Baguette Levain

 NOTE: This post is going to be edited later. DONE with many interuptions!

So this weekend was rather quiet and I needed a little bread fix. I have been lusting after the baguettes on The Fresh Loaf dubbed the Anis Baguettes, wonderful open crumb and a 20 hour ferment.  Janedo over there and also her blog, which I need to ask if  I may add her to my blogroll, she spent the day with the recipient of the best baguette in France award. He Anis Bouabasa shared with Janedo his process and formula. These are amazing if they are done correctly. My baguettes decided early on in our relationship they were not going down without some combat! Also, of course, I just cannot leave well enough alone. Here is an acknowledged baker with much more experience than I and I have to try to tweak things.

Mine did come out great after all the fighting. First the autolyse, the bowl was knocked off the counter, as luck would intervene it landed and everything stayed in the bowl. Mixed and set aside in the retarding fridge and go back and someone has knocked the little fellow over again. Now, we are up right again! (It needs one of those shirts that says,(upside down font) If you can read this, please turn me over!) Okay, it rose quite well in the fridge and after 20 hours it made it back to the counter. Across the pond (the sink in this case) it almost fell into the dishwater but I saved it with the peel. It didn’t want to go on the peel. Oh, did I forget to mention it didn’t want to let go of the couche! Ohhhhhhh!!! Finally on the peel and half way onto the stone!! Ohhhh!!!

But for all the mishaps and yes, I realized early on that I shouldn’t have been in the kitchen today, they are quite edible and have a great crust. I don’t think with the absence of commercial yeast I had the same open crumb but I haven’t cut the best looking one yet so we will wait and see.

 Levain Pre-ferment

365   grams flour (all-purpose)

295   grams water (set aside 10 grams for use with salt)

10      grams salt (sea salt)

215    grams pre-ferment above

Baguette au levain

Baguette Crumb

I love fruit! Problem is if it is around it is all I will eat. Granted I can consume pounds of it in a day and truly it is good for you! However, you don’t get all the nutrition you need from just a day of canteloupe, watermelon, blueberries, etc… After three or four days you (I) really need some protien and all those other things.  Anyway, so I love the fruits! On occassion I will make a dressing especially if I have found some Date Nut bread or Zuchinni Bread to have with my fruiti plate! I love a good dense bread rich with dates or figs!! Will he ever get to the recipe. In the next paragraph!  I make little sandwiches slicing the bread thin as I can and then sandwiching a schmear of this between two pieces and serving it with my fruit!

1    8 ounce Sour Cream

2   teaspoons lime zest

3   tablespoons Poppy Seeds

2   tablespoons Honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and it should be a thick batter like consistency. I have found that I have to adjust sometimes due to different water contents in the sour cream. Seems as if some have more water than other brands. Best to make this at least 4 hours ahead of time but during the summer I keep some in the fridge for 3 days with no adverse effects.

This is also great just to drizzle over a fruit plate!

*You can substitute cream cheese for a thicker spread but you lose the sour and I prefer the sour.

I will post some pix later.

Thanks for shopping!

 

Honey Oatmeal Sourdough Loaf

Often I do request. Especially when it is prefaced by a smiling face and cute dimples with a, Uncle Eli, pweaase??

So the children are spoiled watcha gunna do? I figure this is one way to get them to eat their oats and they all adore this recipe. Well, let me restate that. They all love the commercial yeast version of this. I personally don’t think they will notice BUT, I have made that mistake with them before. Eveyone keep your fingers crossed and if you would keep this to yourselves. I promise not to say a word.

Levain Honey Oatmeal

 Levain:

476        Grams Water (boiling)

116         Grams Rolled Oats

130         Grams Honey

33           Grams Butter

8              Grams Salt

38           Grams Water (dependant upon oats)

560        Grams Bread Flour

               *Honey and water (tablespoon of each for brushing tops)

               * Rolled Oats (just enough to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

Prepare Levain at least 8 hours ahead of time. Preferably overnight. Allow levain mixture to double in size.

In a large boiler boil 476 grams of water. Add rolled oats, salt, honey, butter . Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature or around 90 degrees.

