Blog posts

IF Thermometer

Toast

What is the best way of telling the internal temperature of a sourdough loaf?  Probe thermometers will create holes in the loaf. Any Ideas?  Also There is quite a difference in prices for thermometers that seem to have the same capabilities.

Thank You

Jim

Shaping things up

Profile picture for user Edo Bread

I put a lot of energy into flavor and feel of my bread and usually it has a look that I am happy with too. But I really love seeing loaves that are decorative and have beautiful shapes. I am so often impressed with the loaves of people like Anna Giordan.

I had to make loaves for small table settings. Since it was the holidays I did a typical boule, but paired them with a wreath shape inspired by Anna's La Spiga Francese

Wild Rice Bread

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My first 2015 bread bake…. Wild Rice Bread.  In Minnesota and Michigan you can buy very good quality wild rice that cooks quickly and is light and fluffy.  I buy "broken" rice (not perfectly whole grains) for bread baking since it is a bit less expensive.  The rice gives a nutty flavor to this part whole wheat bread….great for sandwiches and toasting.   

Seven Grain Levain

Profile picture for user CAphyl

I have had a lot of fun making a five grain levain recipe over time, and I wanted to add more grains and play around with hydration and fermentation on this bake.  The recipe below is an adaptation of Hamelman's five grain levain.  This time around I added pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds to the other grains: bulgur, sunflower seeds, oats, flax seeds and cous cous. Maybe it's really eight grain; not sure if all the seeds count as grain!

let's just call it Forkish-ish

Toast

I decided to fool around a little with the 80%biga recipe from FWSY. Used 50g of my 100% sourdough starter to build the 800g biga, subbed in 25g each of WW and whole rye instead of using all white flour, and despite the whole grain flours ended up with dough so slack that my nerve broke and I added another 21g of AP during the mix. Oh, and in a further departure from protocol all the mixing was done in a Bosch universal. Gave it a lot of stretch and folds in the bowl during the bulk ferment.

A busy day

Profile picture for user leslieruf

The target yesterday was to redo this grain loaf (Multigrain sourdough based on Rose Levy Barenbaum's 10 grain  torpedo) and try to do it better , including the suggestions by several other TFL folk.  Here's how it turned out - 

The Shaped loaf just before slashing (i had issues with shaping)

 

after baking with steam at 225oC

 

Some Sweeter Takes on Sourdough

Profile picture for user a_warming_trend

I recognized late last fall that my friends and family love receiving yeast breads on special occasions. 

This realization lead me to begin experimenting with fruit, nuts, chocolate, and sweeter-associated spices in my breads. I've tried a pretty expansive range of slightly sweet loaves, from molasses, to cinnamon-brown sugar, to a "sourdough take on fruitcake (with bourbon!)."