Blog posts

Day 1

This was made out of whole unroasted buckwheat groats, soaked and inoculated with a pinch of rye starter. Fermentation was fast and extremely vigorous. Buckwheat groats are quick to fermented on their own,  but they develop really bad stink in the process. With the help of the mature rye starter they smelled really rather nice. 

Fermented groats were blended into dough. I added some coriander and caraway, and, obviously,  salt.

This bread uses rye and wheat flours in the same proportions as dmsyder's San Joaquin breads, but the process and levain are different, and the rye is toasted. I included a little sugar because that seems to go well with the rye.

The loaves proved to a surprisingly large size, baked up beautifully, have a wonderful crust, an open crumb, and a mild lovely flavor with cereal notes.  I don't taste any sourness.

My wife and I took our newborn daughter home from the hospital on Saturday and we didn't have any fresh bread to eat, so I refreshed my starter and got baking Sunday. I'd seen the discussion for the community bake and wanted to participate, but my options for non-wheat were corn meal or grinding oats or rice. I chose to go with the corn meal and cooked it like a porridge. I also used soaked oats as the 10% seed portion, though in hindsight I probably should've mixed them into the "polenta" after it was done cooking to avoid adding more water, as the dough was extremely wet.

Long time lurker, first time posting (and will be my only post)

Never thought I will get back baking sourdough again. Or bake anything. I love baking, but no longer have as much time as I used too. Since I decided to get serious about getting in shape, I am very careful about things I eat. I constantly trying to figure out ways to sneak in more protein into my food. And I want real food.

On hold. To be competed 

Goals

1. Practice mixing a Baguette dough that is manageable, and mechanically mixed to the optimal dough development to achieve an open airy crumb.

A. Use a tried true formula that has proven to yield good results.

B. Practice using our senses to gage dough development. Touch, look., and smell. Taking care not to overly work the dough. Leaving time, and temperature to fully develop the gluten network. 

2. Gain proficiency in handling, divide, preshaping and shaping.

This doesn’t quite follow the guidelines of the Infinity Bread for the Community Bake, but it is my contribution.  My non wheat flour isn’t up to the 33% range that is in the write up.  I chose buckwheat flour which I toasted well to bring out the nutty flavour to the maximum.  I used the toasted buckwheat flour as all the flour in a tangzhong.  The texture of the tangzhong is different from what I’m used it, it was clumpy in lumps rather than one big mass.

Close friends of our send us rhubarb every spring so I wanted to make something to bring them when we were visiting last weekend.  I came up with a sweet bun with a sour cherry and rhubarb filling along with a lemon icing.  They turned out quite well.

Phase 1.

The formula.

Day One:

The rye sour was refreshed, and the seed/grain porridge cooked.

Day two:

The three different final dough fours are autolysised for 45 minutes.