Novice Baker: weekend of baking
Well my weekend of baking didn't go too bad but didn't go well either. I am a bit out of sorts as I am recovering from major surgery so I will blame all my mistakes on that and of course that I am a novice bread baker :)
I started my own starter a while ago and have maintained it on the counter ( about 2-3 months)but it will be going into the fridge after a feeding today. If I understand correctly this should help it develop a better flavor and I should feed it once a week? I have let it go a bit over a week on the counter without a feed but every time it gets a feeding it doubles/triples nicely. The last five days or so I have been feeding it everyday and made a batch of Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough. This is my third "attempt" at baking this recipe and I am very curious as what it will taste like now that my starter has been been with me for awhile and my first attempts were with a very "young" starter.
This batch of SD was very very dry and I think I should have added more water at the begining as my "shaggy mass" was on the dryer side. I carried on and was not to hopefull. I put it in the fridge for an 18 hour ferment (?). When I pulled it from the fridge early this morning the dough was hard I let it sit out for about an hour and half and baked it off. This is what I got ( I need alot of practice on shaping ) The second picture is after some cooling and I did get some singing and crackle :0 Practice makes perfet so they say.. 
This was my very first attempt at Hamelman's Baguettes with Pate Fermentee and my pate fermentee looked rather dry ( I have never done this so was unsure) I let it set out over night it seemed dry in the morning but carried on anyways. Rather than making baguettes I shaped them into 2lb loaves but maybe should have scaled them to 1.5lb as the recipe called for on a side note. I was trying for a flower effect with my scoring but it looks like a spider. The taste is very very good but don't really think it turned out as it should have. This is what I got:
My final bake is going to be from the Bread Bakers Aprrentice and I chose the Roasted Onion Asiago Miche. I have it in the fridge right now and will bake them or one off tomorrow as the recipe calls for an overnight chill however I put them in at 830 this am maybe one will get baked for dinner. So far this is what I have and it smells soooo good :)
If you're a novice bread maker and you want to develop your skills more quickly you might find it better to find one bread style/formula and work exclusively with that one until you perfect it before introducing another one. Working on too many types of bread in the beginning tends, IMO, to generate confusion and limit successes. You might also benefit from selecting a bread with as few ingredients and as few steps as possible, focusing on how the dough feels and how it develops in its fermentation. As a suggestion, instead of sourdough, try poolish baguettes. To venture out somewhat, Challah might be enough of a challenge at this stage of the game.
I agree! It's just so hard to choose when you see so many beautiful pictures of all the amazing breads. I am going to stick with using my starter and perfecting Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough. I have made poolish baguettes twice and they turned out okay. My passion though is my home grown starter and what I can do with it. I have also made cinnamon raisin swirl which was great (from BBA), Golden Raisin and Walnut ( Hamelman's) it was a bit dense but taste was good and as stated a few try's at the Vermont Sourdough. I also did not use a baking a stone this time as it broke while baking a pizza :( ahwile back. I have looked at Challah and Brioche and really really would like to try a Brioche. MMM French Toast made with homeade Brioche sounds wonderful. Thanks for your suggestions much appreciated.
Nice crust colourisation and lovely crackles, too! Would have loved to have seen the third "c": crumb. :) Nice baking.
Syd
Hello Syd- Believe me when I say you are not missing much. My sourdough is very very dense. The smell is good smells more sour than it is taste well it was so so. My white (baguette shaped into a 2 lb round) I imagine should have had some larger holes in it the taste was wonderful not dense but more of a sandwich style. Haven't baked off my asiago/cheese/onion miche (dinner tonight). Overall it was a fun couple of days of baking even though it was no where perfect. Practice practice practice! My father in law LOVES to be the taster. He lit up like a christmas tree when I arrived with two fresh loaves. Even though they are not great he's my biggest supporter.
Here is my finished Roasted Onion Asiago Miche I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Can't wait to taste it. Smells good. Will add a picture when I cut into it. Can't wait for dinner.
Just a suggestion, but if you'd reduce the size of your images the pages would flow better with your posts.