Yippee's blog

Dear friends:

Just wanted to let you know that despite my life has been upside down lately, I'm still hanging in there and trying to bake when I can...

So you know I have not given up baking yet...

I've been so busy lately that I'm only getting a couple hours of sleep every day

Full post to come, probably much, much later...

??? moments, things have come together...

15% pre-fermented, 70% hydration...

My hands shook - my kids were rushing me to get the photo shoot done so they could start eating...

Catch up with you later,  I'll be back...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, my magic wands from France...Can't wait to try them!

Same formula @ 66% hydration

Yes! Baby! I am happy with a 66% hydration baguette like this!

Epic! Baby! I like the shaping! @ 64% hydration...

Delicious bread!  Thank you, Ian!

Making bread with durum flour, potatoes, and cheese - new experience to me!

We are big fans of your delicious bread, Ian!

The crumb shot...

Trying to make a sandwich, but the pan-fried croquettes are too big...

End-of-summer dinner...

School starts tomorrow.  WE are ready for the challenges of the new school year...

Breakfast for the boys: Potato bread + bacon potato soup...Yum Yum!

Ha! I spy with my little eye...

It was a super busy weekend: I was also making a few other things besides Joze's cranberry tarragon bread...

Homemade taco styled by my younger son...

It's super delicious!

Making tortillas is a no-brainer - so much easier than making bread...

I follow a simple corn tortilla recipe from the New York Times...

30 - 35g each seems to be the perfect size...

First tortilla from my new tortilla press! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Trying out the workflow suggested by Ian (for pizza), which requires an extra step of trimming parchment paper; I was too stressed out to do the extra work last time...Besides,  I'm a bit SO confused here...Is the paper supposed to go onto the stone?  If not, then it defeats the purpose of using it...

As usual, I do it anyways...The paper is scorched.

Now, there's a slight problem - the paper is so brittle that it turns into ashes if not handled carefully.  Then some of the ashes stick to the tortillas...

Armenian meat pie and French Pissaladière - we're having an international cuisine day!

This mix of meat is also perfect for burgers...

Guess how many onions are used here?  Four big ones!  Most of them shrink and disappear in front of my eyes!

I must remember to get the right type of anchovies next time because the fillets in one of the cans are really mushy...

My elder son made me this soft-boiled egg...

So cute!

We don't just eat, eat, eat...

We do try to enjoy the outdoors before the summer is over...

Santa Cruz, CA

The little kid who once called me "evil mom"...

Why did summer go by so fast?

What a sweet man...

We put our hearts and souls in the dough....

The most beautiful and romantic dough I've ever worked with...

Like a girl's dream...

So charming! 

So refreshing!

Every loaf is a love story...

Vibrant colors, soft crumb...very comforting; the tartness of cranberries, complimented by the aroma of tarragon,  pops up every now and then as surprises...

Yet, the crust is crackly...

Best of both worlds - all in one loaf...

How happy Joze's wife must be, what a sweet man he is, what a day in Slovenia is like?....I'm thinking about all this while enjoying a slice of Joze's cranberry tarragon bread...

Another fun-filled weekend... Thank you again, Sjadad and Ian, couldn't have done it without your help and inspiration!

Now we are talking about REAL pizzas...from my grill!

While waiting for my new toy, I built a 60% hydration "00" starter with my yeast water.  Getting smarter this time, I did not mix by hand, Zo's doing the work for me.

In and out of the fridge and the proofer, it took four days to mature, just in time for the weekend pizza event...

This time the pizza dough consists of 100% "00" flour (60% pre-fermented), 60% hydration, 2% salt, 0.6% commercial yeast, 2 TBS garlic oil

I have avoided using commercial yeast in baking because its fast action stresses me.  I usually need to "buy" time by using my yeast water or starters.  If I'm making pizza regularly, I'll need to get used to the timing of commercial yeast and learn to manipulate it as well.  This time, I let the dough ferment in the proofer for 2.5 hours before retarding it for another 10 hours in the fridge until I'm ready to shape the pies.  This schedule works out quite well for me!

Pizza pans!!!

Just wish I could get the aluminum ones that are used in a pizzeria...

From the amount of cornmeal I POURED on the pans, you can tell how concerned I am about sticky dough...

Paper bowls greased with oil...What am I doing with them? You'll see in a minute...

Stacking the pans in the fridge to rest the dough while I'm working on the toppings...Finding space in the fridge is quite a challenge!

Rotating the pizza pan as I work on the dough makes shaping easier; besides, I am "experienced" now...

Pizza Margherita - using sauce frozen from last time...

Sweet Italian sausage...

Chicken bacon...

Ready for the grill...

More cornmeal on my new peel...

Loading dough #1  - safe!

Loading dough #2  - safe!

Loading dough #3  - safe! What a relief! 

 My first pizza on the grill, a historic moment!!!

First pizza done! 

Second pizza done!

Third pizza done!

I'm not a pizza expert, so I don't know what the "nerds" look for in a crumb shot, but I take one anyways...

The evenly browned, crisp crust - the best part of the pie!

The bottom crust of another pizza...

Check out my new toy! I'd say this is a keeper!

Dough spinners - another toy that didn't make it to the first shipment; will find out if they are any good - soon!

Thank you guys, Sjadad and Ian!!  

Now I can say I've made pizza!!!

Trying the "00" flour everyone is talking about...

This dough consists of:  Sjadad's 60% hydration, .6% yeast, 2% salt; Ian's  rye/ww...

My tweaks: SD Rye...

SD WW...

and garlic oil made in the microwave.

I mixed the dough at midnight and it went straight to the fridge...

Barely any signs of activity when I wake up in the morning...So I move it to the proofer and go on to do my things: swimming, running errands etc...

