The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Community Bake - where's your epicenter of comfort?

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Community Bake - where's your epicenter of comfort?

What is your go-to bread/s within your own comfort zone?

(I placed into steerage the earlier suggested CB that I hinted at a few weeks ago.  Surely to be resurrected.)
TFL Community Bakes are the result of CB founder Dan.  Of his own creation and nurturing, to interest and help others, and in turn be helped, as we all strive to improve our baking skills and widen our baking horizons.  Kudos to him for this lasting gift to us all. 
As a bookend to our previous No Comfort Zone CB, let’s try this.  What is your go-to bread when you seek the comfort of a pure favorite and why?  

Where is your “home”?  Which bread or breads do you find yourself returning to time and again because it is closest to your heart and to your stomach?  And where do you turn for comfort when you want to get back to your own Ground Zero?   When you just want to bake the old favorite rather than be challenged by the new, difficult or different.

 Is it something that kickstarted your successful baking experience?  Or which you evolved into and finally felt that level success and taste. Simple?  Complex? Who was the inspiration, and why this one, or two, or three? 

As with you I have my own go-to set of breads which I am addicted to and when I want to get back to Square One, that is where I go.

When you post your bake, please mention what there is about your choice/choices, and Why this is the epicenter of your Comfort Zone.  

Well, I have three.  I’ve posted my own comfort zone bakes and pasted them across TFL for the past few years.  And as these three stand as equals on my personal Olympic Medals Platform, I’ll just mention them by name & link here.  As you likely know, my strong preference is to shape these as short baguettes (long batards according to M. Calvel).  What I find equally appealing to these is that they are all simple levain breads with little to nothing out of the ordinary required.  Long cold retards whereby I get to control the timing and convenience of it all.  I like simple, time controlled by me.  And tasty!  
Jeffrey Hamelman Vermont SD (90/10 AP/Rye).  A simple and incredibly easy and satisfying bread.  For an almost all white flour bread, it has everything I want in a bread and nothing I don’t.  For so many folks, I believe it is also a favorite, one which I resisted baking for far too long as I swam against the current of the Hamelman camp.
 
My “own” AP Levain Rye, (75/25 AP/Rye).  I grew up in the urban Bronx, N.Y. where there seemed to be a luncheonette, a delicatessen, a butcher and a bakery on every other shopping street corner.  And as a child, I didn’t even have to cross the street to get to our closest bakery.  It was around the corner from our apartment building.  And there was no bread I liked more than the big rye loaf with caraway.  Always brought home already sliced in those mystical bread slicing machines, which I still have no idea how they actually work.  Even before I walked in our front door, a slice or two would be suspiciously missing from the loaf.
 
Jeffrey Hamelman Sesame Semolina (60/40 Semola Rimacinata/AP), which has evolved several iterations/bastardizations since I posted this 5 years ago.  I’ve always been a sucker for a good semolina based bread, especially when rolled in sesame seeds.  A good portion of my adult years had found me entering Italian bakeries and delicatessens and walking out with either a loaf for home or a cold-cut sandwich on sesame semolina hero/submarine/hoagie… bread. Here is a photo of me from the 1990s enjoying that go-to sandwich in Firenze (Florence) Italy.
                           
The fine print...
As always, the CB occupies a corner of TFL.  Created to be a collaborative effort, both to enhance one’s skills as well as to help others with their skills.  By no means is any formula or link provided meant to be the be-all-and-end-all of the CB.  Rather, they are a framework of distinct ways to achieve a bread that meets the general criteria.  I encourage you to experiment and explore, to modify and to introduce to our CB participants your own experiences and versions.  And most of all, to learn and help all of us to better ourselves as bakers.  I also encourage you to find something you like, change one or many things about it and to make it your own!

 And as our Community Bake founder Dan said:

All bakers of every skill level are invited to participate. Novice bakers are especially welcomed and plenty of assistance will be available for the asking. The Community Bakes are non-competitive events that are designed around the idea of sharing kitchens with like minded bakers around the world, "cyber style". To participate, simply photograph and document your bakes. You are free to use any formula and process you wish. Commercial Yeast, sourdough, or a combination of both are completely acceptable. Once the participants get active, many bakers will likely post their formulas and methods. There will be many variations to choose from.

