Blog posts

My summer project has been to learn the batard shape and actually achieve an ear. So far, very mixed results, with a sort of ear on this bake. Getting the right timing on both bulk and proofing stages so that I can actually score with a lame has been surprisingly difficult with more failures than successes. I would go back to baking Forkish style boules, but my seams likely won't open. hmmmmm.

Carissimi Amici,

dopo una pausa forzata dovuta ad innumerevoli impegni professionali ed un caldo insopportabile che non mi ha consentito di accendere il forno nella mia cucina, faccio il mio ritorno con un prodotto che io preparo spesso e con molteplici ricette, proprio perchè adorato da tutti in famiglia e dai nostri amici....i Bagels.

Mi presento non con una ricetta qualsiasi, bensì con una che mi ha regalato sempre grandi soddisfazioni in termini di gusto ed esecuzione, è una ricetta del Maestro CIRIL HITZ.....

Just realised that I have not been posting anything for more than a month now. Am still baking a couple of times a week but have been so caught up with my recent busy schedule, hope all TFL members are well. 

Abe had shared about his Tomato SD recipe about 3 weeks ago and I promised to post should it come out looking ok. (thanks for sharing, Abe)

Berry season. Strawberry Focaccia for brekky. It melts in the mouth.

I really love creating boules and batards. But there are times that a standard loaf shape just makes more sense. Metal loaf pans never did what I wanted, but a few months back I received the Emile Henry Loaf Baker and today I gave it a try.  

Sounds like ice cream, but nicer. Full of fruit and 100% rye it does not rise a lot, but it is a really tasty little loaf. A different method from my usual. I opted for sultanas and used a different rye flour too, so it was not as dark as the previous loaves I made. Really good with cheddar, blue cheese or just butter.

Method:

Returning after a long sabbatical, I have managed to save my poor  3 year old  very malnourished starter  Levi and with careful coaxing after almost a year of scant attention in my fridge, on occasions he was lucky to be fed once a month or longer. berate me if you will, but I have a  plausible excuse and no need to go into it.

Anyhow, I  dragged out an old Pierre Nury print out I  was interested in a few years back and with my restored  starter on track, I decided to just do it. Make  some bloody bread.

I made a bread not that long ago using pecan meal in the porridge which came out great so I wanted to try another version and bump up the flavor profile a bit.  The addition of the smoked cheddar cheese I bought on my recent trip to Vermont really makes this an amazing bread.

I also used some freshly milled whole wheat and rye flour in the levain and in the main dough.  I grated the cheese coarsely this time, but you can also cube it instead.

Give this one a try if you can and you won't be disappointed.

1/1/2015 - New Years Eve Pizza

1/2/2015 - 50 % Whole Grain Sprouted 8 Grain SD/YW with Japanese Black Rice & Seeds

1/9/2015 - 50 Percent Whole Sprouted 16 Grain SD with Lake Havasu Desert Magic IPA