Blog posts

After the craziness of the festive season, it's good to get back into the bread baking saddle. Not that I was entirely out of the kitchen as the holidays are a wonderful time to cook great food. And it was a leftover from that cooking that provided the inspiration - a head and a half of roasted garlic...

Now, I adore garlic, so yes, I decided to make a loaf of bread with that much garlic in it... Not that the neighbours will be thanking me, I'm sure... I kept the bake simple in order to showcase the garlic.

Poolish:

100g bread flour

100g water

I baked my Rye sourdough in the iron pots the other day for the first time. I've been using Ken Forkish's method of forming the boules, proofing them seam-side down then baking them seam-side up, letting them bloom naturally. However, when I did this batch I mistakenly put on in the pot smooth-side up. The difference is amazing! No bloom on the mistaken one, though it did split a bit on one side. The others all rose higher and are much more attractive.

Here is the same bread baked on stones, with regular scoring before baking:

I've been baking weekly and making progress with the occasional step backward. Today's bake is a wheat levain with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I'm finally getting better at shaping my batards, this is dramatically better spring than in the past.

I've noticed something curious: I've usually made boules, two at a time, one baked in a combo cooker, the other in a Le Creuset enameled casserole of the same diameter. The one in the Le Creuset always has noticeably better spring. I've done this often enough that I'm pretty sure it's not my imagination . Has anyone else come across this?

  This is a healthy and tasty loaf.  The cream cheese really created a moist semi-open crumb.

I had just returned from a business trip in Vegas so I used my newly refreshed AP mother starter for this one and decided to add some dehydrated onions for some extra flavor.

I brought one loaf into work and it didn't last too long so I guess it was pretty good :).

Formula

https://www.centralmaine.com/2016/01/13/bread-made-with-seaweed-featured-at-maine-agricultural-trades-show-in-augusta/

This looks so interesting I am going to post it. You may get  a pesky pop up ad sorry about that!

After last week’s brick bake of a no levain pumpernickel Lucy decided to get some sourdough in there and cut back on the long, low bake by 5 hours and upping the heat.  It is loosely based on Mini Oven’s fine rye bread here Mini's 100% Dark Rye & Chia Recipe ...Love at 104% hydration.

I've a lil' free time so I'll post something for your eyes to feast on. Plus, I promised to put more effort into posting. Apparently, a handful of you are keen to read about my progress.

Several weeks ago I attempted rustic-style ciabattas. Repeatedly. In the photo above, that particular ciabatta contained a bit of durum semolina (pasta flour), about 30% baker's percentage. Absolutely gorgeous, nutty, buttery aroma, I remember, but too chewy crumb.

I'm a long time stalker to this site, and I finally made an account to see if I can get some advice about rye breads. A local bakery has an amazing "German Beer Bread" which I have been yearning to duplicate. In Germany, I picked up a book called "Rustikale Brote aus deustchen Landen" by Gerhard Kellner, or better known as Ketex. Below is the recipe, and I explain how I baked it. Ultimately, I have a question about the rather dense crumb. But don't let that discourage you from baking this thing- it is insanely delicious.

Steel-cut Oat Bread

Makes two large loaves. 

Steps1  evening before bake day

1. Refresh 100% starter to yield +200 grams for the next morning.  Overnight room temps can be 60F.  Use 50 gm whole wheat, 50 gm AP, 100 gm H2O and 30 gm natural leaven at 100% hydration.

Steps 2 - 12 , bake day AM.  Work at 70F

2. Pour 600 gm boiling H2O over 300 gm steel cut oats in a pot or bowl with a lid or cover.  Stir the oats once and  cover. Let steep 45 minutes.