Well we are back from our cruise, we departed from Fremantle port late afternoon onboard the P&O Pacific Jewel for a cruise up the West Australian Coast and up to Indonesia and return.
I'm running a cycle of breads now, warehousing a few different styles to pack in my suitcase for my In-laws at the end of the month. As they've been the beneficiary of baguettes in the past and I've been shaping batards recently, I thought that I'd bake up a bunch and store them in deep freeze until the journey.
Was not planning a bake yesterday but got a call asking for a couple loaves ready for dinner that night.
I had quite a bit of nice starter available and thought I could work up a formula that would have enough levain to make it work. Decided to make a boule and a more oblong shape for different uses over the weekend.
Ended up getting nice singing loaves with a crust and crumb I had hoped for. There was enough starter to give a full rich fermented flavor and a good rise.
This week two more versions of Raisin Pumpernickel were added to the odyssey. One round - using rye/yeast water levain and one in a loaf pan - that one used only instant yeast for leavening. I'm getting closer; both breads are great tasting but I still have a ways to go with my rye skills - shaping, transferring from basket to peel, and judging when they're proofed enough and ready to go into the oven. 
I've been searching for Hodgson Mills Graham Flour since reading about Zolablue's Grandmother's Brown Bread.
I have been trying to shed a few pounds gained over the long torturous winter so I have been trying to eat much healthier. Last week I bought some all natural cottage cheese from Whole Foods under the Nancy's Cottage Cheese brand. I usually buy Breakstones 2% which I enjoy but I have to say this all natural one tasted a lot different and has a strong sour taste to it. Not to my liking for eating, but perfect for a bread.
We had all kinds of milestones this week. First off it was Lucy’s birthday. She was 11 on Tuesday but as she says.... she really was Numero Uno twice that day. She celebrated by rushing up the introduction of her newest bread product called ‘Lucy’s Bread Balm.’
The way that I’ve been doing levain builds recently has been addition by subtraction, a three stage build, started out more or less as such (for ex:):
For non-german readers spargel is white asparagus. its in season just now here in bavaria, so I just had to bake with it. This Spargel pizza recipe is delicious. For full details, go to mybreadandbrot.com
