Last Friday and Saturday, I hopped over to San Mateo for the San Francisco Pen Show to indulge another of my addictions hobbies. We needed a fast breakfast to get an early start. So Thursday I baked ...
Cinnamon-Raisin-Walnut Bread from BBA
Returning Sunday, I activated my sourdough starter and mixed enough levain/biga for ...
My Pugliese Capriccioso (Formula here: Pugliese Capriccioso)
Baked Monday, and ...
San Francisco-style Sourdough (Formula here: My San Francisco Sourdough Quest, Take 4)
Baked Tuesday. My formula for the SF SD levain and the Pugliese biga are essentially identical, so I just mixed a double batch of levain and used it for both breads.
Tuesday night, I mixed a levain for more San Francisco Sourdough and made a couple boules with toasted walnuts. I added Walnuts at 40% of the total flour weight (185 g for my 1 kg recipe).They were retarded baked Wednesday.
Happy baking!
David
- dmsnyder's Blog
- Log in or register to post comments
Your breads look quite lush, David. Your cinnamon-raisin bread brought back memories of breakfast toast I enjoyed years ago at a restaurant in the GM Building. No walnuts. Just a lot of butter.
Pen show? Like in Montblanc?
No butter in the C-R-W bread, but there is some egg, buttermilk and shortening. Butter goes on after toasting. Yummy!
Pen shows have vendors of both new and vintage pens, as well as pen paraphernalia and ephemera. I bought one pen, a Nakaya Naka-ai in Aka-tamenuri urushi. And I had 4 nibs custom ground for italic calligraphy. These shows are also gatherings of a motley assortment of pen collectors compared to most of whom I pass for sane.
David
You picked the perfect breakfast picker upper CRW...I do detect a swirl of goodness :) What a Beautiful bake of all your loaves.
Didn't you just get back from Vegas too and now your back from a pen show? You are a busy baker. Did you bring along your starter. Well, if you haven't gone yet...happy baking and looking forward to seeing the post.
My next door neighbor, a young engineer, invented and patented the ergonomic design 'Pen Again' this is the Orignal. It's been very successful for him a. Have you one in your collection? He is a very nice young family man.
I should finish up here and get to bed. I'm leaving in the morning for a week in Vegas with my daughter, grand daughter her friend and myself will see the 'Madonna' show. Everytime we go there it rains : ) I've seen numerous celebrities to ever name them all and tell some stories, having spent so many years in Vegas..but this is a first for seeing Madonna...I'm looking forward to it. She's one very successful self made intertainer.
Sylvia
Vegas? No. Our last trip was only to Prague and Warsaw. We will be going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving again. This time, I will be taking some starter to introduce my son to sourdough baking.
That pen/slingshot combo looks pretty cool. But it's a ballpoint. I don't do ballpoints unless under duress.
David
Well there's another hobby that we share. I've had to put myself on a pen diet, though, as of late as time to really use them is the factor that is lacking in my life.
Nice breads - but you know that...
Pat
My wife just put me on a "pen diet" - When I gave her my pen purchase spreadsheet for the past 16 months, and she started comparing my pen expenses to the cost of a new car, I had to admit she had some justification.
David
Oh, yes, those kind of expenses can occur. I still write letters in longhand and never used anything, but fountain (or "quill" type) pens until our friends protecting the skies caused me to fear for them being confiscated. The transition was horrifying - but I comfort myself that for the past couple of years the sole ballpoint I have used is one from Heartland Mill.
Kinda combines two hobbies into one...
:>) Pat
I've yet to have any TSA questions about my pens, and I've traveled with up to 10 of them on both domestic and international flights. I have had more questions asked about my sourdough starter. I do limit the amount of ink I take and always keep it in clear, one oz containers. I'm just waiting for a "What's this?" question about one of my favorite inks so I can answer, "Diamine Oxblood."
David
I traveled during the "very early post event days" when hysteria raged and a large range of things were confiscated and have not quite gotten over those times. When one encounters security lines at the frequency I do (minimum 2X per week) there is always the possibility is that someone gets - er - "enthusiastic" and I tend to arrange my life so that no questions need be asked and valuable writing tubes are not in danger. I'm sure things have gotten better at some security points - but, believe me, they vary. It's kind of a numbers game for me - do something often enough and try to figure what will happen.
Transporting sourdough starter has been a hit or miss affair for me. I carry liquid starter in the requisite less than 3.2 oz container. Sometimes I get stopped - sometimes I don't - even when I package the thing in the same way. Supervisors have been called, but to date I have suffered no loss. "My teacher" almost lost the firm sourdough starter to the maniacs at the local airport.
I've had my briefcase whose contents never vary go right through security many, many times and then had each item taken out and hand inspected and questioned by an "enthusiastic" agent. You just never know.
Yeah, we'd like to joke with these guys - but some have absolutely no sense of humor.
I do miss the fountain pens, though, and some days think it's time to reinstate them in my carry ons.
On a happier and yet still OT note - since you enjoy great pen work - have you seen the St John's Bible? It really is the caligraphy work of the century. I've had the chance to see two of the touring exhibitions and both were magnificent. A way to combine some retirement travel and the pen hobby.
Pat
favorite breads and 2 of them are ones you developed! Nice baking David
I'm glad you enjoy those breads! The pugliese just made a delicious sandwich for my lunch, with Aidell's chicken-apple sausage and Beaver Brand Sweet Hot Mustard. My tummy is happy.
David
Nice looking breads! You are the "Man" David. I have a friend who likes pens, and keeps four of his favorites in his shirt pocket at all times. He actually likes writing and keeping notes in little notebooks he makes and binds. While not in your league, he still fascinates me with his meticulous note keeping.
Ray
Fantastic baking David! That Cinnamon-Raisin Walnut Bread looks delicious!
Your walnut sourdough looks amazing and EXACTLY the type I was looking for last weekend! Where were you when I needed you Dave. Amazing. Oh, I added rehydrated figs to mine. Perfect with turkey dinner.
John
I was out of town last weekend. You should have asked!
I've been meaning to try dried figs in this bread. Good, eh?
David
David, yes the fig gives a perfect sweetness in every other bite to compliment the walnuts, as I am sure you know.
Keep up the nice baking! Motivates me to have no life outside of the kitchen :)
John
Absolutely Beautiful collection of breads, David! you are right on the borderline between a seasoned home baker and a professional commercial baker! Producing quality breads so consistently means that you are a truly accomplished home baker.
I'm tempted with the interesting color of the walnut -SFSD crumb! looks like wholegrain, but with a lovely open crumb. The cinammon raisin bread is superb! i've once baked a 50% wholewheat , and sent it with my KG son on his bread day school. The bread was highly acclaimed, the teachers consumed it in no time, and asked for the recipe!
For your kind words.
The walnuts stain the crumb a sort of purple. The basic formula is the same as my SFSD, take 4 - no additional whole grain. But it's interesting you mention this, because I've been thinking about working on a SFSD variation with increased WW.
So, you have "infected" your son's school faculty with the baking bug. Good work!
David
Ooooh ... I am a total sucker for walnut bread. Just Beautiful!
Great baking as usual David. Thank you so much for sharing your days in the kitchen.
Cheers,
Phil
David
Wonderful collection of breads as usual David. Your friends and relatives must be happy you have more time to bake!
If I keep up this pace, I'm going to need to find more friends and relatives closer to home.
David
Gee, I'd be happy to take some of those gorgeous loaves off your hands...too bad I'm on the other coast :( Glorious bake!