Blog posts

Today it's snowing.  Not enough to bring out the snow-blower but enough to enjoy a nice cup of soup with a sandwich made with my hearty multi-grain bread.  I've made similar breads before and I followed the basic procedure but I varied the soaker/scald ingredients and the combination of flours in the main dough.

I used some Vermont maple syrup infused with vanilla to add a touch of sweetness to offset some of the bitterness from all the whole grains used in the recipe.

Latest attempt at a spelt bread was more what I was after. I still let it proof for one hour before retarding. Since reading Josh's post after I had made this I will move the shaped loaves into the fridge posthaste and not give them any bench time and see what happens. As you can see this has a lovely open crumb and I even got ears :) I attribute this to gentle handling. I incorporated John's sealing during shaping and then proofing the shaped loaf with the sealed side down and then scoring over the sealed area. Pictures show the result.

Well, this was fun!  It is nice to bake and have something to show for it in the same day!  The house smelled wonderful.  My boys and my husband's work benefitted from my labor of cinnamon roll love.  Notice that one giant end spiral. I knew it would not be mine but I hoped.  I think my oldest son or husband got that one fairly early. 

It is my first try to make a biscotti.I tried it with a fear whether it'll comeout well or not.My cousin came to help me,i added the ingredients and she mixed it and we baked them.......oh...well well well......the result was sooo good.I never expected that my first try would be a big sucess.I took American style vanilla biscotti and done my variations.I think u all would like it.

Ingredients:

Flour- 2 cups

butter-6 tbsps

vanilla extract-1/2 tsp(i used vanilla pod it gave a good texture in the dough)

baking powder-11/2 tsp

Total flour 300 grams, strong bread flour

Total water 231 grams

Sweet levain @ 100% hydration 25 grams

Yeast water levain @ 100% hydration 25 grams

Salt, 1 tsp or about 7 - 8 grams, should have spent the extra five bucks on the digi scale that gives me the decimal. .  I once again took extra care when pre-folding and folding the boule, making sure the full length of the fold was tucked in nicely.

Hello everyone,

The leaves are a blaze of color this fall, but quickly dropping from the trees, some trees already bare.

This afternoon, despite the breeze, there were a few brightly-colored leaves hanging on.
 

I baked for many years without using a mixer or any special gear. I really enjoy mixing and kneading by hand, and think it is a great way to get to know about dough.

Sourdough Boule (adapted from Wildyeastblog's Norwich Sourdough)

Yield: 2 large boules

Time:

Mix/autolyse: 35 minutes
First fermentation: 2.5 hours
Proof: 1.5 hours, then retard for 2 – 16 hours
Bake: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

900 g all-purpose white flour
120 g whole rye flour
600 g water at about 74F
360 g mature 100% hydration sourdough starter
23 g salt

Method:

Recently a customer asked me to bake a fig anise bread.   She had bought a loaf from Standard Baking in Portland Maine, and loved it, but doesn't get up there often.   At first I was a little reluctant to go down this road, as I thought figs?   anise?   really?   but then decided to see what I could come up with.   A search on TFL revealed that there was just such a bread in Nancy Silverton's La Brea book.    As this has been on my list forever, I bought a copy, procured some dried black mission figs and anise seed,

after three long operations and weeks lying flat on my back. Now I can read your news; should be able to bake again in a month or so. hurrah!