So I've been gone for a while. I haven't posted here in 2 years or so, but I have been baking periodically. Here are a few recent projects, some of which I'll elaborate on if there's any interest. I've been doing what I can living in a dorm, but I'm a bit limited in my baking capabilities.
The thing I feared most about college was that I wouldn't be able to bake bread anymore. Turns out, however, that my dorm building has a kitchenette on each floor - equipped with a small oven that begins to smoke if turned to over 450 F. Good enough for me. Here are a few of the loaves I managed to bake while pursuing a dual degree in Computer Science and English Literature. I didn't have time to post them until now.
Zhavaronki (bird-shaped rolls)
One of my favorite parts of baking bread is the scoring. It gives me a chance to get a bit creative and end up with a great-looking loaf. I am, however, no expert on scoring bread. It occurred to me that a good way to get some control over the way my slashes look would be to attempt some calligraphy. This worked nicely with a sourdough boule, made with a portion of whole wheat flour. I thought Hebrew would be the best language to attempt the slashes in, as the shapes of the letters remind me a lot of bread slashes. So here it is, along with a picture of the crumb.
There were quite a few posts on this website regarding the Jewish Rye from Secrets of a Jewish Baker. I figured it was time I gave it a try. To be honest, I realized halfway through that the recipe I was using was for one loaf, not two, so I had to knead together 2 smaller loaves halfway into the second proof. Anyway, not too pretty, but very edible!
On my last day of high school, I decided to make each of my teachers a loaf of bread. One of my teachers was vegan and from Milwaukee. For him, I made this challah in which the liquid used is a lager and the eggs are replaced with avacado (and a tiny bit of lemon to prevent browning), giving the dough a unique green tinge.
I shaped the dough into a trefoil knot, which I was convinced would look cool. It didn't.
Before baking, I glazed the dough with some molasses mixed with a tiny bit of water.
I've lurked on this website for quite a while and decided it was probably time to get an account.
I had recently gotten ahold of something called matsoon, a culture similar to yogurt or kefir, but from Armenia. Being the sort of person I am, I was determined to bake something with it.
