Since my previous post I've taken a number of steps to clean up the site and reduce the amount of personal information stored here. Most notably, just by removing accounts that never activated or activated but never posted and haven't logged in in years, I was able to shrink the user database by over 75% (!).
You might have noticed you've been getting a ton of emails recently from companies that "care about your privacy". That is because there are new data privacy regulations coming into effect in less than a month that impact anyone doing business with EU citizens. I'm still getting a handle on what they mean and whether what TFL does constitutes "doing business" with anyone, but at the least it is a good time for some housecleaning here.
Almost everything in my garden plot died over the winter. The one exception is the sage. So I wanted to bake something that used sage, and recalled seeing Lazy Loafer's Sage & Onion Levain.
I used 50% bread flour and 50% AP flour because that is what I had handy. It is extremely tasty.
Nothing fancy but I baked a couple white sourdough loaves this evening. Around 73% hydration, 65% AP flour, 35% bread flour.
It was sunny and beautiful but still cool today, so they rose too slowly to have them ready for suppertime. I'm looking forward to trying one of them in the morning.
Ever since trying Skibum's pulla this summer I've been meaning to bake one.
I used jarkkolaine's recipe as the basis since it had metric weights. The one notable difference is that I used a tangzhong to try to get a fluffier crumb. Did it help? Mmmm... I'm not sure it did, but I may not have nailed the timing quite right.
I was working at home today, so as well as making a pot of soup I managed to get a couple of bakes in. The skinny ones are roughly based on these poolish baguettes, though I added a bit too much salt which is why they are kind of chalky looking.
After a two month break, I finally am baking again.
This summer was hectic. I've been working a ton, plus there was a two week road trip around BC and western Alberta, including a few days exploring Banff and Jasper. Truly a stunning area. One highlight of being in that region was getting a chance to meet Skibum and try his pulla, which was fantastic.
As I mentioned in my last post, I've been working on a Polish Rye recipe. I baked it again this weekend and this time took notes.
Preferment
Final dough
I hope everyone's new year is off to a great start.
Winter weather has lead to winter colds, which unfortunately reduces the sensitivity of my already not terribly refined palate, but I have been baking when I can. Two of my recent efforts are worth mentioning.
Above and below are pictures of my recent attempts to make something like the Mazowiecka loaf that a local Polish bakery makes. It has a bit of rye, a tightish crumb, and a sweet, malt-y flavour.
