In Portland (the Downeast one) the unbeatable Number One Bakery is, without question, the Standard Baking Co. Their baguettes and pains au levains not only make droves of bakery customers happy but also guests of the wonderful "Street & Company" and the noble "Fore Street Restaurant".
The boules are Vermont Sourdough from Jeffrey Hamelman's "Bread." I made these using a San Francisco Sourdough starter from Sourdo.com that sat, without being fed, in the way back of my refrigerator for at least 6 months. It had been a firm starter, and while looking kind of gray on the surface, came back to life after 4 feedings at 125% hydration. And by then, was really, really happy to be making bread.
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The first time that I made these twisted bread rings, we were sorry they were so large. It made it difficult to cook them on the barbecue because two trays were required. So this time, I made smaller rings and fit them all onto one tray.
I love these making these rings. They’re SO easy to shape!
I am living at my aunt's these days and it has been a real pain in the arse getting used to baking in here. The kitchen is like twice smaller than mine, the oven is electric which is good, but feels just... weird.
However, I managed to make three loaves already, all Hamelman's: with olives, 50% whole-wheat sourdough
and whole rye and wheat sourdough.
First of all, kudos to everyone who has worked to make this such a wonderful, educational site. I am looking forward to participating in the fun here on Fresh Loaf.
After getting my first bread book for Fathers Day and after reading it cover to cover, I was inspired to try this recipe. The book is very insightful and really is a great book for basic fundamentals.
There are couple miches I have baked.
2.9Kg JT's 85x3 Miche.
One of the largest breads I have made. Pretty much the same as MC interpretation, only I didn't retard and hydration was lower, about 65%.
1.5Kg Gerard Rubaud Miche.
This week bake Jam-filled mini pockets
Siuflower
Pain au Levain, delicate, well balanced flavor. Not sour at all. DH loved it, I prefer it a bit more sour. Borrowed this shape from SteveB's blog here
Another shape:
Nice open crumb, for a 65% dough, it's surprisingly open:
I like to save these for special occasions because their elegance is truly fitting for those special moments. I make them for family gatherings and think they are a nice summer biscotti because of the ingredients of dates; pineapple, Maraschino cherries and walnuts. They make a very pretty summer cookie tray.
http://turosdolci.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/assunta’s-italian-stuffed-biscotti/
