Today was a fun day, featuring a thoroughly informal and just as thoroughly entertaining class on how to make bread. Eight friends and acquaintances received a lesson on making a honey whole-wheat bread. Two of them thought that they would just observe but we had them up to their elbows in flour along with the rest of the group in no time flat.
This is my version of bread which became very popular in Japan some years ago. Apparently some Italian restaurant in Tokyo started serving this some years ago and it became so popular, other restaurants and bakers followed suit, so did home bakers.
Yesterday did the prelim work to creating my first loaf.
Just using the directions from the Sourdough Intl. book this time around.
Pulled my starters from the fridge and fed them.
Waited.
Removed the prescribed amount of starter from the jars and then added the flour and salt water mixture. I let my Kitchen Aid do all of the mixing and kneading.
Fed the two starter jars in preparation for putting them to sleep in the fridge. I had planned to put them into the fridge before going to get my kids from school.
Last Saturday I started my SFO sourdough starter from Sourdoughs, Intl. As a newbie to breadmaking and especially to sourdough starters the directions were a bit complicated.
Tried the lightbulb and styrofoam for a proof box and was glad I tested the temp before starting my starter. Temps got up to 102 degrees!
I ended up proofing inside my oven with the light turned on. Temps stayed steady at about 91 degrees.
Second stage proofing was done at room temp.
My starter was very active by Tuesday/Wednesday.
Last Saturday I started my SFO sourdough starter from Sourdoughs, Intl. As a newbie to breadmaking and especially to sourdough starters the directions were a bit complicated.
Tried the lightbulb and styrofoam for a proof box and was glad I tested the temp before starting my starter. Temps got up to 102 degrees!
I ended up proofing inside my oven with the light turned on. Temps stayed steady at about 91 degrees.
Second stage proofing was done at room temp.
My starter was very active by Tuesday/Wednesday.
I began a rye and pineapple juice starter this week. When Igot to day 5 and needed to split the starter, I just couldn't throw any away. The culture has a fruity aroma and a good bit of rise action. Not wanting pancakes, I decided to make sourdough biscuits. The result was a two and a half inch rise from oven spring, a tosty crunch for the bottom with a tender crumb inside. Appealing to the eye? Yes. The aroma in the house, divine. The real tell, of course, is in the taste. And the Mr. was pleased.
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We cut the miche today, three days after baking...and after a lazy Saturday lunch sent my parents home with half.
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I have been making Susan's, Wild Yeast Blog, 100% sourdough bagels for a couple months now...every 2 weeks. They have been perfect every batch. That is not something I can usually say about formulas . I have been stressing my KA and doubling the batch...the motor juuuust manages to do what needs to be done. I give a minute or so by hand on the counter top. The lovely thing about the 100% sourdough is that you needn't do the float test and there is never a worry about the " wrinkled " finish to which many yeast raised bagels succumb.
Bolstered by my success in baking White Mountain Bread, I finally had the time and the flour to attempt the second recipe in Beth Hensperger’s Bread Bible, French bread, or Pain Ordinaire.
Things began auspiciously enough with a beautifully smelling, light, spongy and almost fluffy slurry.
UPDATED: Adjusting ingredients as shown below, and a bolder bake — to nearly 220°F internal temperature — yielded pleasntly crunchier crust with even more pronounced flavors. Color is so bright I think I may have forgotten to add the rye flour. I've decided I like the formula both ways, just depends on what a person wants. New photos at end.
