Hey there Freshloafers,
I thought I'd poke my head out of the dough and cloud of flour to update you on the bakery's progress.
A few weeks ago I noticed that we had our two year bakery anniversary. I think it went like this:
Me: "Last week was two years for the bakery."
Sharon: "Really? When?"
Me: "I don't know, some time last week, I think."
Flour, water, salt and yeast. How can this simple recipe be so hard to perfect. I have been seriously baking bread for about 8 months now and have attempted baguettes with poolish a dozen or more times. The shaping and scoring videos make it look so easy and many on this forum have absolutely mastered the art.
Just thought that I would let you all know that at Thermo Works, the Thermapen is on sale at $89 and free shipping. I have been wanting one for a long time, but did not want to pay $95-$100 and a shipping fee, making it well over $100. I am excited about getting my new toy.
Duane
I have read so many bread baking books and viewed so many videos on shaping boules, but I didn't really "get it" until I saw our instructor, Miyuki, do it in the SFBI Artisan I workshop I attended a couple weeks ago.
I will attempt to show what I learned in still photos with descriptions. I hope that viewing these and then reviewing some of the excellent videos available might help others who are struggling with this technique.
Mis en place
This past year has been very interesting for me. I made learning rye breads a goal at the years end, and while I now know enough to understand it's going to take a lot longer, I'm making progress. Recently I did an experiment with scalding rye that worked out well. We have had some great threads here on the benefits of autolyse and mixing patterns. I was reminded of a post from Shiao-Ping where she made a Gerard Rubaud bread and another one from James Macguire that utilized long cool ferment at high hydration.
Almond Milk Bread with Dried Cherries
This recipe was inspired by a friend who gave me some dried cherries to bake something with, my recent success with brioche, and a box of unsweetened almond milk that just doesn’t taste very good to drink straight…
Recipe:
1000g Bread flour (Gold Medal)
600g Liquid (3 eggs + almond milk to make up amount)
200g Liquid levain (100% hydration storage starter from fridge)
150g Granulated sugar
I baked two sourdough loaves yesterday, using my recently acquired, and fed KAF starter (reported to come from starter that began 250 years ago in New England).
We visited Nashoba Brook Bakery in West Concord MA and had a chance to see the oven - up close and personal. It was quite an experience. We do bakery tours for fun but this was the first time I ever got close enough to touch the oven. (Yes, it was hot.)
Mimi
Hey All,
I’ve been having lots of fun with my new tools. They have brought additional peace of mind to the bread making process and have put an end to my frustration about oven temperatures. More importantly, they’ve delivered good results. Loaves in this bake all turned out crackly with a color that was neither too dark nor too light, and was just right to my liking. They were light in feel and the superb oven spring made them puff like a cute blowfish.
