The bakers' thread

[Reynard]

I have a babka drozdzowa about to go into the oven (it's been rising nice and slowly since last night) and there's a three grain bread with caraway seed doing its bulk ferment. I've had to banish the bread dough to the fridge for a bit as it's been rising more quickly than I'd anticipated.

Hopefully I'll have a nice babka and bread for my swieconka for tomorrow.

 

[Reynard]

My easter basket (swieconka), which includes a chunk of the three grain bread, plus the babka.

Also included is sausage, cheese, hard boiled eggs, butter, salt and a lamb. Latter is cast in sugar, also made by yours truly. That lot will make a very fine brunch tomorrow...

Oh, and Happy Easter to all my fellow CC bakers.

 

[benb]

Sundried tomato and parmesan bread. Oh yes.

 

[Reynard]

Reminds, I'd better put on a preferment. Otherwise there might be a distinct lack of bread on Monday...

 

[alicat]

Hi @Reynard - I would love to know why you do a preferment?

 

[EltonFrog]

What’s a preferment?

 

[Reynard]

Hi @Reynard - I would love to know why you do a preferment?

Just gives more flavour and a nicer texture to the bread. I typically preferment between 20 and 50% of my flour depending on where my mood takes me.

 

[Reynard]

What’s a preferment?

A certain percentage of your flour, usually with an equal amount in weight of water and a pinch of yeast. Mix together and leave for between 12 to 18 hours prior to making the rest of your dough.

 

[alicat]

Thank you for satisfying my curiosity @Reynard.

 

[CharlesF]

As someone self-taught, it was an eye-opener to go on the taster course run by the Glasgow Little Sourdough Bakery. It is only a taster of 4 hours with lunch at the end. I was able to ask lots of questions and was put right on a few of my misunderstanding. Although I have a successful starter, I eagerly took home one Vicky got us to prepare with rye flour. Interestingly, she does everything in plastic containers, not bowls. Her tip to wet your hands before handling the dough was, for me, worth the whole course. Besides bread, she is very knowledgeable of foraging, vegan and fermented foods. Well worth it if you're near Glasgow.

 

[Reynard]

If you're working with high hydration dough, then keeping your hands and the work surface wet is pretty well much the only way not to have dough sticking to everything.

DAMHIKT

 

[CharlesF]

Ah, but for me “ every day is a school day”!

Vicky made sourdough pancakes, that seemed very slapdash in the quantities, but were superb. After heating the coconut butter, she ground sea salt in the pan, resulting in a really tasty pancake that were gobbled down neat.

Trying that for tomorrow’s breakfast.

 

[Reynard]

Sourdough waffles...

 

[glasgowcyclist]

As someone self-taught, it was an eye-opener to go on the taster course run by the Glasgow Little Sourdough Bakery. It is only a taster of 4 hours with lunch at the end. I was able to ask lots of questions and was put right on a few of my misunderstanding. Although I have a successful starter, I eagerly took home one Vicky got us to prepare with rye flour. Interestingly, she does everything in plastic containers, not bowls. Her tip to wet your hands before handling the dough was, for me, worth the whole course. Besides bread, she is very knowledgeable of foraging, vegan and fermented foods. Well worth it if you're near Glasgow.

I've found a rye starter to be more reliable and easier to maintain.
The wet hands trick is a favourite too because it's so simple and clean.

Thanks for the link to the Little Sourdough Bakery, I'd never heard of it. I've done a sourdough course before but the foraging course looks interesting so I fancy giving that a go.

 

[C R]

An accidental sourdough today. I wad meant to make some barbari (Iranian flatbread) on Saturday. Did my usual lazy step of using the bread maker for mixing and raising. It wasn't until I went to get the dough out for the second kneading that I realised I hadn't added any yeast. Rather than wasting the dough, I left it in the tin, and by this afternoon it had risen quite a bit, so started the bake program and this is what came out

I was surprised how well it rose.

Of course, I should have done two things

* Keep some of the dough as a starter for next time

* Instead of being lazy and just hit bake in the bread maker, I should have taken it out and make a proper "molete" in the oven

Next time.