Here is a list of our past CBs. 

They remain active and are often monitored by numerous contributors that are ready, willing, and able to help if assistance is needed. A quick browse of past CBs will provide an accurate picture of what these events are all about.
**********************************************************************

Since many of the CBs grow quite large, it can become difficult to follow the progress of any individual baker. Things get very spread out. In an attempt to alleviate congestion and consolidate individual baker’s bread posts, the following is suggested.

Links to baker’s BLOGs that have posted a compiled list of bakes for this CB

 

 

gavinc's picture
gavinc

I have three breads that are regular in my baking schedule and create the epicentre of my comfort zone.

 Hamelman’s Vermont sourdough was the first sourdough that I was able to repeat with consistently good results. It is our everyday bread. The many iterations of the same loaf taught me to recognise good and not so good results and hone my sourdough skills. I alternate between making this with 10% whole rye or 10% whole wheat. I have also increased the per-cent whole grain to 25% but return to my preferred 10%. Here is a link to one of my VSD bakes.

Vermont Sourdough with whole-wheat | The Fresh Loaf

5-Grain Levain is another popular and regular loaf at our house. The flavour is exceptional, and I get a feeling of wellbeing, keeping the body in nutritional balance (or so I think). Here is a link to one of my 5-grain levain bakes.

5-Grain Levain | The Fresh Loaf

The third most baked bread in our house is Baguettes with Poolish. A new set of skills had to be learned and practised to accomplished something that was both presentable and tasty. A favourite when we have lunch or drinks with friends. We serve baguettes with soup, stews, or with savoury topping and 5 o’clock drinks. I had a great feeling of accomplishment when I finally nailed these. Here is a link to one of my baguette bakes.

Keeping up the baguette practice. | The Fresh Loaf

Cheers,

Gavin

alfanso's picture
alfanso

All uniquely different (rather than my boring repetitive baguettes 😬).  Not a clunker in the threesome for choices, and they all look great.  It took a bit of arm twisting to concede to my baking the 5 grain, but the flavor is richly rewarding.  As someone on TFL mentioned, it is almost a meal in itself.

thanks, Alan

gavinc's picture
gavinc

Thanks, Alan for your comments and also for setting up this CB. I found your write-up inspiring and enticed me to write mine. I'm looking forward to getting an insight into our many friends here on TFL.

Cheers,

Gavin

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

I haven't been baking for long enough to have a specific bread that I could consider as my ''home'' yet but I am really inspired by yours and the stories that go with those breads: that show me how bread can be so much more than simple food and speaks to our hearts and souls, whatever our culture or where we are in the world...

Being French from France (living in Canada now), baguettes are in my cultural DNA: we would get up quite early to go to the bakery to buy at least 2 of them (the first one being devoured in no time on the way back to our house, especially the 2 very coveted quignons (the 2 ends of the baguettes, the most crusty parts...we would fight for them!). We would eat them for breakfast (tartines with salted butter), lunch (sandwiches), goûter (mid-afternoon snack: tartines again...sometimes with Nutella if we were lucky) AND dinner to mop up the sauce from our plate...

Thank you for this Community bake!

alfanso's picture
alfanso

There are a lot of really good baguette bakers on TFL, and last year Dan held a CB specifically for baguettes, which you can find in the link at the top of the O.P. here.  So much inspiration to be had there.

If you are desiring to get your skills up to speed on baguettes, decidedly a difficult task for many, and are working with levains already, here is a link that may just be your ticket https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/64322/beginning-bakers-trouble-whigh-hydration-doughs.  The two highlighted in there are low hydration doughs which will make them easier to manipulate as you build your confidence.

If you wish to play with an IDY baguette formula, try this one https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/63557/simple-pleasures-idy-baking .  Although it is a relatively high hydration dough it handles quite easily after retard and bakes up beautifully.  This was my first successful foray into baguettes when I joined TFL about 7 years ago (7 years!  already?) 