In large bowl or mixer place flour and begin adding oatmeal mixture. Stir and incorporate all ingredients. You may have to add the 38 grams of water but it will depend on how your oats absorbed the 476 grams of water. You may not need it. This dough will be tacky but not too sticky. If it is too sticky add flour tablespoon at a time. I usually don’t have to add any. Knead to you have a smooth dough and good gluten development. Set aside in oiled bowl cover and allow to double. This time will depend mainly on your starter and ambient temperature.

Once double remove from bowl and place on lightly floured counter. Divide gently and shape into two loaves being careful not to fully degas all the bubbles. Carefully place in two well oiled 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans.

Cover loaves and allow to rise a second time. Again this will depend upon your starter but approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. The loaves should begin to rise ½ inch over side of loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover from loaves and brush gently with mixture of honey and water sprinkle with dried oats. ( I like to sprinkle mine with coarse kosher salt too at this time just for a contrast in the sweet and savory.). Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes till golden brown.

Honey Oatmeal Sourdough Loaf

 Crumb ( I should try this in a larger loaf pan for sandwich loaves but I haven’t made it that far and this is a good size to give as a gift. However, to me this bread is too sweat for a good sandwich bread. (We’ll see how it ripens as a sourdough. I may have to eat those words!!)

HOSD Crumb

(And somehow I continue to lose my formatting! Sorry!)

Babka Roll

This is the one with the orange marmalade filling. As I said I don’t like my babka too sweet so I didn’t put much filling in this one.

Babka with Orange Marmalade Filling

This recipe is based on Marcy Goldman’s

Dough

355  gr        warm water

17                  yeast (IDY)

150               egg

46                 egg yolks

4                    vanilla extract

4                     almond extract

5                      lemon juice

163                 sugar

6                      salt

26                   milk powder

175                 butter (unsalted)

412                 Flour (AP)

460                Flour (bread)

Filling

6                      ounces pound cake crumbs

4                      ounces apricot preserves

2                       teaspoons cinnamon

*                        pinch salt

Crumb Topping:

56                 butter (unsalted)

47                 confectioner’s sugar

50                 flour (all-purpose)

*                 egg for washing (beaten till frothy)

Directions:

Combine warm water and yeast set aside 3-5 minutes. Beat together eggs, egg yolks extracts, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Combine milk powder and all purpose flour creating a shaggy dough. Add in remaining flour and butter and knead 10-12 minutes by hand. This is a tacky to sticky dough. If using a mixer it may take 6-8 minutes.  Place in well oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Place in warm place and allow to rise till doubled. Approximately 1.5 hours.

Remove dough from bowl and divide into equal portions. Roll out dough into a 16 inch square. Working with one at time roll out and spread filling on dough and roll dough as if rolling a jelly roll.

Place in greased 8.5 x 5 inch loaf pan; cover with plastic and allow to rise approximately 1.5 hours. Dough will just peak over side of loaf pan. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle Crumb topping over top. Preheat oven to 35o degrees. 

Bake 40 minutes till golden brown. Remove and allow to cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack. Best to allow it to cool completely before cutting.

This is the Chocolate and Pecan Babka! Smell the Magic!!

Chocolate and Pecan Babka

Yeast Rolls Crumb

Check out the following for the formula!

Ingredients:

494 Grams Flour (bread)

5     Grams yeast (IDY)

65   Grams Sugar

5     Grams Salt

50   Grams of Egg (beaten)

195 Grams Milk

49   Grams Shortening

49   Grams Water

* Optional – I add about 3 tablespoons of day old mashed potatoes.

   Sometimes I add Sesame seeds

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients except salt and add water. Mix and set aside 20 minutes. Beat together egg, shortening and salt adding milk and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Dough will be tacky. Place in oiled bowl and set aside covered.

Allow bulk ferment till double.

 Remove and scale and shape into 1.75 to 2 ounce rolls. They will expand a great deal. Place on baking sheet and cover. (I do an overnight refrigeration) Then allow 1 to 2 hours for final proof. You may not get much rise but you will get it in the oven. Keep an eye on them and when you press one with your finger and it doesn’t completely return they are ready.

Place in preheated oven 375 degrees and bake approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove and brush with butter.

Allow to cool. What is leftover can be frozen.

Yeast Rolls for the Holidays

First Successful Loaf

I needed to delete some images to make room for some new ones. I have many new post that need to go up with images but I am running behind in my schedule. 

