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Hello Everybody!

Coming home from Portland late yesterday evening I had no time to make any pre-doughs for today's baking. So everything was stretched and folded, except for my usual Pain a l'Ancienne dough. No kitchen octopuses to battle this time, the doughs behaved and didn't try to take over the countertop. This morning I got an early start with my baking and was done just in time to Meet The Press.

Tyrolean Pumpkin Seed Mini Breads

Wholewheat Anise-infused Apple Sour bread

Started as the all-white flour Apple Sour bread from the Cordon Bleu Professionals Baker's guide.

Adapted by fellow Arizonan Stephanie Petersen for whole wheat.

Then tweaked by me.

The "sour" refers to week-old fermented shredded apples, not to the flavor.

The texture is moist, the smell and flavor are woodsy with a light background of anise. The apples are inperceptably in the background.

This is my 1st attempt at a multigrain loaf, Hamelman's Wholewheat Multigrain with 50% wholewheat, multigrain soaker, and a liquid levain. It is essentially a partial sourdough, with  1tsp yest added to the final dough.

As i only have white wheat on hand, i used white wheat flour, so the crumb is pale. other 50% is All Purpose.

Experimentation with baguettes never seems to end. Today I decided to try a one day sponge instead of my usual poolish. In addition, I let the rest of the flour and water (that not being occupied fermenting in the sponge) have a one and one half hour autolyse. I then did a double bulk ferment, the first in the fridge for two hours, the second at room temperature for another hour after folding the dough.

What an easy wonderful bread. I went to your blog for your "original " version as I didn't have time to do the soaker. I have been impressed by breads but this one is WAY at the top. Sweet and tender and oh the crust ...it sang and sang. 

I just finished making croissant dough for the very first time with information I could find on the internet. Wow. Making croissant dough is tough, and I'm still I'm not sure I did it correctly. What I just made tastes good, though it's reminiscent of a bread-child between a buttermilk biscuit and a croissant.

In a continuing attempt to improve my handling of higher hydration doughs, I baked Jason's Quick Coccdrillo Ciabatta Bread and a Focaccia bread.  They actually turned out good enough that I wasn't ashamed of them so here are some pictures.

Jason's Quick Coccdrillo Ciabatta Bread

Crumb

Focaccia Bake

I use three enamelled pots with cast iron cores (each is 3.5 qt. size, one round and two oval) frequently now in my bread baking---all three fit nicely into my oven at the same time--- and am delighted with the perfect crust and crumb this Lahey method delivers unfailingly. And for superior taste, I always employ a 24-48 hr+ initial cold refrigerator ferment,  using ice cold water (77%), instant yeast .7%, table salt 2%, and 100% unbleached Canadian white all-purpose flour.