Blog posts

Cari Amici,

non so da voi ma qui in Toscana il caldo estivo è arrivato prepotentemente e si fa sentire parecchio.....

Gestire gli impasti diventa ancora più complicato se, attenendoci alle tradizioni locali, non inseriamo il sale che normalmente è previsto nelle ricette.

Come ben sapete, in Toscana il Pane è "Sciapo" ovvero senza sale.....e così ho messo in produzione questo Pane, che invece lo prevede, utilizzando una straordinaria Farina del Molino Grassi di Parma che appartiene alla Linea qb e si chiama Montana.

Decided to make 2 loaves. Doubled the starter to make the levain (this fermented for 13 hours) and reduced 1/3 of the yeast in the recipe. Also went for a lighter bake. Happy with the results 

I had a good experience that reminded me of the reason why natural leaven is so much superior to commercial yeast and how using different flours add to the depth of flavor.

Well, after some helpful advice and some more recipe reading for process, plus a little more thinking about what I want out of this recipe, here's take 2. I've evened out the hydration so it stays closer to 80% until the last of the flour goes in, which is about as stiff as I can still work with it and not have to resort to actual kneading until it's time.

This has been such a weird week.  My wife is off to visit our daughter in Texas and eatng great food off of food trucks in Austin without me…… while I am eating curries, stir fries and smoked meats.  I’m not sure who got the best of that.  But the really odd thing was the turn that Lucy took.

This Sweetie Pie is basically a Tartine style loaf employing 100% hydration rye sourdough with added raisins, pecans and mashed sweet potato - yum! I found the recipe here:

http://girlmeetsrye.blogspot.com/2014/04/sweetie-pie.html

A wee burst of summer
Buttermilk Aromastück brot fueled by the grainy sweetness of an Aromastück concoction, prepared from rye&wheat, straight off the grinder stones. This comes together with oatmeal porridge, buttermilk and a dark wheat flour levain for a full spectrum of aroma/flavour. Hybrid leavened, 0.4% fresh yeast. 20% buttermilk.

Are now two. The world has lost a great amateur baker, and an even greater big sister. Our sister Barbra died today... we will continue to bake with her forever. I am thinking I have to master her Tartine loaf... I am really going to try. I know many of you know my sister through this site... She was such a fan, and she contributed so much! The work of her hands and her heart were a blessing to many. She will be missed.

Diane and Helen, proud to be her sisters!

I am getting my chops down now on the Country Blonde. I like the flavour, crust and chew of the crumb. This was aslo my first attempt at David Snyder's San Jose Sour Dough. My SJSD needs work, but this is a nice tasting bread!  I need to work on my shaping and scoring. At these high ambient temperatures 45 minutes was too long and the loaf tough to score with a lame. Forty minutes would have been better.