Any Belgian bread bakers out there?
Twenty years ago, I spent a year in northern Belgium as an exchange student. Over the intervening years, I've been able to find or replicate most of the foods I loved there, but I cannot for the life of me find a good whole-wheat daily bread like the one our local baker made. I ate it with Gouda every day for a year and miss it so much. Now I can get the Gouda just fine, but the bread is missing. I suspect that it was not a 100% whole wheat bread, but a "light" whole wheat bread with some white flour, based on the texture of the crumb and the lift it had.
Is anyone here from Flanders, and do you have a recipe for dagelijkse volkorenbrood that I could have? Double bonus if you're from Essen gemeentenschap! I lived in Wildert, Antwerpen province.
I'm also craving a recipe for frangipan gebakjes, but that would just be gravy....
Thanks in advance!
http://members.multimania.nl/vantend/dossiers/broodbakmachine.html#bakrecepten
I checked out the link -- some promising recipes. And then I googled more Dutch sites... I may be trying some of these and posting my results for those who are interested. Of course, if I get far enough into it I could go back and visit my host family there, and see if the local bakery would let me hang on for an evening shift.... now THAT would be fun!
I know the bread about which you were asking! I was looking for a recipe for it a few years ago. I never found one. Unfortunately, I don't read Dutch or Flemish.
If you found a recipe that replicates that delicious bread, would you please post it?
Thanks!
David
David,
I haven't gotten around to baking any of these yet, finding the test baking for Stan and Norm to have completely absorbed any excess bread-eating capacity we've had. But it's on the list, and I'll be working on it soon. If I find a good approximation, I'll definitely post it (appropriately translated!).
I'm a real "Vlaming" but unfortunately I only got into bread-baking once I moved here to New york. I do miss a good rogge broodje or a volkoren, but my favorite is a West-Vlaams. It looks like a light rye in a loaf pan with rye berries in it.
If you find any recipes iin flemish i'll be more than happy to translate them (i'll even try them too, even though I try to stick to sour dough or sprouted grain breads these days.
Groetjes,
Steven