Four hours later when I get home, the dough has doubled...

The dough is very supple, like a baby...

Scaled, 275g each...

Flattened...

Bagged and go into the freeze because I need to go out again...

Chicken bacon topping...Costco chicken tenderloin, salt and pepper, cornstarch,  LOTS of green onions, and LOTS of bacon, my kids' favorite!

Out of the freezer, the dough has been waiting on the counter for 4 hours....

Making the toppings and sauce takes quite some time!

Setting up the stones and pre-heating the oven to 550F... and this time I don't have any starters or paper plate in it!

Time to shape the dough...then I realize I don't know how!

Using a rolling pin ?! Like making a pie crust???

My son has started nibbling the creamy and tasty mozzarella di buffala... Got to use it before it's all gone!

My first "pizza" - pizza Margherita!

THINK, Yippee, THINK!  You've got to make a "proper" pizza!

Not sure if this is the right procedure, but I do it anyways...

Loaded with toppings, making sure there's enough protein in every bite for my two teenage boys...

More cheese on top to bind...

My first REAL pizza - chicken bacon pizza!  

95% "00" flour, 2.5% SD Rye, 2.5% SD WW, .6% yeast, 2% salt, 2 TBSP garlic oil

Can't wait to make my pizzas on the grill! My new toy is on its way...

Isn't the mint beautiful? 

Avocado cucumber mint soup...

Very delicious! Thank you for sharing, Ian!

My friends from the east coast are visiting with their family.  We last saw each other seven years ago and we're all excited about the reunion.  Our kids have grown so much since then, and we, the parents, are getting old...

I spent days to prepare for today's BBQ and I can't tell you how exhausted I am right now.  But it's all worth it because all of us will treasure the memories of our wonderful time together. And I miss them already...

I made Ian's onion hamburger buns for the BBQ...

Very, very delicious buns... My only complaint:  Mine are not as pretty as Ian's...

Asparagus - one of the veggies of our grilled ratatouille...

Finger-licking Mediterranean grilled lamb chops...

Everyone loved it!  I gave myself an "A" !

My first rye loaf in four years...It's got to be special!

Record long bulk fermentation (10 days, I was extremely busy during that time) and final proof (24 hours ) were done in the fridge.  And this loaf turned out just fine... 

Portobello Mushroom Bread

Got these huge, but not very flavorful mushrooms from Costco out of convenience, it saved me a separate trip to the market...

Though not very flavorful, they are quite meaty...

Lots of freshly ground black pepper for stir frying the mushrooms and the dough...

Mushrooms are stir-fried with black pepper, salt, and olive oil...

Both rye and whole wheat starters are used in this bread...

Also some wheat germs, and some liquid (the inky one) from the cooked mushrooms as well...

Adding salt after dough is developed; most of the time I don't really care and add the salt with everything else, one less thing on my mind...

Pulse the cooked mushrooms in a mini food processor...

Incorporating chopped mushrooms in the dough. In hindsight, should've added them with everything else and held back any other liquid to be used, then gradually adding the liquid in the dough. 

It's a record long bulk ferment - this dough stays in the fridge for 10 days; then another 24 hours of cold retardation for final proof. 

And it turned out just fine...Preheat oven to 500F, lower to 465F after loading, 15 minutes w/ steam; then 30 minutes without, dough weight about 600g.

Bread flour 76%; pre-fermented WW and rye flours 12%, respectively;  65% hydration; Portobello mushrooms 36%; wheat germ 4%; salt 2%; and freshly ground black pepper to taste...

Connecting the dots...

A loaf made for my son...

About seven, eight years ago, I was busy tending a bread dough and did not meet my younger son's demand. He was in kindergarten then and just learned how to write. He  stuck this note on my bedroom door to protest being ignored. So I became the "Evil Mom".

I've kept the note on the door ever since...

 This loaf is made especially for him, he likes raisin breads...

Start by making "candied" orange peels...

Done in a vacuum crock overnight,  re-boil the syrup-peel mixture a couple times;  syrup = sugar:water by volume 1:1; stacking bowls on top to weigh the peels down...

The aroma of orange syrup permeates the air - so festive, fragrant that it's almost unreal. Orange syrup is used in place of sugar...  

Infuse and plump the raisins in orange syrup, and this is the key to success of this loaf...

 Not "candied" all the way, but good enough to get rid of the bitterness in pith...

Mixing the peels, Zo gets busy these days...

Mixing the plumped raisins in the dough...

A relatively short bulk ferment this time - 48 hours...

Using the taping knife in shaping almost every loaf,  I'm loving it...

Panned...

Nudging the dough down and in the wine cellar it proves, temperature set @ 55F...

Dough after 6.5 hours, a bit under proved - exactly what I want.  Continue to prove at room temperature while oven preheats, and off I go to swim...

Back from swimming, both the dough and the oven are ready, perfect...

Applying egg wash...

Prepping the scissors...

First time cutting a dough like this...Baked @ 400F for 45-60 minutes, cover the top with foil if needed...

Bread flour, 30% pre-fermented with starter; 30% hydration (from starter); 8% orange syrup; whole egg 25%; butter 15%; salt 2%; diced "candied" orange peels 10%; orange flavor infused raisins 30%

Early morning light paints the rosy hue...

The aroma from this bread brings the holiday "feel" to the house...

Crumb shot...

Having fun playing with cameras...so you know, you don't need expensive cameras/lenses most of the time; a cell phone will do...

Ready for breakfast, it's not just any raisin bread...It's raisin bread made with mommy's love

I like having bread with soup - roasted red pepper with potatoes on top, roasted tomatoes on the right, and okra on the left...