Beginnings: A Year Long Journey on 2 Recipes
I only recently delved into the world of bread, and before I overwhelm myself with the plethora of recipes I am going to hone in on the basics with 2 recipes. I have been reading Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice and obtaining the "feel" for the dough is my end goal. Instead of relying on timers, I want to depend on my senses.
My hope for this year long bread baking journey is to be able to bake an excellent sourdough boule and baguette. That is not to say I wont bake a few odd recipes here and there, but my main focus will be on the basic sourdough recipe posted by cranbo which I will use for my boule and the Baguettes a l'Ancienne recipe posted by DonD for my baguettes. Gaining experience using a sourdough starter and instant yeast will be invaulable. Already, I can see the subtle and sometimes obvious differences in the way each type of yeast acts on the dough. As I gain experience hopefully it will lead to better tasting bread.
I must be honest, I will be posting rookie questions for quite some time, but I have noticed already how helpful the TFL community is and hopefully you all can guide me through my trials and errors. Well here goes a year of enjoyment.
Lane
Comments
Hi, Justkneadit!
I suggest that you start familiarizing yourself with commercial yeast, whether fresh or dry, and when you consistently bake good yeasted breads, start focusing on sourdough.
The best of luck to you in your endeavor. We are all here to help, so we'll be more than glad to answer your questions.
Khalid
Welcome aboard Justkneadit! Once you start it's hard to stop.
Look forward to reading about your adventures and don't be afraid to ask for help!
Regards,
Ian
Thanks guys for the encouragement!
I know what you mean, I've only been baking for 6 weeks and I feel a certain peace and happiness when I bake. Just lovin' it.
I have my first try at cranbo's recipe except I'm using the cold, long autolyse with the long cold ferment underway. I like the result it produces, plus I want to bring about the maximun flavor from the dough. We will see how it turns out. Thanks
Once you master those you only have a million more to go! Nothing like a lifetime job! Ask away. The one thing TFL doesn't lack is experts to help us :-) Look forward to your bakes.