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                                                       Gingerbread

                                         Gingerbread and Sprinkles

                                             with icing so sweet.

As previously suggested I made a go at SJSD using commercial yeast. I used the TFL feature (where the SJSD recipe is posted) to make a half batch of dough.

[u]Notes and Deviations from normal SJSD recipe:[/u]

1. Used 1/4 tsp of commercial yeast

2. Added yeast to 25g flour and 25g water and put it in fridge (to replicate 50g of starter called for in recipe)

3. Autolysed all of the flour for about 24 hours (was supposed to be overnight but timing got fouled up and had to go even longer)

Since I cant find any >14% high gluten flour in the market, I substituted it with 520g bread flour plus 50G of VWG

Levain Build 1

- 235G Starter

- 40G   >14% high gluten flour

Let it ferment at room temp for 4 hours

Build 2

- All of build 1

- 80G >14% high gluten flour

- 45G Water

Cover n ferment overnight

Final Dough

- 450G >14% high gluten flour

- 120G WW flour

- All levain

- 12G Salt

- 14G Malt Powder

-  14G Milk Powder

- 14G Sugar

Last week I made a similar loaf which ended up with a flat disc. With enormous help I get from Josh and DA. This week I pull myself together and try again. I got so excited when its out of the oven, coz it looks like a successful bake to me.

Heres my formulae

200G white Levain (100% hydration)

600G Wholewheat flour

400G AP Flour

780G Water 

20G pre-soaked raisin water

20G Salt

3cups Raisin

2Tbs Cinnamon

1) Mixed starter, flour and water autolyse for 60mins

2) At the same time, soak raisins with warm water

Decided to try my hand at Fuogasse, first time ever.

Oil cured Olive with herbs...

[URL=http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/Steelhead503/media/Baking/1020bake1_zpsc59d5492.jpg.html][/URL]

After 3 folds I added said Olives & Herbs

For those who end up with a gazillion pounds of starter when making panettone, English muffins are a great way to use up some of it without having to toss it,

We used the basic method that kjknit's used which calls for 280 g of flour and 240 g of milk with, in this case, 50g of SD and YW mixed levain all mix up together and left to double or triple overnight on the counter in a 1 quart Pyrex measuring cup overnight for at least 8 hours.

So, now that I am nearly a novice bread maker and able to make a loaf of bread almost from memory,* I decided it is time to stretch my wings and see if I can make the bread in my Lodge loaf pan.

When I got Ken Forkish's Flour Water Salt Yeast and started baking from it last Summer, I found the breads and pizza doughs to be delicious, but the fermentation times for both levains and doughs was very much shorter than what were given in the book. I figured it must be due to my warm Summer kitchen, which was in the mid- to high-70's (F). Well, now it is Winter, and my Kitchen is about 68 dF. So, I have begun revisiting some of Forkish's breads.

This time we went back our favorite crust; Sourdough Focaccia Romano.  The SD levain used 10 g of rye starter, we added 45 g yeast water for the liquid and 45g of white whole wheat.  The 100 g of levain made up 20% of the total 500 g dough flour and water weight.

I discovered this poem on TFL (in a comment posted by LindyD – thank you, Lindy, for sharing it);
I am re-posting the poem here - I thought it so beautiful, and so fitting, for the winter solstice.

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

• Oliver Herford