In my youth I never tasted  a real baguette, but the breads that we'd bring home from the local bakeries always seemed to be missing the quignons if I carried them bread home, if you know what I mean.  I was taught that the ends were called the "heel" of the loaf, which somehow doesn't carry the same je ne sais quoi as quignon.

If baguettes from your youth are your "home", try one or more of these out and see whether they will be a new go-to for you. If you do, please post and share them here or on the Baguette CB.

And thanks for the kind thoughts and words.

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

Since I started baking SD bread a few months ago, once in a while (more often than not I should say) a batch always ends up being shaped like a baguette(-ish ;-) without me even realizing it...It's beyond my control!

Thank you very much for those links Alfonso, I will definitely give those recipes a try once I'm more familiar with handling high hydration doughs...For the moment, I'm still in a place where the shaping phase looks like a comedy movie and if I happen to succeed to create a batard-ish kind of shape, I'm over the moon!!!

Gaëlle

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Gaëlle, 

We all started somewhere.  If this will provide you with any inspiration, these are amongst my earliest, um, baguettes.

The first link has hydrations in the mid 60% range.

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

They are absolutely gorgeous! As long as there are 2 quignons, i'm happy ! ;-)

Here are mine, based on Txfarmer 's 36h SD baguettes (I know, it was very ambitious from me to start my baguette journey with this rather advanced recipe..This weekend, I'll get back to my senses and give Hamelman's pain a levain a try, sounds like a more reasonable plan!

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/68231/txfarmer%E2%80%99s-36-hours-baguettesfirst-attempt-looong-series

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/68291/txfarmers-36-hour-sourdough-baguettes-rye-starter-version

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

Thank you Alfanso for this recipe, these baguettes turned out the best I've ever made so far, and the tastiest...even if the crumb is not as open as excepted....under-proofed???

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Sunny-G: Benny made some awesome-looking, professional-looking even, baguettes.

I think he used a blend of Canadian AP and Canadian bread flour. Check his CB bakes for the formula. 

Here's a "best of" compilation from the Baguette Community Bake, including Benito's: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/up/tfl-baguette-community-bake.pdf

Thanks go to Alfanso for the work he did in compiling that "best of" PDF  from the over 2000 comments in the CB.

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

I have already printed it out!!! It's on my bedside ;-)

Benito's picture
Benito

I had a challenge finding weak Canadian flours, as you know they are all so high in protein.  Two I’ve successfully used are PC all purpose and La Milanese Organic all purpose.  They both made wonderful open crumb baguettes and I’ve used them interchangeably since discovering them last summer.  I prefer the La Milanese AP since it is organic but I cannot always find it.

SunnyGail's picture
SunnyGail

Thanks for the tip Benito, I think I might be able to get the Milanaise one in my area..I would prefer as it is organic, but I need to look into it...Thanks again!

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

As far as number of batches or bakes, I'd have to say chapatis. I sometimes call them tortillas, but I don't use baking powder, and I use much less oil/fat than tortilla recipes call for.

Flour, salt, water, a little oil... that's a chapati.  

Water and oil are added in reverse order than a tortilla.  For tortillas, recipes usually call for the fat (shortening or lard) first, to make crumbs with the flour, then the water is added. For chapatis, it's usually all the water first, mix to a smooth dough, then add the oil.

Benefits:  You can see quickly, with little investment, how much hydration your flour is going to take, relative to your known flours. So if you're trying a new flour, instead of making a loaf with 500 to 600 grams of flour, make three chapatis with about 100 grams of flour.

Chapatis are also a quick way to discover the taste of your new flour.

Like with tortillas, you want to let the dough rest 30 minutes after mixing.

And let the cooked chapatis cool/rest in a closed container (I use a Mexican style "tortillera", a round lidded plastic box) so that the dry cooked surface can re-absorb some moisture from the inside. You can also use aluminum foil folded over, or even a plastic bag if you let them cool 2 minutes first so they don't melt the bag.

justkeepswimming's picture
justkeepswimming

Yum. I bet these are great with a lot of things.

