Jw's blog

Actually just a yeasted multigrain. Pretty much according to the recipe (Reinhart, Crust & Crumb), apart from: two-day old biga instead of one, milk instead of buttermilk, white rice instead of brown rice, added more salt.

Here's the funny part: the oven rise lifted up one bread, but 'pushed-down' the other. Why is that? Temp should not have caused this. I did score them, but a bit too late. Structure and taste are really great. The tie is from few years ago, wanted to make sure my kids remember what day it is...

Happy baking.

Cheers,
Jw. (aka 'father's day in Dutch: vaderdag)

That would be the French Bread II (with Pâte fermentée), also from Crust and Crumb. I mixed more all-purpose flour (4.5 of 7 cups) then bread flour. Added flaxseed. What's new: I used a razorblade to do the scoring, still have to get used to that. I allow for deeper scoring then the surgeon's knife, but it is more difficult to make a regular pattern. I'll have to find a straw to attach the blade too....

The inner-outside of the crumb is really good, in the middle it is getting close to ‘too thick'. Notes to myself: just do the ‘ready test' again (by pushing in a straw of wood), add more salt (this is too low for our taste), wait as long as possible with adding salt (let the yeast do it's word first). Otherwise: doing fine for a second batch of bread, doing great for the looks of bread.

One bread is already gone... (with salmon and other fish, really great tast). I used all of mine pâte fermentée, next time I'll save some for a next bake.

Happy baking,
Jw.

I've been away from baking (took only time for lazy bread), so I started again with something simple (I thought): French bread 1 (Crust and Crumb, Peter Peinhart). I kind of recall that the proposed mix off all-purpose vs bread flour was not ideal for me, but I didn't find a note on that in my bread diary. I get my flour at a windmill, the flourtype (T) is not constant. I added flaxseed as an ingredient.

The result: taste is ok, not too strong. The looks: I have to get into the gaming of scoring again, couldn't find a proper (razor)knife. As for the holes: chopsticks! I do recall some Austrian breads with holes like these, so this is my variation on the recipe. I would expect a crumb with more holes. Anyway, could to be baking again!

Talking about French bread: check out these videos (if you haven't already..): http://www.boulangerie.net/forums/bnweb/videobn.php

Cheers,
Jw.

Instead of waiting 30 minutes (or so) to put the dough in the fridge (http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/12571/lazy-bread-twenty) I put it in right away after mixing. Overnight not much happened and in the morning I took it out for a few more hours slow rising at room temperature. The taste is much better this way. Note: I don't shape the bread either (lazy me...).  The mix of flour: 1/4 is of a 'five grain' type, 3/4 is plain white.

Cheers,
Jw. (still going strong with my study, glimpsing at great TFL results every now and then).

Wishing you a happy new year, with lots of baking. I am sorry for being absent from TFL, I must concentrate on a different hobby next half year (college). Regarding baking I am stuck in Reinhart's Crust and Crumb, which is not a bad thing. Lots of rustic and french bread, favorite is still the SF sourdough from the trail. I did continue experimenting with new forms. I also scan TFL every now and then, thanks for all your posts.

All the best for 2010!

Cheers,
Jw.

For some reason my starter takes way too long for the second rise and I underestimate the time it takes to get a 'solid bread'. Solid I got this time.. brick (on the left). Don't know why I did not see that coming, didn't see the signs. I thought/hoped the oven would do wonders. From last time I learned to always make different kinds of bread, it increases my changes on a good result. See the improved starfish bread! (and the originator of the idea)

The rest of the breads are universal rustics, with walnuts. Only the starter stayed one night in fridge, then baked it at the end of the next day. In the first bread, I tried the get an A. The W is not just my name (Willem), I tried to get the Wordpress logo into a breadform (semi succesfull). Taste was great, six breads were gone in 2 hours after baking (party at our house..some 15 'kids'/young adults). For that I thought it wise not to experiment with new things.

Wish I had more time for baking and TFL...Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

I am only slowly progressing with Reinhart's Crust and Crumb, 'master formulas for serious breadbaking'. The universal rustic bread is now 'under control', I did add a bit more salt then the recipe mentions. After a first test, I did score the dough a bit (just a slice down the middle), it just does look better this way. The biga does notably contribute to the taste.



Next is the sweet rustic bread, it uses a spoolish style sponge, a bit more work. I found it a bit more difficult to control the result.



Here (above) I rolled the dough and cut it in slices, which stayed in the fridge overnight. It waited two hours in the morning, before I put them in the oven. Sweat!

San Francisco Sourdough is really becoming my favourite. I altered a recipe from Bread Alone (which you can find in Carl Griffith's Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter Brochure). A few pictures :

I have never seen this pattern before, so I named it zeesterbrood (starfishbread). From now on, it is pattented!

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

as promised a picture of the proofing baskets 'in progres'. I fill them up for about two thirds, then let it rise (in about two hours) before I put them in the oven.



Scoring about 30 minutes before they go in the oven. you can see that the direction of the cut has quite an influence on the final shape.

These JW breads are more "W" breads, came out nicely.

and these I just named 'pain michelle', after the person that got me the bannotons. I just tried a different way of scoring and like the result.

No complaints here. One of my best bakes so far, really made my (satur)day.  

BTW: I have two starters in the fridge, 'out of the air', I build them up in 3x times 8 hours, then build a biga overnight, then finish in the morning, mix, rest for 2.5 hours, a couple of stretch and folds, final rise. I split up the dough in three parts, added flax, sunflower and some sourdough extra taste I once bought in a store (it is finished now, not too bad, but you really don't need it). I did notice less holes in the middle of the bread, but not a realy issue. Half an hour of extra wait should do it for next time.

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

as mentioned, I got a basket from the sfbs. It took a few weeks before I could try it out, TFL is a good resource for tips. The first attempt is actually a slow bread, it looked promising. The pattern is not that good. The other breads are all SF sourdough.



Here (below) I tried scoring the bread, but I guess it was not deep enough (or too late in the rise).



Here the scoring has improved, slowly getting there. I should have noted the rising times... too much flower as well.



Getting closer where I want to be. The wooden shoe (size US12/EU46) is there to get an impression of the size of the breads. I am happy with the crumb! I will go back to new recipes, when I 'perfected' this form.

Expectations about the taste have even been higher, when my 'customers' (friends and family) see the new form. I can definitely recommend getting a basket like this (and I will get the oval shape at a later point in time).

Happy baking!

Cheers,
Jw.

I've been far and away, hence a lot less active on TFL. That will change again soon. I received 'Crust and Crumb' in the mail (wanted to buy it in a store in the US, no such book available). This is a serious book, I really enjoy reading the first chapters. It is the mise-en-place before the actual work start in the rest of the book.

I updated my breadcollage, which I use to ask people to 'read' before they can pick a bread for me to bake.

In case you like to know: the questions I ask:

Which bread is the most 'work'?
Which bread is the easiest to make?
What is the relation between shape (looks) and taste (content, inside)?
Which bread is slowrising, which is multicomponent?
Which type I got right first time around, and which one am I still struggling with?

A few of the questions I get (apart from the 'you got to be kidding you can do this'..)

- what do you do after you knead to bread? (what do you mean with knead?)
- how much does a bread baking machine cost? (I don't know, don't have one).
- is this way too much work? (if time is your only perspective, buy bread in a store)
- what about the costs? (this is actually cheaper then buying quality bread, but don't count the labor costs...)
- why would you do this? (as mentioned before: taste, healthy food, sharable, care for my family, learning experience, 'chemistry')

Happy baking, 'I'll be back' with Pain de Michelle.

Cheers,

Jw