Blog posts

Hello friends! 

This weeks' bake was fun for me, tried a few new things. Second time doing coil folds for gluten development (I like it), first time using a "young levain" (I don't like it), first time using a stencil for my design (I like it!)

Formula: 

160g 100% hydration levain (73% whole wheat, 27% rye), used after 5 hours. [Normally, I'd use it just after it peaks, 10ish hours after feeding. The dough felt a bit different this time, really soft and not as tight. It wasn't terrible, just not what I'm used to.]

294g water 

This bread is similar to another bread I baked some times ago. However, this version is, without a doubt, at least 10 times better than that one!  

5-Grains Black Sesame Parmesan YW Sourdough…with a Kick

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

Recently acquired a Mockmill and decided that Maurizio’s 50% Fresh Milled Whole Wheat Sourdough at 84% hydration would be my first attempt at using fresh milled flour. I stayed pretty close to Maurizio’s procedure, rebalancing the formula a tad for a liquid levain.

Milling organic hard red spring wheat:

And the result:

Why not just use the flour of six grains? I guess for the same reason one mills flour fresh, but also I think the mediocrity of my blender is working with me here by creating variation in the size of particles. I get some noticeable bits, along with some flour soup.

This was a bit of an experiment....my starter peaked in the evening and we needed bread but I realized that a full bulk would mean a late night and I was tired....

so after the baguette and ciabatta approach to bulk I let it bulk for 1 and 1/2 hour with 30 min coil folds until it was bubbly and showed life and then put the dough in the 5C wine cooler for the night.

At 7AM the following morning, I took it out and put it for 2 hours in 75F proofer to warm up and get a little bit more bubbly and lively...I gave it a gentle fold but left it mostly alone...

Like Ulysses to the Sirens.  Like rodents to the Pied Piper, like Cupid’s arrow to the heart, and like Springboks to Spring Break - or at least to the watering hole on the Savannah. Abel Sierra posted his version of Baguette au Levain a few days ago.  Lovely, and that might have been that!  Except that in response to Old Baker’s comment stating that he would try it, Abel’s reply was "Maybe it's difficult to get this result at home.

Having found that cider doesn't seem to add much flavor to bread, and worrying its alcohol may have hindered fermentation, I thought I'd try milk. I was curious if the milk would curdle from the acidity of the dough, and if that would matter. When mixed into dough, is curdling even something that milk does?

The fat may be the more significant part of milk in bread. The crumb turned out tighter and more tender, less chewy. There's a definite milky aftertaste, that mucusy feeling like after eating a bowl of cereal. This loaf is basically granola as bread.

We had a holiday last Friday, so a longer weekend, I've never made so many breads! Still testing weak flours and also a new recipe with a little wholemeal flour. There were 6 breads, the picture above is only 5 because one had already given away to friends. There were 3 different methods, 2 loaves each, I'll explain each one briefly and put the results photos.

Please turn your attention to Hollands' North sea coast, Friesland, one of the Netherlands' northern provinces. Alongside world-famous Dutch cheeses like gouda and edam, there is the signature Frisian Gingerbread. This 100% "quick" rye bread, was often times steamed in a water bath rather than cooked in a dry oven. Here is my interpretation of

 Stanley Ginsberg's formula

Visit The Pie king at the link below for more information and photos.

This is probably the easiest post I've ever written...

One for you, one for him, NONE for me 

Bye Bye babies...

Hope the uncles will treat you well...