Just so you know...

It was delicious. The crust had time to caramelize nicely and provided a subtlety sweet crunch. the interior was fluffy and soft. I ate too much of it. Off to the gym...

Bread, bread the musical....bread...

Poolish pre-fermet sponge. Made on Monday, let sit for 2 days.

Slipper dough-
6 c bread flour ( unbleached)
2 1/4 c poolish sponge
1 1/4 tsp malt powder or brown sugar
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 c room temp water
1/4 tsp instant yeast

mix with paddle for 1 minute on low, 2 minutes on med.
mix with dough hook for 7 minutes.
place in a bowl to rise ( it won't rise much) for 3 hours at room temp. cover tightly and let sit overnight. ( can sit for 2 days)
The next day, divide the dough into 4 parts ( make sure your hands and surfaces are well floured- this dough can get sticky!)
and let rise at room temp for 4 hours.

I will bake it today.

Added 9:46 pm same day-
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Brush your loaves with a little olive oil ( I put sliced garlic and pepper in my oil the night before for flavor)
put in the oven for 10 minutes at 500. urn the oven down to 425 and let bake for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven off and open the door. L
Leave bread inside for another 10-15 minutes.

Let the bread cool for up to 2 hours before cutting and eating.

mmmm Yeasty....revisited.

I have been perfecting my no-knead dough for the last few months as I make it weekly for soup night, and it has been a wonderful confidence booster for me. I know I have the capability to make good bread. Now I must broaden my horizons.

I need to teach myself how to "build" a loaf of bread. The days of direct doughs are over. It is now time for this little grasshopper to move on to the starters. There are 3 basic starters: Poolish sponge, Biga firm and Old Dough ( pate fermente) . These starters allow the grain in the flour develop subtle flavor nuances and different crumb structures.

I have just put together my very first poolish pre-ferment. It needs to bubble and fall for about 5 hours and then rest overnight in the fridge. I will use parts of it throughout the week to bake loaves and see the development change.

4 c unbleached bread flour ( stronger gluten equals stronger bread)
4 c cool water ( room temp)
1/3 teaspoon active dry yeast

mix ingredients in a bowl that can hold the volume when doubled.
cover the bowl tightly with plastic.
let bubble and fall for 3-5 hours at room temperature
refrigerate overnight

This starter will be used in different loaves and is one rung on the ladder of excellent bread.

I will keep a photo diary of the process and hopefully this is the start of a whole new chapter of my career.

Bread- the loaf of life.....

For Shame....

I hang my head, for i have been a terrible blog-master. Just cal me blog-apprentice. Don't actually call me that or I might punch you in the throat, but you catch my drift.

After an involved throat surgery, a lot of pondering and much cooking, I am ready to re-commit. I will post once a week, every week from now on. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, I am open. Give me a subject, I will give you my knowledge.

Thanks to my followers- I know I haven't been giving you all what you need, but I'm back, better than ever and ready to rock.

I hope you are too....