Tag Archives: bread

sourdough/ week twelve

Halfway through the year, and we already baked up (at least) 12 loaves of sourdough! Sticking with this project feels like an accomplishment, since each loaf takes quite a bit of time and care, or at least the time to remember its there and to move on to the next step! Really makes you appreciate the work and love that goes into a good loaf of bread.

This week, we made a raisin rye sourdough bread, and tried out my new diy proofing box!

Our new proofing box! Which is actually just a large tupperware container. After an hour proofing at room temperature, I boil some water in a little mason jar, then put the bread and the jar into the tupperware, and close the lid up. The water is supposed to make it a bit warmer and more moist, to help with flavor and rise. By no means a controlled environment, but we are working up to it!

For a rye bread, I would say we got some pretty good lift out of it! I also think it is one of the prettiest loaves of bread we have made so far. We gave it away as a gift, but we received very good reviews! Excited to make a loaf to keep soon so we can try it for ourselves.

sourdough/ week eleven

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We tried to make sourdough bagels, but they didn’t really turn out exactly as planned. I rigged up a proofing box out of a tupperware container, and they looked like little pillows until we tried to tear them away from their new friends. I think the dough should have been more dry. At least they were still good enough to eat! We are definitely going to get back up on that bagel horse soon.

sourdough/ week ten

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We saw some really excellent looking focaccia bread at the store last week. I spent a couple minutes thinking to myself if sourdough focaccia was a thing, then consulted the internet, and the result was yes, it is a thing.

I loosely based my focaccia experiment on this recipe here. It was mostly cloudy outside, so it didn’t rise as much as I was thinking, but there will be no problem at all putting it in our bellies. Put some pesto and cheese on this, and call it dinner.

sourdough/ week nine

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I’d like to show you a picture of my latest loaf of bread, but this is all that’s left.

jk, There is still almost half left. We aren’t monsters.

This recipe is somewhat my own concoction, pecan sourdough bread. Its based on a recipe for walnut bread, but we have a lot of pecans, so I wanted to use those instead. We also ran out of honey, so I subbed in some molasses instead. Smelled sooo good while it was in the oven, and our toast this week has been on par. I think next week I might try some spelt bread, or some other kind of cool kid grain.

sourdough/ week eight

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This week’s bread was oatmeal bread. The recipe made two loaves, and we decided to make both, and give one away. Unfortunately, while in the dough proof, one loaf stuck really badly to some plastic wrap, and the dough deflated some after I tried to gently remove it. So we graciously gave away the round, attractive loaf, and kept its less attractive, but still tasty, twin for ourselves.

I would also like to add that this bread was ginormous. Together, the breads took up an entire sheet tray.

bread as big as your face

sourdough/ week seven

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This week we made sourdough English muffins! A little bit of change from the normal loaf we have been making. It was actually a little more arm work than the normal loaf though! It wanted 6 1/2 cups of flour and kneaded and rolled out! Great arm workout.

I used a little bit smaller biscuit cutter than recommended, and I ended up with one million muffins.

I opted to cook them in the oven. I’ll try it in a skillet next time though.

Once they cooled down, I put a whole bunch in the freezer. No one person ever needs to eat 11 English muffins in one week, even though that would be delicious.

sourdough/ week six

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This week was date bread. Dates are one of those foods I always forget that I like, but then I start sampling them and I remember.

I went a tiny bit off recipe for this one. The recipe is for a two-pound loaf, and I wanted to try halfing it. I also wanted to sub in some whole wheat flour too. I suppose dates and pecans are kinda heavy, so if I wanted more rise, all normal flour would have been the way to go. But I don’t mind dense breads at all.The loaf turned out a little small in the bread pan, because it was only one pound, but it had a nice shape. It did turn out a little bit dense, but still soft. I was going to take a picture of our toast this morning for the after, but once they were toasted, I put some butter and cinnamon and sugar on it, and it was basically the best thing I’ve eaten in a week. Good thing I have another slice in the morning to look forward to.

sourdough/ week five

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This week’s loaf is the classic wheat. Delicious and nutritious. We’ve eaten it as toast mostly, but I have a panzanella recipe that I am hoping to try tonight!

I have also been reading this book, and I am right in the middle of the air section. Super nerding out on the history of grains and such. I’ve been keeping the starter in the fridge and feeding it every week, and it works perfectly fine, but I might try a little experiment. Just to see what it does, I’m gonna try keeping it a little warmer and feeding it more frequently. I know everyone is eagerly awaiting the results.

sourdough/ week four

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The next recipe in our sourdough cookbook was a peasant black bread, which it says is based on a Russian staple. The recipe said specifically not to leave out the coriander, but I am a rebel, and I did. Because I didn’t have any, and also because cilantro is yucky.

I decided to make two smaller loaves this time, instead of one large loaf. So I basically worried the entire time it was in the oven, since I wasn’t quite sure of the cooking time. But it sounded good and hollow around 40 minutes, and it turned out nice and crumby inside, so we will put this one in the success column.

Oh, the bread is not black you say? I am told by the internet that it may darken over time, so every morning’s toast will be a surprise!

bread on the menu

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Last week, we made a no knead sourdough bread, since it was late and I didn’t want to clean the counters again. We ate it right up with a boatload of lasagna. No knead bread is no joke.

Here are some good looking breads to consider baking soon. We got: apple sourdough bread, brioche donuts with honey glaze, challah pretzel bread, and cinnamon raisin soda bread. breads to make (pictures from respective links)