Well … my writing has been on a hiatus; however, my baking hasn’t been. Lots of bread, croissants and biscotti baked for family and friends. Now I’m trying to get back to experimenting and looking to see how I can leverage time and temperature as variables. From my reading I’m thinking that I may beContinue reading “Sourdough Croissants”
Author Archives: Jim Hayden
Creating a Sourdough Starter (Part 2)
I am (finally) going to continue my thread on creating a sourdough starter. Happy to actually do this given that 10 days ago I totaled my motorcycle on a winding rode in western Georgia. God’s grace alone that I “walked away” and am not in the ICU or the morgue! Where I left off IContinue reading “Creating a Sourdough Starter (Part 2)”
Creating a Sourdough Starter (Part 1)
I’ve had a number of folks ask “How do you create a sourdough starter?” I thought it might be fun to create a new starter and document the process. You can follow along with this thread and start your own if you so desire. There are many ways to create a sourdough starter….this is oneContinue reading “Creating a Sourdough Starter (Part 1)”
My Baking Implements
Previously I posted about my “Most Important Baking Implement“. I had someone ask me the other day “What’s a Dutch Oven?”. That made me think that maybe it would be helpful for me to write a post about what my other baking implements happen to be. This post will list my baking implements. I won’tContinue reading “My Baking Implements”
“Expected” (Anticipated?) Results
It is amazing how one little change can yield a different result. As you may be aware, on my last Sourdough Batard bake I decided to throw a couple ice cubes into my Dutch Ovens to “aid” in the steaming of my crust. That choice DID NOT yield the results I expected. You can seeContinue reading ““Expected” (Anticipated?) Results”
Unexpected Results
On my last post I described how I take copious notes and document so that I can learn. Well…. Here’s an example of what I mean. Same Recipe and Method. Same Dutch Ovens. Same temps and timing. The ONLY change is that I threw in a couple ice cubes into the Dutch Oven as IContinue reading “Unexpected Results”
My Sourdough Bread Visual Observation
Earlier I mentioned that I took copious notes and that my “Pencil” (or computer) was My Most Important Baking Implement. My baking notes cover three basic areas: recipes, methods and results. My intent is to connect the outcomes (results) to what I did upstream in my bakes (recipe and method). Understanding how variables in theContinue reading “My Sourdough Bread Visual Observation”
Basic Sourdough
Here is the basic recipe and method that I’ve developed to this point. It started out as a derivative of Paul Hollywood’s recipe for Basic Sourdough in his book How To Bake. INGREDIENTS Bread Flour 750g (I use #KingArthurBreadCompany, Sir Lancelot 14.2% Protein) Water, Filtered 440ml Levain, 500g, 100% Hydration Sea Salt, 18g The aboveContinue reading “Basic Sourdough”
Sourdough Croissant Experiment
As you’re aware I’m on the quest for Sourdough Bread, Croissant and Pastry Perfection. I am on the path, farther than I was when I started….but nowhere near where I’d like to be! But it’s a journey and NOT a destination. I decided on this last batch to test a couple hypothesis: I have tooContinue reading “Sourdough Croissant Experiment”
Feeding Cold Starter
Before COVID-19 I traveled extensively for my job and wasn’t in a position to feed my starter every day. I came across #BakeWithJack and started watching his videos on bread making. Episode 71: SOURDOUGH – The Scrapings Method, No Waste, No Discard describe a method that I’ve been using (modified) since. The method involves leavingContinue reading “Feeding Cold Starter”
Baked By Bear Sourdough 