I feel the need to share with everyone the baby that started me on my sourdough journey. As an individual that doesn’t really have enough sense to know when to give up I created this loaf after the  many door stops and inedible (is that a word?) bricks of bread. As I look back I could have used the others to make a huge wood burning oven in the back yard to bake the other bricks for a house. You live and you learn!

I wanted to show this loaf because this is where I started learning, really learning. This one is where I learned to feel the dough and the hydration level. Later I would remember how the dough looked in the bowl, how it kneaded, and then how it stretched and folded and stuck to the counter. It went for 8 hours in the refrigerator and on it’s last rise it took 4 hours in a room at about 72 degrees. It and I struggled to make it to the hot oven and stone but with a little dancing and the help of a piece of cardboard (I have since made a 12 inch sanded peel to plop batards on the baking stone) we both made it and I only burned three fingertips off!!

This is also the time which I new Seymour and Sandy were the really ALIVE, ALIVE, THEY’RE ALIVE! After two months of feeding, worrying, being up all hours of the night, thinking crazy thoughts, wondering if I gave them the proper tools to succeed, and how will my mistakes effect them later in life, will they be productive by society’s standards. They didn’t let  me down nor have I them. What memories!! This is where it all starts your one loaf and like any other addiction it leads to the next one then the next one.

Crumb

 I knew nothing of offspring or oven spring but I did know that is smelled wonderful. I removed the little one from the oven and placed it on a rack to cool but soon it began to talk to me. I thought, oh my what I have I done? It is going to explode. It sounded like the rice crispies after adding the milk. In an instant I thought well, the neighbors are going to think we have forty dogs, after I fed the squirrels all the other loaves they were hanging out in the yard. They were too fat and weighed to much to get up the trees. But the loaf finally stopped the singing and I searched for the serrated knife that I had dulled on all the others. Once I found it I began to saw. Holding the loaf in one hand and two fingertips  I finally caught a glimpse of the crumb. It looked somewhat translucent but really webbed and with many different sized holes. I thought at first the crust and inside (I didn’t know the inside was called the crumb) could be better. Those holes look awfully big.  So, I had a bite and my it was good, although I didn’t think it was great I sought help where everyone who bakes bread does WWW.THEFRESHLOAF.COM and WWW.NORTHWESTSOURDOUGH.COM. I suddenly was ecstatic. Everyone was kind and complimentary, they are all enablers of the worst kind. They suffer from the same disease. The quest for a  beautiful, tasty loaf. I discovered that crackly crust was desirable, that crumb was close to dead on and I was a happy proud parent!!! I decided to RAISE more breads!! Stop in again and see what is being raised!! Oh, do you remember your first loaf, the “one”?

White Loaf Au Levain

This is a great sandwich bread and was based on a classic white loaf I have been making for some time. It has a really soft crumb and crust and this loaf had a really open crumb due to 20 hour refrigeration before baking. I had some time issues!

Here is the formula:

Ingredients:

Directions: 

Crumb

I mix flour and all of water together and make a shaggy ball. Allow to autolyse 20 minutes. Come back and add Starter and work into a dough then add oil. Knead approximately 10-12 minutes by hand (windowP test). Last two (2) minutes I add the salt. Dough should be tacky but not sticky. Grease a bowl and place dough inside covered with plastic. Allow to double in size (this bulk ferment will depend on your Starter) mine takes about 4 to 5 hours in a 71 degree kitchen.

Remove from bowl; divide into two equal portions and place in greased 8.5×4.5×2.5 pans cover with plastic and allow to double (should be at top of pans or a little above).

Place in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes and then turn/rotate 180 degreees and bake another 15-20 minutes. Adding steam first 3-5 minutes. Should be golden brown and internal temp should be approx 200 to 205 degrees. I brush with butter and then remove from pans and allow to cool.

Great classic white loaf also used for rolls. Enjoy and please let me know how you like it. ( you may refrigerate overnight after placing in pans to rise. This will fully develope sour flavor. Remove and allow to rise 1 inch over pan then bake.)

Hold on to your wine glass it could be bumpy to start!