Is the oil amount in the neighborhood of half a tsp vs a Tbsp?

Mary

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

My favorite amount of oil for chapatis is 2% bakers percentage, which works out to about 1/2 tsp per 100 grams flour.

I've seen Indian recipes that call for up to 1 tsp oil per cup of flour.

Ilya Flyamer's picture
Ilya Flyamer

Do you have an example recipe using "regular" (i.e. not chapati) flour? Most recipes are for chapati flour, and I've wanted to try making them for some time, but don't want to get another flour...

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

@Ilya: Almost any bread flour, from white to whole wheat will do.

Here's where I got my inspiration, but exact measurements/weights are not given: https://madhurasrecipe.com/breads/how-to-make-chapati

For a variation, see: https://madhurasrecipe.com/breads/plain-paratha-marathi-recipe

(Chapati / paratha, to-may-to / to-mah-to.) There is a video in each one too.

Here are some formulas I've worked up:

Bob's Red Mill WW (red wheat): 2% salt(3), 68% H2O, 2% oil(1).

50% AP, 50% Bread flour: 2% salt, 55.8% H2O, 2% oil(1).

Stone ground whole grain durum: 2% salt, 66.7% H2O, 3% oil after 2 hours(2)(4).

Sher Fiber Wala durum: 2% salt, 74-75% H2O, 1-2% oil(1). Let rest at least one hour after adding oil for best results.

Golden Temple durum, white/red bag: 2% salt, 62-63% H2O, 2% oil(1).

Swad durum semolina (the gritty stuff): 2% salt, 57% H2O, 2% oil after 30 minutes(4).

Regular durum semolina is low bran (it has some) so it doesn't take much water.  Also, because you have to let chapati  dough rest a while, the grittiness eventually goes away. 

Note (1): mix/knead to a homogenous dough before adding oil. I like the flour to be hydrated first, then get to the oil.

Note (2): this particular flour takes a long time to hydrate, so give it at least two hours before adding oil.

Note (3): In all these, salt can be reduced or eliminated if the chapati is to be served with a salty/savory dish.

Note (4): In the cases where you have to let the dough rest a while before adding oil, let it rest at least 15 minutes after adding oil.

--

Important: You must let the dough rest at least 30 minutes after mixing before rolling out. If using all white flour, you can rest it for less time, but at least 15 minutes.

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The uncooked dough can keep a day or two in the fridge. I use a plastic bag with the air squeezed out.

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Tortillas/chapatis are as much about rolling technique and cooking technique as they are about the ratio of ingredients.  

For instance, rolling out, wiping on a little oil and flour, foldng, and rolling again, gives a layered chapati. But this is optional.

Use a sprinkle, maybe 1/8 tsp of white flour per side, to keep the chapati from sticking when you roll it out.  This should also keep it from sticking on the griddle. White (refined) flour is best for this step as it absorbs into the surface quickly.

Coarsely ground flour at this point will not have time to soften. So use store-bought white flour for dusting at this point, if using home-milled flour for the chapati.

You want the surface of the chapati to be dry enough to not stick, but the inside of the chapati needs moisture that will eventually soften the chapati as it cools after cooking.  

I like about 30 grams of _flour_ per chapati, so for the BRM-WW above that would be 30*1.72 = 51.6 grams of dough.   

I roll these out to about 7" diameter.

These are cooked on a dry flat griddle or pan/skillet on the stove top. The video in the above Madhura's recipe shows how.

There are two ways to go when cooking: lower heat (electric burner setting 2 to 3 out of 10) for 2-3 min per side, or medium (electric burner setting 4 to 5 out of 10) for 45-60 seconds per side.

I give 30 seconds to the first side, flip, then give it 60 seconds checking to see where brown spots are, pressing down with spatula or paper towel where needed, flip again, and give it 30 seconds, checking and pressing where needed.

