the flour I prefer to used my second choice.  The dough was really wet, although the gluten development was good, it was a really soft dough and I was happy how it baked up.

This weekend I decided to use 50% of that same flour and 50% of my normal flour.  I checked the formula and now see that yes it is a really wet dough!!  50% water (Bakers percent) and 30% yeast water!!!  

It's been a while since I have blogged here, but I have been baking. In the past couple weeks, I have actually baked some new stuff that I think is worth sharing.

Rainy days have long come over but the luscious, sweet and juicy mangoes that I have frozen remind me of summer. Hot and humid sunny days where you spend your time outdoors playing, kite-flying, swimming only to go home at dusk smelly and dirty. Ah! The good old days! It's the time almost every kid is looking forward to...

... the rain just can't stop me in bringing summer into our home. Summer's Last Hurrah! I made this fabulous mango tart.

The einkorn used in this bread was given by a friend. To let its flavour shine, I paired it with white whole wheat flour.

40% Einkorn Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

180g      60%       Whole white wheat flour

120g      40%       Whole einkorn flour

Just purchased 25# Durum Wheat berries from Farm Flavors Hole Grains in Chilton, WI.  Dave Meuer and his wife run a farmhand have Einkorn (avl. 8/18), Durum Wheat, Emmer, Oat, Rye and Spelt in berries and flours they mill on the farm.  Number is 920-418-2676.  Website is www.meuerfarm.com.  He makes the rounds of Central Wisconsin and delivered right to my door.  I purchased the durum berries for $22.50 which is a great price considering they are organic and delivery was free.

In last months I was experimenting quite a lot with fermentation process. This bread is the result of latest experiment where I am testing the procedure how to get really well open crumb. Basically this is the amended Tartine country loaf recipe which starts with the true autolyse (just flour+water) for several hours, continues with adding starter, one hour resting period, adding salt plus additional water (double hydration), followed by at least 6-8 stretch & folds at about 30 minutes intervals during the bulk fermentation.

This is a pretty simple bread made with 55% fresh milled and sifted Durum flour along with a little fresh milled whole wheat and KAF French style flour.  The Instant Pot yogurt was added to soften the crumb and roasted sweet potatoes add some extra tenderness and flavor.

This was a very tasty bread, perfect grilled with some melted cheese brushed with a good olive oil.

This is a 50% whole-grain spelt bread, the rest of flour is T500 (strong white flour).

The dough was hand mixed with 4 hour long autolyse, then starter was mixed in and the gluten was developed with scoop & stretch method. Salt added after about 30 minutes and a bit of additional  scoop & stretch for about two minutes and then stretch & folds every 45 minutes for first 3 hours of BF.

I am still trying to get my retarding times sorted in the new wine cooler. So yesterday evening I did a not very scientific experiment and put it in the wine cooler at 6C for 5 hours....I have found that the dough takes quite a while to 'cool' down and when I took dough temp after 5 hours it was 9C before baking...

Took the loaf to a barbecue today and thankfully people know me when they saw my reaction once someone cut the loaf!  It must have been the Disco light that did it in the wine cooler!

After baking a loaf of yellow bread, it makes total sense to attempt creating orange bread next, right? This might sound odd at the beginning: mangoes, carrots, coconuts, oranges, ginger and coriander with… pancetta? But not so much if you think about how heavenly a combo prosciutto and peaches (or melons) make.

Vibrant Orange Sourdough with Pancetta