Gift List

(these are in no specific order)

1.  Bamboo Bread Bag

2.  Carved Wood Bowls

3.The First Celebrity Chef, ”The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer“  (children’s book ages 4-8) Author: Ann Arnold

 4. Tomato Seeds (Tomato Fest)

5. Kaleialoha Orchids 

I am going to be gathering some gift ideas and posting them in the next few days. There is and will remain a link to those “gifts” I deem great gifts for any occasion and not just a seasonal one. That said I will be adding to the list in the coming days and invite you to look over the list and share with others. I will include links and any personal information that I might have; however, I make no guarantees about any of these products or the craftsmanship or the company and this is based solely on my likes, dislikes, opinions and the thought that I think it worthy of a gift.

My first one is a Bread Bag made of a Bamboo textile. One was given as a gift by my Mom to a friend.  I tried to talk herout of giving  it, but it didn’t work.  The bags are very functional, very well constructed. I was fond of the finish of the bamboo material and thought it would be a great idea. Bamboo  helps to wick the moisture away from the bread to help maintain the crust. I am including the URL to the website. Also, may I mention I did not know bamboo was so versatile! I was contacted by Ann and she informed me  they are adding vegetable bags to the ensemble and added a photo. I didn’t ask but I don’t think she will mind if I share with you now. So check this out!!

Yes, you found it first here. The vegetable bags will not be on the website until this coming week so this is a SNEAK Preview and Premier!

Please read the information on the website regarding the bag material.  I found that bamboo has antibacterial properties and is washable. I noticed it had a great feel, sheen and seemed to have a strong tensil strength.

Take this link and see what they carry!  Good luck and Happy Holidays!

WWW.bamboo-bag.com

 Wood Dough Bowls to Pass to the Next Generation

Carved Dough Bowl

Tom Lowe is crafting some of the most beautiful bowls in his wood shed! I am fortunate enough to have inherited a 115 year old dough bowl and hopefully it will last many more years. Not only are they beautiful and made or an organic material they are highly functional. I can attest to the fact that with a little tender loving care and you can keep them for decades.
So, check out Mr. Lowe’s wood worked items. He has everything from spoons to dough troughs. He has all shapes and colors. He is using everything from pine and persimmon to walnut and hickory. These really do make great gifts and if taken care of (which Mr. Lowe offers all information you might need) will last a few lifetimes.
www.carvedwoodbowls.com

The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer (Book for ages 4-8)

The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer

This is a great book for children ages 4-8. Alexis Soyer, I will say, is the first celebrity chef! His career started out as an assistant to his brother…I don’t want to tell the entire story now do I. I will say he was not only a great chef responsible for feeding 2000 of the English aristocracy but he also fed the poor. It is an amazing book for children and adults as well. Illustrated by Ann Arnold who has worked on many books such as Fanny at Chez Panisse.  If you have children or wish to encourage a child to read I suggest these books!

The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer

Tomato Fest

As you know I am very interested in food and not just bread alone. I love Tomatoes, especially heirloom tomatoes of the dark variety and the Mr. Stripeys. They are a versatile fruit. I can have them on pizza, for breakfast, lunch.  Anytime. The owner of Tomato Fest has granted me permission to add them to my Gift List. Please stop in there and take a look. Now is a great time to purchase seeds for next year! They have probably over 600 varieties of Heirloom Tomato Seeds. They will be glad to help with any questions you might have with helping you find a tomato that is right for you. E-mail is the best way to reach Gary.

Tomatofest: Heirloom Tomatoes

www.tomatofest.com

Kaleialoha Orchids

Kaleialoha Orchid Starter Club

Kaleialoha Orchids Sharry Baby

 

 

With bread and food a table setting wouldn’t be complete without some beautiful plant or living piece! I love orchids and anything that blooms. One of the greatest things about living in the south is that we can have orchids that bloom year round! I have dendrobiums that are blooming now along with Sharry Babys and Phalaenopsis. In the next few months I will have others and will augment this post with some more pix!

These plants have blooms that will last days to months! A great investment and just like a bread obsession you can easily develop an orchid obsession!

Below is one of Kaleialoha Orchids Sharry Baby. Beautiful to  look at and amazing fragrance! A large spike of these will fill a room with the scent of chocolate/vanilla! This is a must have! Mary there has an Orchid of the Month Club and she will gladly help with any needs you might have. They have many varieties to choose from and promise you excellent customer assistance!

Stop in and take a look! Browse around and order someone you know a long lasting beautiful orchid!

The orchid below is mine and I just wanted to share with everyone!

My Personal Dendrobium