Blog posts

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

Hello all,

I am hoping someone on this forum can lead me in the right direction.  I know that there are differences in milling between French and American flours.  I have my own home mill (a Nutrimill classic) and I would like to create French type flours at home.  I understand there are differences in humidity, ash content, malt and types of wheat but can't seem to find much guidance for the home mill.  Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Bereit sind, arbeiten Sie hart und Opfern Sie viel Auswuchs Sauerteigbrot

Yes, this is a remake of a bread that we really liked 3 years ago, Just click on the title……the ever popular - Willing to work hard and sacrifice much, sprouted, sourdough bread.  We were taken back when Lucy learned that a robot companion named Cimon (sounds like the real Simon) was blasted off the earth to the Space Station.

Latest bake..used clay clouche.Really great oven spring and ears

I married into an immigrant family from the Czech Republic.  When they bought cumin seeds in Canada, they were horrified to find that they weren’t buying their beloved “Kmin”, caraway.  These look alike, and are closely related in the plant world, but are vastly different in taste.  

Toasting the seeds, then crushing was new to me, and great to learn.  I convinced our local library to purchase “The Rye Baker”. Check out this recipe on page 290. 

Another one of my not-so-successful bakes aesthetically but the flavor is so good.