British Columbia Day Holiday Loaves
It is a long weekend here in B.C. Tomorrow marks our much anticipated summer statutory holiday, British Columbia Day. This gives me some nice rest from work, perfect for me to produce some bakes worth posting.
After my whole wheat problems of late, I had to redeem myself with a festive B.C. themed bake to rejuvenate my confidence. My recent trip to a local organic mill proved worth while, picking up enough flours to last me well through the winter. I picked up some never used before flours such as sprouted whole spelt flour and stone ground whole wheat.
Using the spelt flour, I tried my first go at a 100% Spelt Loaf. I also made a few sourdough loaves, I will fittingly call B.C. Sourdoughs, since every ingredient that went in them were from here in beautiful British Columbia. Thought I would add in some eye candy of this wonderful province.
And finally crumb photos...and a Canadian holiday is not complete without a Caesar...a Canadian cocktail similar to a Bloody Mary. Ceasar ingredients: Clamato, vodka, dash of tabasco sauce, dash of Worcestershire sauce, celery/pepper salt rim, garnished with a celery stick, spicy pickled green bean, lime, and pepperoni.
Comments
Such fabulous pictures...oh and the bread is beautiful too :) I rode my bicycle last year from Victoria BC up the island to the ferry and then through the inland passage and up to Prince Rupert. Rode the Yellowhead all the way down and over and and then other roads through all of Alberta and Saska.. then across the rest of Canada...finished in Newfoundland 3 months after the start and 5000 miles. We had a fantastic and amazing time. I have a lot of pics ! I love all of your country. I had some amazing breads and bakery items in small shops in out of the way towns. Can't say enough about how I love Canada. Will be in NOTL in October and looking forward to more cycling there too.
Can you share the formula you used for the spelt loaf. I have access to local sprouted spelt flour and others as well. I would love to give it a go. There is very little info on the web as far as formulas to use...I may be looking in the wrong place. Thank you ! c
Thank you trailrunner. I appreciate your comments and am impressed by your journey through Canada. You have seen more of this vast country than I have.
Check in later today to see formula for the 100% Spelt Loaf. I need to adjust a few items in the formula.
Happy baking.
John
You would be making me jealous most times but as I am sat at the edge of Emerald Lake in eastern BC I have my own wonderful views to look at (for another day at least). But I haven't persuaded the Lodge to let me bake bread in their kitchen. Your spelt loaves look delicious and now I'm getting withdrawal symptoms - I haven't had a slice of sourdough spelt in more than a week :( !
Emerald lake just came up in conversation last night with my wife. It is an amazing lake. I have not been there but my parents have been and the photos were just amazing. I have been to Banff though which is close by.
Thanks again for your comments!
John
Lake many times in Rocky Moiutain National Park. Not the same lake but a great hike none the less.
Hmm..not the same lake? I believe Emerald Lake is part of the Rockies, no? Or is the one you were at in the US?
The Emerald Lake we were at is in the Rockies in the Yoho National Park, about 8km from Field which is on Highway 1. I will post a photo or two when I have chance.
Great loking bread and the water looks real fishy. Any Bulltrout in those waters? I fancy myself a fly fisherperson and that water looks amazing, I would love to know where that is and spend a week up there.
Cheers,
Wingnut
Thanks Wingnut. I have appreciated your last few posts as well. You bake some mean bread.
Our waters are foll of all kinds of fish. On the Pacific North West, we are known for some of the best fishing in the world. As I only fish for salmon and some Rainbow Trout, I am not sure what waters here have Bulltrout, but I do know that we do have some Bulls in our waters. See a link for info on our local fishing: http://fishingwithrod.com/
Thanks again for your kind comments.
John
... out of your mind to show your gorgeous loaves amid this out-of-this-world-impressive landscape pictures!
I love BC, a truly beautiful land (at least the parts I know).
Anyway ... gorgeously-looking loaves!
Have a great extended weekend and also a great shortened week! :-)
Hi bruneski. I don't know if I am out of my mind or not (I have had a few Caesars today), but I thought I would share with you all what this wonderful Province has to offer for scenery. Our license plates say 'Beautiful British Columbia' for a reason.
Take care and happy baking :)
John
good natural bread to go with some very fine nature. What's not to like about any of that? Just plain good matured all the war around. So how much whole grains did you get in those beautiful BCSD breads? 100% whole spelt SD is a tough one to crack and to do it with sprouted spelt is spectacular. Very nice baking and love the fine photograph too!
Happy baking John
Thank you so much dabrowny. I am in an extra good mood today, with a few Caesars in me, and finding out that I may be back in Mesa in October sure made my day. I am absolutely horrible with bakers %. But the formula is similar to the Vermont SD.
