Another bread book

[Kimmie]

You see, I have no kitchen to work in and my baking books and toys are in storage.

You guys...keep posting...at least, I enjoy reading...FOR NOW!




TBH: I'm glad you like the Calvel book.

[Isa]

Kimmie, I'll lend you mine if I get to keep half the bread you make!

[Kimmie]

Nice try Isa, but I'll pass.

[Isa]

Guess I'll have to make my own bread this weekend....

[thebighat]

Made the French bread with the traditional method today. His percentages are very close to Reinhart's for the same pain ordinaire. He is at 67% h2o to Reinharts 66, and yeast is 1.25% to .05. I blew the dough temp, came out a little cold, so I put the dough in the warming cabinet for a while. It finished fermenting on the bench and the thermometer was at 75. The 35 minute rest after rounding was a little long for me, but the baquettes rolled out nicely after that rest. I made two baguettes, one big batard, 2 pain fendu, and a boule. I have trouble with the slashing. The baquettes bent in the oven, the cuts on the batard filled in and the pain fendu didn't look like the picture, but geez, it was good bread. It was a 3 min mix on speed 1 on a 20 qt, 15 min autolyse, then 8 min on 1. I usually cut that 3 min down till the dough picks up, then I mix on 2 for about 10 min. The baguettes came out perfectly round, not at all flat on the bottom. I like that. I'm trying it again tomorrow. I have barely had a chance to look at the book in depth I've been burning the proverbial candle.

[Kimmie]

TBH,

I find it interesting that YOU had problems slashing! What went wrong? Please keep us posted on your results, like a diary...

[KyleW]

Isa - I'm struggling with The Village Baker. Been looking for projects for the weekend and I can't seem to get my hands aroound his recipes. He deals in handfulls of flour, nonspecific amounts of levain, he gives only dry measure amounts (how do you measure a cup of levain?)etc. There are weights in the formulae in the back of the boog but he foes not give baker's percentages and the amounts are huge. The other thing is I guess I didn't want to start a third starter. From what I've read, his levain is a lot like Reinhart's firm starter. I happen to have a batch of that in the fridge so I am going to sub it for levain and see how it goes.

[Isa]

What a mess Kyle. Sorry, it's always disappointing when a book doesn't hold to its promises.