Blog posts

Last week, I posted about my Horst Bandel bread from Hamelman's Bread. At first glance the crumb images looked good and the flavor was very good. However after some reflection on the bread and the process I decided my initial declaration of victory may have been over stated. While my first attempt was acceptable for a first try, I suspect I have much to learn about this style of bread.

Okay, now I have a starter and need a jar.  Do I need something special.  Certainly can do better than the expensive one from KA.  My big question is does it have to have air flowing or does it need a tight seal?  Can I use a mason jar with the metallic lid?  Can I use a quart canister that has a rubber seal and a small metal clamp?  Maybe it is not that important, but I want to do this right.  Thanks for your help.

New Baker

Inspired by Shiao-Ping and David (dmsnyder) I decided to try out my new bannetons (bought from SFBI) with two 1-kilo loaves made ala Gerard Rubaud. Rather than copy/scale either of their formulae, I went to the source http://www.farine-mc.com/ and did my own adaptation of Msr. Rubaud's formula. In a phrase...

I messed up!

Traditional Italian Eastser desserts, the taralli is a treasure from Apuglia.

http://turosdolci.wordpress.com

A Loaf of 100%Rye sourdough in a pan.

lovely!

Since my Pure Rye, 1939 post, I had wanted to do light rye.  In the past, I have done a few (this, this and this most recent one).  The challenge of rye for me is the stickiness, hard to handle, and hard to score.  In this post is a pain au levain with 50% rye.

Hey All,

Just wanted to share with you my Big Bad Batards from my 2/22/10 bake.  These are approximately 850g-900g and 16" long.  They are big!  Some of the nicest looking breads I have made in while.  I could have let the bulk fermentation go a little longer and upped my hydration... These were about 70% hydration.

Recently I had an interview with a bakery in hopes that I'd be able to secure an internship for after my schooling. I need some technical training working in a high production environment, and this place was amazing, they had beautiful bread and several varieties of pastries besides. Possibly the best baked goods I'd seen in a bakery. 

I'm so happy to say that after so many tries of making white breads,  I finally got the taste and texture that I wanted.  Very very soft bread,  with a good slightly burnt crust.  Although without sugar,  the taste is sweet,  perhaps due to the water roux,  the overnight dough and butter.  This bread does requires time at least 12 hours waiting time,  but with good planning,  it'll work.

My wife and I have a problem with cinnamon rolls. She dislikes the gooey, too-sweet frosting found on most, and she gives me a hard time about sweet doughs with too much butter for my health. So, I'm on a new quest: A breakfast pastry we both like that is still kind to my arteries. (I'm not that concerned about the cholesterol, but my wife's persistent expressions of concern can't be good for my heart.)