AnnieT's blog

Brotkunst, Thanks for such a speedy reply. I can see that there is a great deal of difference between flours, lots to learn. I used Bob's Red Mill No.1 Durum Wheat Semolina Flour which I think is finer than the semolina. Living on an island I don't have access to a huge variety, and I was always worried that shipping on a heavy item like flour would be prohibitive. In my area we have one decent store and I did find the Hodgson Graham flour there, along with several KA flours. I shaped my loaves and placed them on parchment paper on a large cookie sheet, then into the frig overnight. I wasn't sure how long to let them sit out before baking - I see that you baked yours right away. Oh well, I'll try again. While I think of it, can anyone tell me how much less instant yeast to use when the recipe calls for regular yeast? Also, I am using Diamond Crystal kosher salt and never seem to get the amount right. Does anyone have the answer, please? Finally ( for now!) I want to make Floyd's sourdough loaves, and I'm not sure when he will be back so I'm throwing this out in case he is still away - he says he refreshes his starter around 8pm, then mixes dough the next morning. Does the starter sit on the counter all night or go back to the frig? Sorry if that is a silly question, A

Thank you for the kind offer, TT, but it was logging on that was giving me grief - pictures will be waaaay down the road. I seem to have beaten the computer into submission and didn't get any rude messages this evening. I only hope this doesn't show up twice because I went to preview and lost what I had written. I want to thank Weavershouse for the pizza recipe and great pictures. In a weak moment I invited my grandaughters to sleep over tomorrow night, and I decided we can make individual pizzas for supper. Margaret and Lily will enjoy making a mess and hopefully we will eat well. Of course I could be in big trouble because they get pizza at home, and as you know, comparisons are odorous. (How funny, I always thought it was "odious".) So the dough is sitting in the frig, next to a batch of pate fermentee for Pane Sicilian from the BBA. Can we spell obsession? I made the Pane Sicilian on Monday and really like working with the pate fermentee which I had never tried before. The loaves looked wonderful when I took them out of the frig - and then I practically ruined them by having the oven shelf too high. The tops were almost charred, but it didn't slow the family down. They devoured one loaf before supper with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and said it was the best thing I had made so far. I wasn't happy about the almost disaster, hence the second attempt. Film at 11, A

I have been spending waaaay too much time reading all of the interesting comments and hints - love the way people jump in to help. So I decided I have to try to do this "blog" thing - my kids think it is hysterical that Nana is learning such skills. Hope you will bear with me. I made a loaf of nkb today, using 1 cup of white whole wheat and 2 of bread flour (both King Arthur.) My dough was slightly firmer than the last loaf so the folding and shaping was easy. I placed the ball of dough on a square of parchment and dropped it into my banneton, and placed that on top of my propane stove which has the pilot light on still. I have tried several baking containers and have gone back to my stainless steel Dutch oven. I bought a Lodge preseasoned one and got charred bottom crusts each time, and I even bought a wide terracotta flower pot which worked well as long as I remembered the square of parchment over the hole! I was getting gummy crumb and scorched crusts when I tried to bake the bread for a longer time. I also figured I was dropping the dough and deflating it, hence the square of parchment paper. Now I lift the paper and gently lower it into my heated pot - great oven spring and no more gummy crumb. I am pre-heating to 450* and baking for 30 minutes with the lid on, then lowering to 400* for another 20 minutes. The crumb isn't as "holey" with the bread flour but the flavor is good. In case you think I only make the blob in the pot as I think someone called it, last week I made Mike Avery's Micha ( I think) bread using the stretch and fold method he shows on his video. What fun, and so delicious.

Maybe I should have introduced myself first? I am retired and live on Whidbey Island near Seattle. I have a senior one eyed Pug and recently adopted a senior Bengal cat from WAIF, the shelter here on Whidbey. Plus we live in a senior park. My only 2 grandchildren are here, and they LOVE Nana's bread. My son here is building their house and my daughter-in-law is the gardener on a large private estate. My other son lives in Paso Robles, CA, and I recently sent him some of my sourdough starter. He seems to be having fun with it and impressing his friends - they made pizzas last week. Not quite sure what the rules are about rambling. Just wanted to say how much I enjoy The Fresh Loaf, thank you.