I got a little ambitious this time, 3 loaves and butter in one morning (and it's only just 08:30 here in the UK as I write!
I started the 'starter refresh' on Friday night, last night I shaped and proved in the fridge overnight. This morning I awoke at 04:30 (couldn't sleep) so ...... on with the oven!
First one was a little Boule that I have been meaning to make for my next door neighbour, she often asks how my bread is coming along, so this one is for her....
Then I loaded up the oven with my next one, much bigger and a different pattern. However it was looking pale at 20 mins so I took the (upside down) pyrex cover off and gave it another 20 mins ........oops! it went really dark!
Whilst all this was going on I was making butter, the cream had been culturing for over 2 days and was it was ready to churn ............ 10 mins into it and the separation look OK, I poured off quite a lot of butttermilk ........ but the butter never really happened! ....... it looks more like extra thick cream. Oh well, that is back in the fridge cooling down (it had warmed up in the stand mixer) so I will have another look at it after this.....
Next, my wife awakes and asks if she can have Soda Bread for breakfast! So next up was this.....
Actually it came out quite nice. However as we have ran out of butter it looks as if we will have to eat it with Flora Buttery! Oh well ......
After it had cooled a little in the fridge I whizzed it again in the K MIx and hey presto, it worked!
I took a small (breakfast sized) amount, added 3% sea salt and mixed it up. We ate it with the soda bread, It turned out to be quite tasty, just a little softer than normal and not quite that 'pure butter hit' that we are used to. So I converted the rest of the batch to 'salted' ............. nice!
of dark crusts. I think you got that second loaf out just in time! It looks good to me!
Your scoring pattern is beautiful!
Mmmm... homemade butter! Yum!!
Nice job :)
A lot of work but the reward is priceless! The very dark second loaf, All of my loaves now are as dark as that; evident in the score mark.
Thank you for your kind comments, as it happens when we tucked into the big loaf it turned out to be quite yummy. The crust was indeed 'crispy' and the flavour just right :)