Elsie_iu's blog

You know how bread (or specifically, naan) is perfect for soaking up every last drip of curry? And how addictive paneer curry dishes are? Palak paneer, methi malai paneer, paneer butter masala and achari paneer, to name but a few. Curry bread is definitely not a new idea. See the popular Japanese fried curry bread (Kare-Pan) for evidence.

The einkorn used in this bread was given by a friend. To let its flavour shine, I paired it with white whole wheat flour.

40% Einkorn Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

180g      60%       Whole white wheat flour

120g      40%       Whole einkorn flour

After baking a loaf of yellow bread, it makes total sense to attempt creating orange bread next, right? This might sound odd at the beginning: mangoes, carrots, coconuts, oranges, ginger and coriander with… pancetta? But not so much if you think about how heavenly a combo prosciutto and peaches (or melons) make.

Vibrant Orange Sourdough with Pancetta

There were plenty of chocolate sourdough posts recently. I was a bit hesitant in baking my own because, you know, the idea of chocolate bread is just a bit…boring… Cherries, raisins, cranberries, hazelnuts, coffee and not much else. It’s also conventional to pair chocolate with rye or spelt flour. Really, there’s not much creativity to speak of.

It’s been a while since some strong-flavoured bread came out from my oven. I decided it’s the time for the comeback of my most-loved bread type.

Smoked Chipotle Onion and Parmesan Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

120g     40%       Whole white wheat flour

90g       30%       Whole spelt flour

Before I talk about the details of this bread, I have to express my gratitude for Joze and Alan. Without their tips and advises, it would not be born. Thank you so much! 

This is my fifth attempt at barley flour, which also happens to be the first successful one. Regarding the challenges I faced when working with it, please refer to my recent forum post:  http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56589/does-barley-have-exceptionally-high-enzymatic-activities

I seriously can’t believe it. There’s now a grain mill in my kitchen! Needless to say, I planned a bake with freshly ground flour the day I took it home.

Brie, Hazelnut and Goji Berries Sourdough with White Whole Wheat Flour

Dough flour:

I decided to offer the formula of my last bake another chance as the bread tasted too good to abandon. To solve the spreading issue, the hydration is dropped from 88% to 83%. This produced a much more manageable dough. In the hope of preserving the fragile gluten, I also added a 15 minutes autolyse and reduced the round of stretch and fold from two to one only. 

Before you turn away, please allow me explain why I’m posting this poor-looking bread. There’s no doubt that it had poor rise, yet it’s also true that its flavour is so exceptional it deserves to be shared.

No. You didn’t read it wrong.