Hearth Bread
Pizza Oven Ash On My Bread
Aug 22, 2012One of the aspects of daily bread baking that I am continually running over in my mind is the trade-off between attempts at perfection and time. The law of diminishing returns, and where you reach the cross over. Return on time investment. Time and motion analysis. Operations research. Earlier, I wrote about how I usually proof larger batches in the mixing bowl, with a linen cloth covering the dough. I... Read More
So Many Variables in Bread Baking
Aug 22, 2012When I said that I was going to follow the same formula, but increase the water, in order to see if I could replicate (and hopefully fix) the problems that I encountered a couple of days ago with my too-dense, under-proofed, really crusty whole wheat loaves. The good news is that I bumped the water from 78% water to 84% water, and it made a huge difference. The dough was... Read More
Under-Proofed Multi-Seed Loaves
Aug 20, 2012One of the great things about hobbies (bread baking or distance running) is that they are, well, hobbies. We strive to do our best, but let’s be honest, we aren’t exactly virtuosos at our hobbies. And that’s good. We keep at it, trying to improve, and some days are better than others. As long as we keep learning and improving, all it well. Just don’t expect perfection. haha. With that,... Read More
A Good Supermarket Baguette?
Aug 19, 2012If it’s a good supermarket baguette, I guess I’m not back in California. Bad supermarket bread is one of my favorite pet peeves, and I’ve been writing and blogging about it for years on FB.com. As an American born in the later stages of the Baby Boom, I grew up with Wonder Bread, Swanson’s TV dinners, and all that goes with along with that. But even the French are suffering,... Read More
Bread and Bakeries
Aug 19, 2012Here are some more photos of bread and bakeries from Amsterdam, Antwerp and Brussels. So fun. Read More
Half Whole Wheat Baguette
Aug 18, 2012It’s never that great coming back from vacation, but one thing I can always look forward to firing one of my pizza ovens. You just can’t beat a good fire to lift your spirits. Another interesting thing about having been away is that the cupboard can be pretty bare — which was the case today, where I could barely scrape together 500 kg of flour without having to go shopping.... Read More
More Bread from Belgium
Aug 18, 2012Here are a couple of additional photos of the wonderful whole grain bread bought at the Stokell street market — a nice, upscale village just outside of Brussels. Lots of diplomats and career foreign service people to be found. The dark bread was an 8 grain, loaf leavened with yeast. It was light and moist considering the whole grains, and it worked really well as fresh bread with a cheese... Read More
Bread from Northern Europe
Aug 16, 2012We’re back from a very nice trip to see friends in Brussels, and one of my favorite parts was (of course) the bread! I will be posting some fun photos of bread and some beer (liquid bread), which have given me inspiration to start using more rye and more seeds. But for now, it’s baguettes a l’ancienne at the street market in Stokell in Belgium on a nice sunny Saturday... Read More
3,200 Calories a Day
Aug 02, 2012You might have noticed that I bake a lot of bread — so what do we do with all of it? We don’t have a huge family, I don’t give my bread to neighbors or sell it, and I don’t throw it away after I test a new oven. And I don’t have a crazy high carb diet. Baking has been a hobby that I have enjoyed for years. I... Read More
