IceDemeter's blog

So, there I was last Thursday with two fine loaves for all of the sandwiches that I'd need for a busy weekend out of town, a container of "issues" in the fridge, and a lot of questioning on the strength of my poor old NMNF starter.  Well - the husband managed to do some neck damage, which cancelled the plans for the weekend (and cancelled the need for so many sandwiches!), and left me with some actual time on my hands.

It's been "one of those days" for the past couple of weeks, for weather (barometric pressure and temps all over the place), for scheduling, and for baking.

It all started so innocently --- I read Lazy Loafer's rye bake blog http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/51615/another-allrye-bake, and started craving some 100% rye bread.  I wandered down to the freezer and discovered that I was down to my last wee chunk of my last bake (I freeze in 200g chunks - 5 delicious slices), and that I had apparently also frozen the last chunk of my very first 100% rye bake (it was a 100% version of Stanley Ginsberg's "Black Rye Bread"

I had a few things that I wanted to experiment with this week:

     - using a stiff (66% hydration) levain instead of a liquid (100% hydration) levain

     - using a whole wheat levain instead of all rye

     - changing the timing for using the levain to waiting until it had peaked and fallen for a couple of hours and then retarding in the fridge for a day or so

Thanks to alfanso and dabrownman and isand66 and Toad.de.b I was inspired and encouraged to take another shot at that whole grain durum, and to push a bit with playing with formulae for results that are more and more *mine*...

In amongst the rush and action of helping friends during calving season, there is also a fair bit of time spent wandering the fields for various chores, and time available for thinking while wandering...

We're just heading in to the season where we will rarely be home (either helping friends at their farms or wandering the back country) and so will have a need for convenient foods that pack well, are nutrient rich, and require minimal preparation.  I won't have a ton of time most weeks, so right now I'm busy filling the freezer with soups and stews (to carry in a thermos, or to quickly heat for a late dinner or early breakfast), roasted and sliced meats for sandwiches or soup additions, and (of course!) a variety of baked goods.

Well, all of you evil influences managed to tempt me off of my planned path of simple formulas (with some experiments of percentages and timing just to figure out what works best here), and off in to the crazy territory of the more complex recipes...

I can't say that I am really ready for it, but - well, that's part of the fun! 

...although not necessarily with the BEST response!

If anyone ever tells you that weather patterns, especially pressure changes, don't impact baking, then please laugh in their face, or, at the very least, snort derisively... 

...so many of you here, for your inspiration, your patience and detail in answering questions, and your generosity in sharing your formulas and instructions in enough detail that even a rank newbie like me can start off with some success!