You can let it puff up, using a spatula to help it along, or poke the bubbles to keep it flat.  I like keeping it flat. See Madhura's chapati video (1st link above) for how to roll it and cook it to get it completely puffed up.

You want to cook each side until you get brown spots, but don't make the surface crispy, or it won't soften after cooking. 

After cooking, it needs to be enclosed in something so that the moisture equalizes, and the surface softens.  I give mine 15 minutes. More or less might work too.

I use a "tortilla keeper" like this one: https://www.amazon.com/MEXI-1000-TORTW-Tortilla-Warmer-Terracota-8-5-Inch/dp/B00164SI8K?tag=froglallabout-20

This is the tricky part, but you have to cook it just right in the first place so that the inside is cooked to "done" and at the same time enough moisture is left to soften the whole thing. So you also have to get the dough to the sweet spot in terms of hydration too.

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If you are going to re-cook the chapatis as part of a recipe, such as a quesadilla or as a base for a pizza, then you could undercook one side (no spots), the side that will be exposed to the hot surface in your quesadilla/pizza.

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Tip: Chapatis are like pancakes, in that I usually mess up the first one in a batch. ;-)

--

Enjoy!

 

Ilya Flyamer's picture
Ilya Flyamer

Thanks a lot, very helpful! Sounds quite simple, I can use my baking steel on the stovetop.

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Just made this. I added the shredded cheese after the second flip, turned down the heat one notch, pressed down a little to get it to start to melt, folded in half, and flipped/cooked until nicely spotted. Cheese is a mix of mozzarella and Kroger's "Queso Quesadilla.'

Second photo, I opened it up after it was done cooking, just to show. Cheese sprung to the center.

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

...I would consider my epicenter of comfort at this point in my infancy of sourdough baking.

 

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/67350/two-row-good-way-end-week

The first is a center of comfort because...  It was the first.  It was the first bread I was able to make from start to finish with a sourdough culture.  Felt like I conquered the world after two long months of baking frisbees and bricks!  In reality though, it is still the bake that works best for my schedule and is my go-to.  I change up the 15% whole grain between WW, rye, spelt, or barley to mix things up a bit.  My method has changed a bit over time, but I still like to get up early and get everything mixed, do some kneading or folding throughout the day, shape it when the aliquot (and my eyes) tell me it's ready, and then bake it that night or throw it in the fridge for a bake the next morning.  Very flexible and works well for me

 https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/67937/buckwheat-barley-and-oats-white-flour-version

My other go-to bake at this point is some variant of this grain blend.  Sometimes I make it all whole wheat instead of AP/Bread, but I really like the combination of buckwheat, oats, and barley.  I had buckwheat pancakces as a kid with my grandpa, but I hadn't had it in decades.  One of the first bakes I did here while my starter was still developing was a fermented buckwheat loaf using only groats.  The flavor grew on me and I really like the taste of toasted buckwheat in my breads.  Haven't come to a final conclusion on toasted flour in the mix or toasted groats as an inclusion being the better choice, but I like it in the recipe either way.

Thanks for keeping the CB threads going!

Benito's picture
Benito

I’m still very impressed at how quickly you’ve taken to all of this bread baking Troy.  I don’t think I developed any useful skills in the time you’ve taken to already.

Benny

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Thank you Benny.  New to bread baking, but have been cooking for a very long time.  Some of those learnings translate.

And...  the learning curve is a lot shorter when you have great people to learn from. 😉

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Today’s version of the buckwheat and oats bake…

Benito's picture
Benito

Gorgeous crumb Troy, really well done.

Benny

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Thank you Benny.  This one surprised me.  My flours have been a little less thirsty with the humidity we’ve had lately.  I dropped the hydration a little bit, but it wasn’t enough (or so I thought).  Also, it was the first time I used whole groats in a soaker instead of grinding them, so I guessed a bit on how much to add.  Dough was really slack and sticky (from the BW groats).  I had no confidence it would make it as a free standing loaf, so I put it in the Pullman pan.  Funny thing was, the surface of the dough seemed to firm up a bit as it started rising and it just kept going.  I was worried the soaker would weigh it down, but not the case.  Put it into cold retard at about 90-95% on the aliquot and it continued proofing a little more there.  Dough didn’t deflate overnight, but did have two large surface bubbles.  Scored it very lightly and hoped for the best.  😁

Benito's picture
Benito

I guess there are a couple of bakes that are pretty reliable for me when I’m not playing around with new flours,  trying to push bulk and going too far or pushing hydration too high.  They would be the following.

