What else is there to do in retirement but perfect my baking skills. Everyone benefits and I'm getting fat!!! Ha Ha
After seeing the recipe in the feed for the Blueberry Cream Cheese Braid I just had to try it.
Made some adaptations. Subbed the flaxseed with poppy and chia seeds and halved the portion. Because chia is so thirsty, i did not half the water for the soaker instead just cut it about 25%
my preferment looked a bit lethargic so bulk fermented for 3.5 hours and proofed for 5 hours. Although the weather was probably around 29-30C it did not overproof with 5 hours.
the taste was excellent considering it had a total of 92% BF and only 8% rye! Colour of crumb looked as though it has 30% rye....very pleased
Did two bakes this week using the fresh milled einkorn flour I've been experimenting with. One was a spur of the moment thing that used a northern cornbread recipe substituting einkorn for the cornmeal and flour. As with most guickbreads it was highly enriched. The result was better than expected being both light and very tasty. The other was a natural leaven bread using 75% einkorn to 25% whole wheat new flour (not counting the flour in the starter). The loaf was dense like most whole grain breads are but also was good tastewise. The picture is of the latter.
Translated into English it would be * Butter Braid *
I changed the recipe a bit as it had no sugar in it and we like it sweet.
1kg strong bread flour
500ml full fat milk * I used 500ml Buttermilk *
1tbsp Salt
200g Sugar * I added it to the recipe *
1tbsp Vanille Essence * I added it to the recipe *
42g fresh yeast OR 14g Instant yeast
150g soft butter
2tbsp oil * I added it the the recipe *
1 egg and one Tbsp milk for the glaze that you apply just before baking.
Busy Busy Busy it has been. New job in a restaurant while still doing my weekly bake. But the weekly bake has found a new friend of whom has built a lovely Wood Fired Oven aimed at bread baking. It has some steam injection via pressure cooker and a pipe that works better than either of us had expected. So the past month Forno Giorgio (the oven) has been our "boss". And he's a great boss. I thought it would begin with epic fails but it turns out baking is baking and we just learn to adjust to new environments.
Hello all,
I wanted to share toady's bake of bialys.
They are plump, airy, soft, with a moist, slightly sweet crust, with a very nice flavor, and a soft yet chewy crust.
The filling is of poppy seeds and caramelized onions, the way may grandmother, who grow in Poland, used to bake them for my mother when she was a child. They used to call them "פלצלעך" - Pletzlach (plural for Pletzel).
Carissimi Amici,
mi affaccio timidamente per rendervi partecipi di due giorni di straordinarie lezioni sui Lievitati Pasquali.
Se dipendesse da me avrei sempre il grembiule ed un sacco di farina a portata di mano, ma non sempre è così......
In queste due giornate di lavoro mi sono divertita molto e se siete un po' curiosi vi lascio il link per passare a trovarmi.
http://ilchiccoelaspiga.blogspot.it/2015/03/la-pasqua-si-avvicina-e-impastando-si.html
This week I got an idea from a book written by two Japanese bakers, that is combine two different color dough together to create marble-like, or bicolor crumb inside. So I made this at weekend.
White dough: white flour 250g, active starter 70g (28%), salt 5g (2%), water 175g (70%)
Dough with coco powder: white flour 220g, active starter 62g (28%), salt 4.4g (2%), water 163g (74%), coco powder 22g(10%)
These delicious sweet buns are going to have you going back for another and another and….
Lovely soft dough with a hint of cardamom.
Filled with a cinnamon and brown sugar and twisted into shape, dusted with sugar nibs…
Just gorgeous..
Not overly sweet, perfect for breakfast in my mind…and afternoon tea…
Anytime!!
It's been a busy few weeks, both with baking and with other areas of life! As always, baking grounds me. The ritual...it's one of the best things about it.