Thank you for your comments. I am sure you are eating and drinking good among amazing scenery today yourself!
Happy baking.
John
Afraid I don't have any baking pics to share, but I can share a few pictures of some of the lovely places in BC I've been in the past couple of weeks.
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Cheers,
-Floyd
Hey Floyd. Good to hear from you and see that you are enjoying our country and province. It pleases me to see that.
Have you been able to hit the Okanagan yet?
John
Have you been able to hit the Okanagan yet?
Not yet! So far we've gone west to Vancouver and Salt Spring Island a few times and north to Whistler and Pemberton. The kids are in a day camp next week but hopefully the week following or the week after that we'll get out for one more trip. East to the Okanagan is certainly one possibility.
. . . and beautiful photography. Really nice looking baking! It makes me want to get a banneton as the finished loaves look so beautiful. Nice job mate!
Regards, Brian
Hey Brian. You are so close to our border in Alberta, that you should jump on over just to take part in the festivities!
Thank you for your comments. Always nice to hear from you. Hope the mountain is treating you well in Canmore.
John
Hi John,
Great breads and your photos aren't too shabby either :) I see you have been practicing.
Love the scoring on your spelt loaf. Did you up the HL? I ask because since Phil posted his spelt loaf I been pushing the window on the HL to see what happens. Dough is pretty slippery but it does bake up really nicely - soft crumb at 90% - I think that is the highest I have ventures thus far.
Love your shots of BC too. I went to boarding school in Vancouver when I was 15 and I still remember all the lush green sights right outside of the city. I am sure that that isn't so anymore and that one has to drive a bit further to enjoy sights such as these…..citys do grow when people discover how wonderful they are.
Take Care,
Janet
Hi Janet and thank you. Actually that is what Vancouver is well known for is the lush greenery and actually still part of the city. From downtown Vancouver, you just need to drive 8 minutes to get lush green Stanley Park.
By HL i think you mean hydration level? I did not use Phil's formula for the loaf above. I tried his formula last week with horrible results. I am having issues with whole wheat breads right now. Working through it.
The above 100% Spelt Formula will be posted a bit later after I have made dinner :)
Take care and thank you again for your comments Janet.
John
Lovely post John!
You've got some super photos here from around our Province that show it off at it's best, and very nice to see on the the day before B.C Day. Tough competition putting baking of any kind in the same post as those photos but you pulled it off brilliantly with your loaves John, well done. The 100% Spelt Bread is a beauty, especially knowing that these breads can pose problems if not handled properly. Obviously not an issue with this loaf, or your sourdoughs. So what's on the menu for tomorrows feast, BBQ salmon perhaps? Whatever it is, have an excellent B.C. Day tomorrow John!
Cheers,
Franko
Hey Franko. Happy BC Day. I appreciate your kind words. I am getting more and more confidence at some types of loaves as above, but still have work to do with other types. I'll get there with a little help from my friends :)
I have no idea what is on the menu for tomorrow. I am visiting a local farm out here in Aldergrove to get fresh blueberry waffles. I had my first real home made waffle last year (I know, what a freak I am!) and I have been dying to have it again. Salmon does sound perfect though, and very BC like. What about you? Anything special planned?
John
Well Fraser Valley blueberry waffles are a fine start to B.C.Day John, maybe swing by New West market or Steveston and snag a sockeye as well, as long as your on the road anyhow. I'm doing my salmon tonight, and honoring B.C.'s pork with a low and slow 6-8 hour smoke of side ribs in the Q. Some baking as well, but not entirely clear yet what it's going to be.
Franko
Oh geeze. Franko, why the hell aren't you over here doing that?? Oh man...I haven't had slow cooked pork anything for too long.
This was our dinner tonight. Turkey club. Not very BC, but it utilized my BC SD bread. And as a side note, I just have to say, this had the CRISPIEST bacon I have ever had. I do not eat bacon often, maybe twice a year. I used half a pack to make a clam chowder back in March. Froze the rest and used it today in the club sandwich. I don't know if it is the freezing process, but it was DAMN crispy. My wife and I were freaking out actually. It was scary crispy. I have tried all the tips in past to make extra crispy bacon. Baking in oven, in pan on lowest heat possible low and slow, etc. But nothing ever gave me this kind of result. Anyway, enough about bacon. There's a reason I don't eat it more than twice a year. I love it too much. I will be testing out that theory in the future. Make some unfrozen and some frozen side by side, and see if there is a difference.