Any of the variations on the sourdough milk breads I’ve been making lately.  I have found these to be exceedingly reliable, always turning out well especially once I learned the trick of taking the almost finished bread out of the Pullman to bake directly on the rack for an additional five mins at the end.  I love these because you can play with so many aspects of them, from the flavours, to shaping.  Loads of fun to be creative and with one single fermentation step so easy.

Any of the variations of my country sourdough loaves.  When I use a flour that I’m used to for the bread flour and not going crazy pushing bulk to overproofing, this is my go to sourdough that is pretty reliable.

Benito's picture
Benito

OK here is the quadruple seeded country sourdough I baked this morning. The details are in my blog but I’m now experimenting with using both an aliquot jar or rise and to measure pH and getting better results.   The details of the process are in this thread.

squattercity's picture
squattercity

I essentially learned to bake by reading The Fresh Loaf. I started a little more than a year ago, making some simple white breads from Dan Leader's Local Breads, a copy of which was mysteriously sitting on a shelf in my kitchen though I had never seen it before. My loaves were only OK, but they made me happy, so I kept moving forward, sometimes baking twice a week, trying new things that sounded tasty, most of which I found on TFL.

I seldom return to a recipe. But here are 3 breads I went back to last week, when I was able to spend time with my family for the first time in a while, and a fourth I think I will continue experimenting with. They're simply recipes I enjoy making and learning from:

--della fattoria pain au levain, via dmsnyder's bake report: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/44078/pain-au-levain-della-fattoria-bread


--Maurizio Leo's spelt sourdough -- https://www.theperfectloaf.com/spelt-sourdough/, which, inspired by dabrownman (https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/40050/spelt-and-wheat-sourdough-figs-pistachios-pumpkin-and-sunflower-seeds), I embellished with dates, roasted walnuts, and toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. --Swedish-style 50% rye -- https://breadtopia.com/sourdough-rye-bread/ --& two days ago I baked Ken Forkish's Overnight Country Blonde, from Flour Water Salt Yeast, which a neighbor gave me after I baked her a couple of spelt loaves. Now that I have Forkish's trademark gargantuan leftover levain sitting the fridge, I'll probably make some other attempts, though dialing back the white flour quite a bit and adding in spelt and rye. Long live The Fresh Loaf! I could never have done any of this without you. Thanks so much. Rob
dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

After reading what I wrote below, I hesitate to call any bread "my go-to bread." Or maybe I just run off in multiple directions simultaneously. I suppose it's one of them Gemini things. 

The bread I have made most often for the past few years is a multi-grain sourdough very roughly based on Forkish's "Field Blend #2." "Very roughly" is probably an understatement, but that formula was my starting point. Here's my current iteration: My favorite multi-grain sourdough bread 11-10-2020

I also use this formula as the base for various nut and dried fruit and nut breads. 

My San Joaquin Sourdough remains a favorite, especially the baguette version. Here's my current recipe (unchanged for the past 10 years or so): San Joaquin Sourdough Baguettes

I also like the "Italian" version of the SJSD a lot, Here's a link to that variation: Italian-San Joaquin Sourdough

For the past year or so, a Buttermilk-Spelt Sourdough bread I learned from a talented home baker on FB has become a favorite. Besides being a delicious bread with better than average shelf life, it also prevents wasting most of a quart of buttermilk I buy for making waffles or pancakes. Here's the formula: Buttermilk-Spelt Sourdough Bread

For sandwich rolls and burger buns, I use the "Medium Vienna" dough in "Inside The Jewish Bakery." For Challah, I like the recipe that Maggie Glazer says she bakes for her own family. It is from her "A Blessing of Bread." 

