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Jun. 18th, 2014 07:29 amMy bread fu is not what it used to be. This is due to the intersection of several factors: we don't eat as much bread as we used to, so I bake less; I've switched passion/obsession to charcuterie, so I bake less; and it doesn't work as well/taste as good, so I bake less.
I checked out Josey Baker Bread from the library, because I was curious and read good things about it. This is the guy running The Mill - infamous for its $3 toast. (About which most of the bloviating misses the point, but I digress.)
Yesterday I had bread failure: the low-knead pizza crust utterly failed to rise one iota for the first time since I tried it. (I have an idea as to why, but that's not the point of this post.) I had started a batch of "hearth loaves" with dry yeast and let them rise in the fridge a couple days ago, per the instructions. This is also a no/low-knead recipe. They rose very nicely. However, they stuck to the bannetons - wicker proofing baskets - and flopped when I put them on the baking stone. (Again, I have an idea why: they emitted too much moisture during the process, sticking to the baskets. More flour to coat the baskets, and possibly cloth.) So, I was on the verge of throwing them out as I did the pizza dough.
Fortunately, I let them bake.
It's the best bread I've made in a while. Even with the floppage. Even with using dry yeast. Great flavor, nice even and open crumb, a chewy dark crust. It will make great toast and we'll probably devour the batch quickly.
Even though my bread passion is never coming back the way it was, I might just have to buy this book.
I checked out Josey Baker Bread from the library, because I was curious and read good things about it. This is the guy running The Mill - infamous for its $3 toast. (About which most of the bloviating misses the point, but I digress.)
Yesterday I had bread failure: the low-knead pizza crust utterly failed to rise one iota for the first time since I tried it. (I have an idea as to why, but that's not the point of this post.) I had started a batch of "hearth loaves" with dry yeast and let them rise in the fridge a couple days ago, per the instructions. This is also a no/low-knead recipe. They rose very nicely. However, they stuck to the bannetons - wicker proofing baskets - and flopped when I put them on the baking stone. (Again, I have an idea why: they emitted too much moisture during the process, sticking to the baskets. More flour to coat the baskets, and possibly cloth.) So, I was on the verge of throwing them out as I did the pizza dough.
Fortunately, I let them bake.
It's the best bread I've made in a while. Even with the floppage. Even with using dry yeast. Great flavor, nice even and open crumb, a chewy dark crust. It will make great toast and we'll probably devour the batch quickly.
Even though my bread passion is never coming back the way it was, I might just have to buy this book.
