Blog posts

It's been quite a long time since I've actively participated on this forum, but I have the flu this week and am cooped up inside with plenty of time to bake and web surf, so thought I'd provide an update on how I think I've improved on some of my old sourdough techniques, as well as show some fun results with brioche.

French Fold on Sourdough

I made cinnamon rolls for the second time today. I used the recipe from SusanFNP's "Wild Yeast" blog, a wonderful site for bakers. The recipe is adapted from Michael Suas, with whom Susan has taken classes at the San Francisco Baking Institute, I believe. The link to Susan's recipe is:

http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/10/13/cinnamon-sticky-buns/

I haven't blogged about this bread for a while. We have lots of new members, and they should be aware of this wonderful bread. The recipe is in Jeffrey Hamelman's "Bread." Like Poilâne's Miche, it is an attempt to replicate the bread of the common folk in the 17th and 18th century in France and Quebec. A "Miche" is a very large boule. This recipe makes 3.6 lbs of dough.

This is my first attempt at Howard's formula for Petiti Pain/Check out holds99's Blog for Bernard Clayton's S.S France Petite Pain - Revisited and Revised ....Thank you so much Howard for posting the recipe and especially for adding a poolish to it!!  These are just out of the oven and hot!  Sorry no crumb post!  They smell deliteful.  I placed these on parchment and put them on a preheated stone under a cover and steamed.  I overproofed them a little to much....they deflated a little when I sliced them!  I know you warned me...Howard!  We will enjoy

This is another recipe from Beth Hensperger...This bread is intoxicating!  I love it and I can't believe how wonderful light and airy it is with a crisp to the thin crust...I baked it under cover for 30 min. steamed it about 5 seconds, uncovered and baked another 20 min...registered 200 done!

We had invited friends for brunch the weekend after New Year's day and I had already decided to make zolablue's cinnamon rolls.  It seemed, though, that something else would be good to have with the quiches that my wife was making; something not quite so sweet as the cinnamon rolls (which were fabulous, by the way).  It occurred to me that a croissant's buttery, flaky lightness would be a perfect accompaniment for the richness of the quiche.  There was one minor problem: I'd never made a croissant in my life.

I'm rather new to the bread making, I've only made three loaves so far but I have a question.  I do not know what to do after punching down.  I'll punch the dough and it sinks in the bowl and then I quickly put it on a floured surface and try to 'shape it' as high and round as I can get it.

Like many people, I found TFL in my quest to learn how to make sourdough.  I had a starter going and was sure I had killed it.  The advice I found here gave me the knowledge and confidence to make a starter that I've been using for months now, with ever-better results.

So I love blogging and I've recently discovered break baking.  Today I have discovered this website, and it's everything I could want :)  Blogging and bread!  I wanted to be more self sufficent with my food and I would love nothing more than to not pay $3.00 for bread each week when I can make it myself for half that.