Blog posts

Oops. Well - you can't win 'em all. This monster was supposed to be 8 cheese topped white rolls (http://www.food.com/recipe/cheesy-bread-rolls-124244). I had a nice bit of cheese going spare so thought I'd give them a go. I used Doves Farm organic white flour. I'm staying at my friend's house (cat sitting) and she has an excellent oven so I couldn't resist trying it out. The dough was very wet and unworkable as I tried to knock it back and knead it. I have no idea what I did wrong.

This was my third time attempting croissants. I used txfarmer's adjusted recipe but I used bread flour instead of the AP suggested. I was really going after those thin layers, the honeycomb, etc.

Unfortunately I didn't have access to a higher quality, high fat, european-style butter, so I tried the "beat some flour into the butter" method. Not sure if this helped or not, but I imagine it helped absorb some of the water from the butter I used, also helping it to plasticize more easily.

The experimentation and excitement continues. Who knew you could get excited by a bread roll? Forgive me - I'm a newbie remember. I haven't tried using white flour or making white bread so I thought I would start small, half a roll recipe and see what happened. I made these four wee things yesterday. The recipe is here: http://www.thebreadkitchen.com/recipes/scottish-morning-rolls-recipe/

100% whole wheat (Giusto's organic high protein) flour, 50% pre-fermented with starter and raisin yeast water; 60% sprouted grain mix: lentils, millets, soy beans, corns, and wheat berries. 

Whole Wheat Protein Bread

I've made Ken Forkish's White Bread with Poolish several times, but this was my first time attempting his 80% Biga. This dough was incredible! So bouncy and full of life!

Unfortunately, because I've yet to get any bannetons, I'm still using a cloth lined bowl/cloth on the counter. This time, although I floured the cloths (with what I thought was) very heavily, both batards stuck to them, and there was some tearing when putting the loaf on the peel. 

Well this is the nicest loaf of pulla I have baked in some time. With this being ski season, I began taking shortcuts. I assumed that because I was using a sponge, I could use less than a fresh starter. I did and the previous two bakes had about 1/3 less oven spring than this bake. For this bake I refreshed my 100% starter 1:1:1 and left it on the kitchen counter overnight to double or more and then fall back. I then began the sponge and the bake and easily +1/3 more oven spring. With the additional oven spring the crumb was lighter and less chewy. So much for shortcuts.

Hi fellow TFL mates, and a belated Happy holidays to you all.

There is progess.. slow, but sure. The Bakery name has been decided. A Location has been found.  Although FAR from the city center, and cast away inside a Mall at a residential community (the only decent space we could afford for now....),  the location shows promise. The surrounding residential community is growing, and families / households who love and know good bread actually do exist in the not-so-far vicinity!  

Baked last week using 70% hydration, 1% semolina 1% fresh ground whole wheat and 98% 00 Antimo Caputo. USed Richard Bertinet kneading method. Taste, thickness of crust, crumb, etc were outstanding.  The only thing is the next time, I will leave out the semolina.  Tended to make the crumb a little rubbery.

I am no longer thedoughycoed, but the doughy recent graduate with a job doesn't look as good typed without spaces. I graduated in May and got a job and my own apartment with a real kitchen and the type of counterspace that dreams are made of. 

This the 2nd try at this recipe, this time using txfarmer’s intensively kneaded method to see what the difference in the bread might be between our normal method of developing gluten using slap and folds and stretch and folds.  Last Fridays bake can be found here 4 Starter Sprouted 7 Whole Grain Sandwich Bread so I don’t have to repeat it or the recipe again.