Bread baking Dad | The Fresh Loaf

Salutations, Best Bread tips I've seen on-line. (Just signed up.) I'm a 47 year old Bread baking Dad. (3 young children, lovely wife.) Can't form the proper words to tell you how helpful this site has been. Unlike most other Bread baking sites this one is free of frustrations. I very much appreciate that. All the best, Mark Wisecarver Johnson City, TN

Excellent. Welcome to the site.

Okay, I'm starting to see a trend here... I too am a bread baking dad... new to bread baking and new to TFL. I have only a 7yo tomboy daughter who can't understand why I'm so excited about having learned how to bake bread... "I mean you're a grown-up; you should know how to make bread!" Okay, well now I do! I too agree that the sheer volume of knowledge and experience on this site is incredible! There are questions and answers from beginners like me to seasoned professionals (pun intended). TFL is a great site/community, and baking bread is great fun, especially for Dads! Welcome all!

Keith

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are so many other BBDs on this site. After all, many bakers are men. I guess what really surprises me is that so many others with little ones at home (I have two girls - ages 5 and 11) find the time to bake. I thought I was the oddball in that regard. I guess it's like I tell people who complain about not having enough time for things: If you really love something, you find the time for it.

Baking was a great activity on those afternoons when I knew I was going to be around the house while the little ones napped. It has gotten hard now that they are bigger (6 and 3), but I still find the time now and then.

My wife happened to see the top post over my shoulder and asked if I was going to reply. Well I didn't say yes fast enough for her and she hit me with a stale bagel. It must be the lovely wife thing :>)

Just kidding!

Welcome aboard, what are you baking?

Eric

I started Reinhart's "barm" (which I now understand is really sourdough starter). To get a feel for how the starter develops, and to hone my mixing, shaping, baking, etc. skills, I have decided to bake his Basic Sourdough Bread weekly for a while -- at least a few months. I started out doing French bread batards, after I took a class a while back, but I'm hooked on sourdough for now. I think when I get up the nerve, I will try the BBA recipe for a Poilane-style Miche. It's a monstrous loaf (2 kilos, which I believe is about 5 pounds?). I need to get a bigger peel first.

Welcome to the site, gaaarp, and when you get up the nerve may I suggest you try Eric's Sourdough Whole Grain at Breadtopia? It is really easy and the results are great - I baked one and mailed it to friends and they raved about it. Another one you must try is Susan's Sourdough, cooked under a bowl for the first 20 minutes. I think you can find it if you search under Susan's loaf where I posted the recipe. If not let me know and I'll write it up again, A

Annie, thanks for the recommendations. Those both sound great. I have been baking for many years but am just now trying my hand at artisan breads. I will be sure to check out those recipes. I am definitely interested in trying cloching (is that a verb?). I use a tray of potshards to make steam, but I've been intrigued by all of the people who use the cloche method here.

Cloaching is cool! I tried it and it works! And I'm cheap! Check out this thread here and you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about cloaching. My post is at the bottom, but scroll up to the one with the pictures of the pyrex and stainless steel bowls. Susan clued me in on the cheapo's way to cloach, and I'm glad to say it works!

Good luck, have fun and let us know how it works for you!

Keith (BBD#3)

Thanks for the welcoming remarks, very cool. What breads do I bake? Here goes... My great grandmother came from Lebanon and opened a bakery in Detroit. I grew up eating the best old world breads and stayed by her side until she passed away. (The mold was set.) The breads I enjoy are hard crust, old world sytle, either flat or levened but not heavy with taste, texture like a good Italian loaf. (I could honestly live on Espresso, Honey and good Bread.) When I bake breads I have to consider my Brazilian wife (Leticia) and my kids, aged 4, 6 and 9. (Lucas, Gabriela and Samuel.) They do not have robust tastes, yet, and prefer bread that does taste "beery". This morning the kids and I made 3 old style, hand mixed, loafs that were started last night (small starter with a pinch of yeast.) They most enjoyed touching and kneading the loafs. (I don't use machines to mix the bread. Prefer to work for it.) We have a family tradition now, one of the loafs is offered to our friends, either the lovely wife or the kids have the pleasure of giving the gift of fresh baked bread. People love that and it goes further than I can express. Final note: You Dads rock! ;-) Salute, Mark Wisecarver