Finally, there a few rye breads I particularly enjoy. 

Jewish Sour Rye: an update

Hansjoakim's Favorite 70% Sourdough Rye

And Stan Ginsburg's "Berliner Landbrot" the formula for which is on his web site. It is a 90% rye loaf that is delicious. I prefer it to bagels for lox and cream cheese.

I would like to make more kinds of rye bread and will do so, when I overcome inertia.

Happy baking!

David

squattercity's picture
squattercity

that your posts are both inspirational and aspirational. When you say a bread is good, I immediately plan to make it.

I look forward to sampling Hansjoakim's 70% rye and Stan Ginsberg's Berliner Landbrot sometime soon.

Thanks for teaching me so much.

Rob

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

Hello, Friends.

 I had to take some time to think about this. It has been a topsy turvy, long winding road this bread journey of mine! I love to experiment, I must have made a few hundred different loaves of bread. Except for a few, I never really make the same formulas over and over, Some exceptions are baguettes and approachable sandwich bread. 

 Enter pizza, I have really found a love for making pizza! While I can make a pretty decent loaf of bread, They are never extraordinary. In a very short amount of time making pizza, wow! I am flabbergasted and surprised by my development! I am very comfortable and happy with my hands in supple pizza dough. Additionally, I not shy to state, I would put my pies up against the best at the woold pizza championships! 

 

 

cfraenkel's picture
cfraenkel

I thought long and hard - especially after I found 00 Semolina and made a crust last week that was to DIE for...but no, I make pretty good pizza but it's not at your level. That looks amazing.

 

cfraenkel's picture
cfraenkel

I love bread.  Pretty much all bread...I have been baking for a neighbour lately and have been working on a variation of Hamelman's 70% rye that I'm pretty proud of,  but that's really *her* bread.  Don't get me wrong, I love rye too, but my happy place bread actually started from FWSY - country blonde.  I don't use any AP flour - (long story) and it is all freshly milled grain - so not really a Forkish recipe - but he was my muse? I start from there - and go by feel.  (sorry all you sciency people) The ratio's in this loaf seem to make me happy. I generally use sifted soft white wheat in place of the AP and either spelt or hard red in place of the WW and fresh Rye.  It's always cold here, so the levain amounts get upped a bit but this is my go to loaf.  Sometimes they turn out stellar, others just delicious, but that is all that really matters. 

wlaut's picture
wlaut

Owing to projects I'm engaged in, I haven't had the time to bake as I wish.  My GrainMaker mill sits forelornely, and cries its invitation when I enter the kitchen.  LOL!

But when I do have the time to bake, my favorite remains my humble 9x5 pan of 100% whole wheat, home-milled from Hard Red Winter.  Its hearty, rustic flavor never fails to conjure images of a farmhouse kitchen, baking bread in a wood stove.  And sinc my number-one objective is to close on my rural property and move there, my HRW's images are comforting, indeed!

When priorities permit, I do plan to learn sourdough, not only in its own right but also as a "stepping stone" to mastering a classic NY deli Jewish rye.  Part of my "prepper Reuben" personal challenge, and also to submit here as a belated CB entry.

I also bought a "sampler" of six different ancient grains. After sourdough, I want to experiment with them, especially spelt, for baking English muffins as part of my "rural Egg/Sausage McMuffin."  Or in a blend with wheat.

Finally, I want to master making homemade noodles from sprouted durum wheat.   Inspired by an article in Grit Magazine, those Pennsylvania Dutch-style pot pies look mighty fine for a cold Fall or Winter dinner!

So, once my current project is successfully completed, I can begin exploring my list.  But in the meantime, my humble HRW loaf remains my welcoming comfort food.

 

Kistida's picture
Kistida

The reason I began baking bread was thanks to Fargo (season 2 I believe)! Those gorgeous challah on the shelves behind Jean Smart were just too captivating. And since then I’ve made several versions of it, long before I joined this very educational site. My go-to breads are challah, flatbreads, my butter-toasted oats and carrot loaves. :D