Sourdough Panettone II (Results)

I am so pleased with the results!!! My best attempt ever…we’ll, duh! The first was my first and I made numerous updates to my method and technique. It was definitely worth applying myself and learning! Things I learned: It is airy, light, moist, sweet (but not too sweet). A really great mouth feel… pillowy! Fantastico!!Continue reading “Sourdough Panettone II (Results)”

Sourdough Panettone II (2nd Dough)

Today is baking day! First I have to make the 2nd Dough. The first dough rose 3X and I’m very pleased! I then slowly started to layer in the ingredients. First the flour, then Castor Sugar, Honey/citrus zest, salt, egg yolks, butter and finally, dried fruit. This process took MUCH longer than last time sinceContinue reading “Sourdough Panettone II (2nd Dough)”

Pasta Madre (Day 4)

Today is the day! One last feeding today to be ready for mixing Dough #1 for my next attempt at Panettone. Tying this bundle up was interesting. It got REALLY hard until the bag popped and some of the pressure was relieved. I’m m not sure if the softer feel was due to the pressureContinue reading “Pasta Madre (Day 4)”

Pasta Madre (Day 3)

Day 3 of making my Pasta Madre for my next attempt at Panettone. I fed my Pasta Madre for a 3rd time today. I seeded the same feeding regime I’ve been using of 50g each of Starter and water, a teaspoon of honey and 100g of bread flour. I kneaded it for 5+ minutes toContinue reading “Pasta Madre (Day 3)”

Pasta Madre (Day 2)

It’s been 20 hours now since I first put the new Pasta Madre in my proving box to ferment. It has clearly risen and fallen in that time as you can see by the photo gallery below. I’d normally not wait but I’m going to be patient this time. I’ll wait for another 4 hoursContinue reading “Pasta Madre (Day 2)”

Pasta Madre (Day 1)

If you read my last post about attempting Panettone for the first time you’d have seen the quote about if your Pasta Madre wasn’t on point than it didn’t matter what recipe you used…your results would just be less than desired. My panettone first attempt, while delicious, was anything but pretty. Actually, it wasn’t bad.Continue reading “Pasta Madre (Day 1)”

New Recipe

I thought I’d try some different loaves using a mix of flours… Why? You ask… Well… I redid my pantry right before Thanksgiving and there was total chaos downstairs as I ripped out the contractor-grade wire shelving. During that process I found some 00 flour I had forgot I had. Then I saw an InstagramContinue reading “New Recipe”

Skills Get Rusty…

If you don’t practice your skills get rusty! I’ve not made Batards lately. I’ve been making Pullman loaves every week and not shaped and slashed Batards. Slashing needs to be at a shallow angle (16-20°) and NOT as vertical as I do with the Pullman loaves. The more vertical reduces the “ear” that is producedContinue reading “Skills Get Rusty…”

Same Dough / New Pastry

It’s been a while since I last posted. Life gets busy. Yesterday we celebrated my wife as she graduated earning her Doctorate. I’ve been exploring new ways to make Danishes with my same base laminated dough. I saw a post where another baker had used this technique and I thought I’d give it a try.Continue reading “Same Dough / New Pastry”

Creating Desired Dough Temperature (DDT)

Lately I’ve been really paying attention to “desired dough temperature” as a variable in my process. Basically, it is about knowing what temperature you’d like your dough to be to get the peak reaction for whatever you’re trying to accomplish (e.g. bulk proving etc) To get to the desired dough temperature requires knowing the flourContinue reading “Creating Desired Dough Temperature (DDT)”