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It's my husband's birthday, so I wanted to make something special and different. Inspired by so many bakers on this site, I tried something new in making this bread, improvising a bit on the ingredients. I felt a need to incorporate some fresh herbs from the garden, so I decided to alter the Tartine recipe I typically use to add a few ingredients that may be tasty together.

Lucy tends to get easily bored and wanted to take up the piano recently to try to be a little more with it and keep herself out of trouble.  I told her no one plays the piano anymore and she should consider taking up the electric guitar…but it turns out electricity scares her as much as lightning and thunder. 

We scarfed down half the first loaf in minutes for lunch today.  I am lucky I got a picture of the inside before it was gone!  This is the best bread I have every made, and I've been baking for more than thirty years.  I already have a request for more for this weekend, so now I have to learn how to take out the starter from the fridge and liven it up...  Back to the forum for advice!

Still baking.  Pretty much got it down to just my once a week routine and the occasional farmer's market.  Every week I offer two varieties.  One that is a levain bread and retarded in form.  One that is baked in a pullman pan and cut into quarters (usually a rye).  And then when I'm in the mood I'll throw in a baguette, rusitque, focaccia, or ciabatta.  

This is my first time making a ciabatta shape

I really loved the way the first version of this bread came out but I wanted to change it slightly and see if I could make it even better.

The only changes I made was to build the levain using Durum flour in a 2 step build.  I also used garlic infused olive oil instead of plain olive oil.  I also used a new proofing basket I just purchased which fit the amount of dough produced perfectly.

The results were excellent.  I like the flavor and creamy texture the increased durum starter imparted on the final bread.

Hi everyone!

Figured it was time I tried a bake in a dutch oven.  We have a Le Crueset pot but it is wide and shallow and thus not suitable.  After hunting around I figured I could use this steamer pot which was sitting in a cupboard.

Nearly 2 months has passed since my last post. Since then, a few major events has happened. For anybody who doesn't know, I've been trying to open a specialty sourdough bakery in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Southeast Asia).

It ain't easy, that's for sure!