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I was very skeptical when I took the dough out of the fridge after 24 hours, as it didn't seem like it had risen at all. I felt like the youthfulness of my starter had failed me, but what the hell, give it some warmth and see what happens. After maybe 5 hours on the counter we were in business! Nice bubbling and doubled in volume! I couldn't believe it.

I'm already at my dorm for more than two weeks but the bread baking addiction hasn't stopped. I really need to get my hands on some dough manipulation or else...! They say to stop an addiction you must identify your danger zones; when you are most likely to do the thing you are addicted in like when you don't have something to do for two days because of your work schedule from 4 consecutive sleepless nights because new bread baking ideas are plaguing your mind like mad piranhas swarming on an unsuspecting prey! And did I mention that I brought my flour and yeast with me in my dorm?

Hello,  everyone! Gosh, it's been forever since I've posted, right? I've still been baking like mad; just haven't been documenting everything too well. Here's a little update on what I've been baking (not really in chronological order)

Ciabatta 

Pizza Bianca from ciabatta dough

This is the most sour porridge bread I've made to date.  I think the 2 day rest in the fridge for the Einkorn and European Style flour starter may have contributed to it.

I used some pearled barley and Organic Six Grain Flakes from KAF for the porridge and added some cooked grits with cheddar cheese.  I didn't measure the cheese added to the grits but it wasn't a large amount.  Feel free to indulge.  I always make a lot more grits than needed and eat them with dinner or breakfast later on.

This Friday’s bake was an unusual one even for Lucy.  It combined the low slow 2 hour baked scald of a Westphalia rye with a mainly white wheat and sprouted SD bread and bit of rye and spelt thrown in for some kind of effect only a Baking Apprentice 2nd class could understand.

My first use of my young (10 days) SD starter, and first attempt at FWSY Field Blend #2, which I've had my eye on for a while.

It's a hybrid dough, so unsure how well the starter did (a concurrent txfarmer 36 hour baguette attempt with pure levain is not going well so far), but the bread came out quite well and smelled amazing while baking, and afterwards.

I gave this to a very good friend as a going away gift so didn't get to taste it, but I requested the crumb pics and feedback was very positive! Can't wait to make it again. Maybe as baguettes!

And Happy Friday! Thanks for being so welcoming to an enthusiastic newcomer.

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I cooked up some of the Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Wholegrain Cereal and used it in the preferment instead of the main dough.

Preferment 1st Build:

25g of ripe starter

50g of cooked cereal

50g of water

Preferment 2nd Build:

150g of cooked whole grain

50g of white whole wheat

200g of water

Inspired by necessity: I had a lot of pesto, and I hate wasting food.

Rather than mixing the pesto into the dough, I decided to create a simple sourdough, and then spread the pesto onto the pre-shaped loaves just before final shaping, to create a sort of "filled" effect. Pretty good results!

Ingredients:

350 g AP flour

100 g whole wheat flour

350 g water

100 g ripe white starter

11 g salt

10 g sugar

5 g toasted wheat bran 

5 g toasted wheat germ

Method:

I know you are thinking the same thing I am when Lucy came up with this one.  What is wrong with her?  No whole grains, no sourdough, no add ins – No Nothing Bread!

I was quickly reminded that we had company coming over for Valentines Day with one not even out of high school and they might nit like those other kinds of wonderful breads we like so much.