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I've now made this twice with consistency...along with the helpful, kindly advice from this forum... I hopefully am taking the training wheels off. Started yesterday with a small preferment begun with my rye starter and assembled into a sloppy, doughy mess to bulk ferment in the proofing box.

Four hours later and the dough had almost doubled in bulk, ready for the baskets.

The dough is getting a little easier each time to handle. After shaping and placing in the bannetons, it was into the fridge for an overnight retardation....this method works very well for me.

This is another 2-3 day bread but well worth it.

A gorgeous light rye bread that is packed full of spices, orange and molasses.

A festive Swedish bread that is so fragrant, its wonderful!

Great for breakfast, lunch and dinner…

Would I eat it with salami and cheese, maybe?

This bread is really tangy and tasty, and although not a traditional easter bake, it did go down well as part of our easter lunch.

for details go to www.mybreadandbrot.com 

Oven base and sub-floor built. Next a layer of concrete board, then 6" of foamglass insulation and another layer of concrete board. From there Med-Duty firebrick for the hearth floor. The dome will be fireclay and sand. Insulation layer for dome vermiculite and fireclay. The oven will be under a roof so no need to further weather-proof at that point. It can be stucco'd for a more finished look and protection. The base can be discarded in the future and the sub-floor lifted and moved to a new spot if needed. I hope to purchase a trailer and move it there permanently.

Hi TFL folks.

Long time, no post, but I couldn't let an Easter pass without my customary hot cross bun report. First, some eye candy (healthier to indulge via the eyes than scoff these fat-and-calorie bombs, especially if, like me, you allow yourself the indulgence of  slathering on the butter - it's fortunate Easter comes but once per year).

 Why yes, I am.  But this time, I had to tear myself away from my standard Baguette Crusade.  My wife wanted me to try making a batard out of the same dough so that she could slice pieces large enough to ensure that the bread would serve as more than just a bite-sized snack.  And I had just enough left over for a skinny cross-hatched baguette.

Applying what I learned when I went back to basics, I mixed up a total levain based sourdough.  Of course during the rising period I had my doubts and although I have a multitude of patience being married to Mr. A.D.D., I get impatient watching the dough rise!  

very happy with the oven spring

formula:-

70% bread flour

30% freshly milled wholewheat flour

1.8% salt

30% starter (over 3 builds)

60% hydration

dried longan rehydrated with hot water, liquid from rehydration then used to make up 60% hydration as per above

mix everything save for the salt until a shaggy mess

autolyse 30 mins

add salt, knead for 5 mins rest 5 mins knead another 5 mins

If it’s Good Friday then this is Hot Cross Bun Bake Day.   This year we did a sprouted grain, poolish version after the YW and SD versions the past 2 years.  This one really proofed well and then sprang great in the oven.