Blog posts

Lavender, Sage, and Cranberry Boule

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Just pulled this from the oven about 20 minutes ago and can't wait to dig into it. We had cooked a turkey this past weekend and wanted to make sandwiches...but of course we needed a bread built just for such an occasion. So...I set to work with the breadcalc spread sheet and this is what I came up with.

Starter:
Levain @ 50%: 100%/3oz
Water: 50%/2oz
KAF Speacial Flour: 90%/3oz
KAF White Whole Wheat Flour: 5%/1oz

Final dough...
All the starter: 25%?...I didn't weigh it, just threw 'er in
KAF Special flour: 80%/ 12.25oz

How to build & sustain steam in Blodgett gas-oven?

Profile picture for user Michael Fuhrman

After years of reading these helpful blogs, I am reaching out for help.  For the past 20 years, I've been baking bread in my home kitchen.  Recently, I started using a Blodgett gas oven with a metal deck 30x42 at a local church to see if I can dramatically increase production and still maintain the quality I seek.  My initial goal is to move from 4 to 8 loaves in my Dutch Oven at home to 50 in the Blodgett gas oven.  The idea is to start a small bread shop in my hometown.  I've baked a couple of patches of pain de campagne at 78% hydration in the Blodgett oven.

Sprouted White Wheat Buckwheat Barley SD

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Sprouted White Wheat Buckwheat Barley SD

 

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole white wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted white wheat flour

30g        10%       Toasted buckwheat flour

30g        10%       Toasted pearl barley flour

 

Sourdough repeat first bake of the year

Profile picture for user pul

After some time without baking I am back with a repeat formula based on a mix of bread flour, whole wheat and durum. Roughly 180g bread flour, 80 g whole wheat and 40 g durum. The levain contained 15% of the total flour and the total hydration was 75%. The room temperature was about 16C. I built the levain the night before and processed the dough during the day. Below is the crumb shot.

Wish you happy baking in the new year.

Ensaymada — Filipino Brioche

Profile picture for user PalwithnoovenP

To start the year, I baked one of the most difficult yet luxurious Filipino breads, Ensaymada! It originated from the Mallorcan Ensaimada but the Filipino ones are very different from its ancestor that someone said they should go by a completely different name. The Ensaimada Mallorquina was more like a croissant, flaky and laminated with lard; the Filipino Ensaymada (Notice the use of a masculine adjective for a feminine noun and different adjective placement?) is brioche like, a soft rich bread. Our ancestors have really made it our own.

I got a wondermill!

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I scored a wondermill for 30$! 

We have a kitchen aid one but I don't like how hot it gets. When I saw this I had to snap it up! I am going to experiment in the next few days 

yay! 

Sourdough Pains au Chocolat — Happy New Year 2019!!!

Profile picture for user PalwithnoovenP

As I am on a long holiday vacation now and school starts again just after the New Year, I decided to use this opportunity to make some viennoiseries before the year ends.

I made some sourdough pains au chocolat in my new oven to celebrate 2018 and the New Year. We are just minutes away from 2019 here! I have received so many blessings this year: from passing the board exam, becoming a licensed professional teacher, having a highly rewarding profession in many aspects, to having a new oven; I have so much to thank for and words are not enough to thank the Lord!