Country Bread - getting there
Enjoying the second Country Bread loaf made this weekend. I've got to admit, I'm a bit rusty. I've got to relearn when the preferment is at its peak, and when to end the second proof so that there's enough ummph for good oven spring. Still, the bread is tasty, thanks to Hamelman's formula. Here are just a few pictures of the process. The first shows the dough ready for the initial, or bulk fermentation. You can see the gluten development in the second photo. By the way, I proof doughs directly on the kitchen counter on a thin coat of oil. I invert a big, big bowl over the dough to create a moist environment for it.
There you see the finished loaves. It was wonderful to hear the crust sing when I pulled them from the over. The final picture shows crumb development. I hope to achieve larger holes as I rebuild and improve skills.
Comments
Lovely bread Sylvia. With a house under construction, a radio show to host and a farm to run, it is a wonder that you have any time to bake bread. Your crumb looks beautifully open, by the way.
Syd
Hi Syd,
Thanks for the note. It's encouraging. Yes, things can be busy. Fortunately, the cattle are fairly self-sufficient - they walk to the brook for water, and feed from bales of alfalfa and grass hay. Because these Buelingo cattle are grass-fed and grass-finished, we don't haul grain to feed them.
It feels great to bake again, but I'm sure it'll be pushed to the back burner once spring arrives. We'll be back to house construction and building fence for the cattle. I feel very blessed to have this work to do.
Well done Sylvia.
Eric