Anyhow, enjoy your amazing dinner and talk soon.
John
100% SPELT LOAF
630 g Spelt Flour
251 Sprouted Whole Spelt Flour
169 g Sourdough Culture
616 g Water
16 g Salt
26 g Brown sugar
13 g Oil
Mix the flours, levain, oil and sugar until well combined, about 3 mins. Autolyse for 30 mins. Add the salt and mix until well combined. Bulk ferment at 75 degrees for 2.5 hours. Stretch and folds in bowl every 30 mins. during the bulk ferment. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and pre-shape. Let sit for 10 mins. Shape into small oblong loaves and place in greased and flour lined bread pans. Place loaves in fridge and retard dough for 6 hours. Remove from fridge and proof at room temp. (78 degrees) for 45 mins. Preheat oven to 460 degrees. Score, and place in oven. Bake with steam for 20 mins. Remove steam, lower oven temp to 430 degrees and bake fr another 25 mins. Best if let cool for a full day before slicing.
Makes 2 loaves.
looks similar to the view out my kitchen window! Lots of black locust trees here mixed with maple. I picked up some spelt flour too... Bob's Red Mill.
Mini
Hey Mini,
On which continent are you living now? I can't keep track :)
Janet
In the same province, B.C. By the way Mini, Happy BC Day. Hope you are doing something BC-ish today...other than living in it!
John
And everyone else! what is BC-ish? I'm not heading for the boarder if that's what you mean, heard there is a 3 hr line to go south. The Columbia River is fast, seems a duck jumping into the water at Trail can get over the boarder sooner. Wow, what power, just looking at it!
Ah, the sun is out! It sure was strange to find stores open on Sundays. We wanted to Drive up to Nelson and so googled it. Turns out it is dog unfriendly and one can get fined just walking a dog into the commercial district. Saddly we changed our plans fast. Not into being fined $75 as a tourist. They must have a lot of dog owner problems and bad behaving dogs, if so, the town must smell pretty bad. Not even curious now. Our neighbors downstairs agreed, they have a little dog and were thinking about checking out Nelson. BC is a big place so there are plenty of places to see. Everyone seems to be on a lake this summer!
Beautiful scenery and breads, john. Well redeemed :)
Have a nice BC day!
-Khalid
Thank you Khalid. Feels good after such a disaster bake. Take care and waiting for your next post.
John
Just wondering if anyone has ever tasted a hint of cinnamon in their spelt before?? It is very slight and barely there, but I taste a back note of cinnamon. Strange but nice. Almost reminds me of a bran muffin.
John
I appreciate the formula as I am sure others will also. Your lunch looked yum !! I saw girzzly by the roadside in the Rockies and so many moose in Newfoundland...you country is a treat ! Oh and I have cycled a lot in Stanley park when we visited there a number of years ago. Love Canada ! c
Hi John,
I saw this post on my phone last weekend. Your post looked good then, but even better now, on a bigger screen!
beautiful breads, and beautiful BC - did you take all of those scenery shots? Wow!
And you even got one of Harrison Lake, with gorgeous Mt. Cheam in the background - Harrison Lake is one of my very favorite places :^)
Here's a BC picture for you in return, of our mighty Fraser, at high water this year.
Happy baking, with all of your Anita's flours - and happy picture-taking, too!
:^) breadsong
Hey thanks! I'll take a happy BC day any day of the year.
I did not take the Harrison one I am sad to say...it is the best of the bunch. I love the Okanagan so I had to squeeze in a bunch from my trip to Osoyoos last summer. I do love Harrison as well...I try to stay on the Harrison River every few years. Splurge and stay in the winter in one of Rowena's Inn's cottage/cabins right on the Sandpiper golf course. Thank you for the Fraser River photo. I am looking forward to the Pink Salmon fishing starting next week! They come through every odd year. I had some good luck at the Mission Bridge. Where was that photo taken?
Thank you for the comments.
John
Hi John,
You're welcome for the photo.
That's wonderful you know of Rowena's! The Harrison Mills area is so gorgeous. It takes my breath away every time we go over the Harrison River bridge.
Here are some more photos taken around there (taken in '07, happy to go back and find these! hope you don't mind me posting these!)
Harrison Mills, with Harrison River Bridge on the right...Rowena's would be next :^)
The view of the Fraser, looking West, above Harrison Mills
To answer your question, the first Fraser River picture was taken looking West from the Agassiz-Rosedale bridge (pictured below), with Mt. Cheam in the background
This is my favorite picture of Harrison Lake, taken from the Harrison East forest service road, looking North
Happy fishing in our beautiful waters!
:^) breadsong