davidg618's blog

I've been trying to teach my hands to shape loaves. It's going slowly. There remains a lot more learning.

Single-acting baking powder first hit the marketplace in the mid-1850's. The Gold Rush was still rushing, and John Chisum's cattle drives were at their peak, repleat with chuck wagon and cook--always called "Cookie" regardless his origins.

The microwave oven is a fine proofing box. With the door ajar, to keep the light on, its internal temperature is 78°F. Two small, round brotforms, or two oblong ones fit snuggly, but forget baguettes, or family size challah. And if I want 89°F I'm stymied--until now.

Inspired by LisaL's question  Baguettes by noon? I baked a sourdough version of my overnight baguette formula for the first time.

This year I sent all my children and their families, and a couple of dear friends a loaf of sourdough, and a sampling of cookies: Welsh Cakes, Date-Nut Pinwheels--reminiscent of their great-grandmother--and biscotti, a recent discovery and new favorite of mine.

After a week of marathon baking:

10 loaves sourdough--our oven can only bake two at a time,

19 dozen Welsh Cakes,

14 dozen Date-Nut Pinwheels,

14 dozen Biscotti (Parmesan-Blackpepper, Cherry Pecan, Hazlenut-Citron, and Amaretto-Almond)

I mentioned in a post about a week ago I'd been laid up for seven weeks, unable to walk more than ten steps, let alone bake bread. The last four days I've been baking sourdough--two variations of the base 45%/45%/10%:Bread Flour/AP Flour/Whole Rye Flour; 68% Hyd., and 28% prefermented Bread Flour in the sourdough starter--nothing fancy, nothing new but just being able to bake leaves me humble and grateful once again I can.

I've been immobile for the past two months with sciatica. With steroid treatment and physical therapy, it's nearly completely diminished. Fortunately, the freezer was well stocked with baguettes, sourdough loaves, and a couple of Jewish Ryes at the onset--now nearly depleted. 

Yesterday afternoon, after a two month hiatus, I celebrated my new-gotten mobility by mixing dough for my Overnight Baguettes formula; shaped and baked them this morning.

There are, at least, two threads running currently whose subjects deal with "the past'":

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18072/primitive-cooking-techniques-amp-discussions

and,

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18097/fredk-t-vine

Yesterday I baked two sourdough boules; it's become a weekly chore. Sourdough has all but replaced our pre-starter days' bread machine whole wheat or white sandwich loaf dough. Two loaves, with a baguette or two, and occasionally Jewish Rye keeps the two of us well stocked for a week to ten days.

Nice looking loaves, yes?

And now, another point of view.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

David G