“Flexibility is the key to AirPower” said Italian airpower theorist Gen. Giulio Douhet. It was one of the first tenets taught to me as a cadet at the US Air Force Academy. I guess it also applies to bread making. My Poolish was rising at a much faster rate than my Leaven. Next time IContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes – Attempt #3 (Part 2)”
Tag Archives: Incremental
Sourdough Baguettes – Attempt #3
Well trying again…. This is already turning out interesting. Mixed the Poolish and Levain today and decided to make the temp of the mix 80°F. My flour was 74.5°F I thought I’d make the water temp 85°F. Both weights of flour and water were 200g … the average would be ~ 80°F. I microwaved myContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes – Attempt #3”
Sourdough Baguettes Alternative Part 3
Well… they looked like baguettes (sorta). Good thing was that I didn’t put my oven out with my massive volume of steam. Secondly, they were sized about right for my scalloped rack and not overhanging. My wife’s comment was: “Why did you change virtually every variable from last time you attempted baguettes? Doesn’t seem likeContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes Alternative Part 3”
Sourdough Baguettes Alternative Part 2
Today is the day to bake baguettes! I’ve been juggling baking schedules in my head since today I’m baking not only these baguettes but sourdough loaves and croissants as well! My morning started out with baking my bread. I’d preloaded my Dutch Ovens and set my oven to preheat this morning. All I had toContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes Alternative Part 2”
Sourdough Baguettes – Different Approach
Time to try making Sourdough Baguettes again. This time I’m going to try a different approach. I’m using Joshua Weissman’s recipe and method described here This is a couple day process. I’m actually running it in parallel with my normal sourdough bread AND a batch of sourdough croissants!! Wow… look at all the baking goingContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes – Different Approach”
No mixer used at all…
This time I made bread by hand without using my KitchenAid mixer at all I went straight to my tub and mixed the flour and water to begin the Autolyse process. using my Swedish dough hook I mixed in the water, formed a ball, spritzed with water and covered with cling wrap. I’ve mentioned beforeContinue reading “No mixer used at all…”
Limiting Mixer Use
I saw an Instagram post recently by Kristen Dennis @fullproofbaking. In her post she ran an experiment contrasting the use of her KitchenAid mixer vs hand folding. Her hypothesis was that the mixer resulted in a much tighter crumb structure and a more limited oven spring. The crumb structure she posted for her bread kneadedContinue reading “Limiting Mixer Use”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 6)
Ok…. This post is why I started this string of posts in the first place. On my journey of learning to bake sourdough I’ve come to realize it is a mixture of science, art (sometimes black art), whimsy, luck and my ever-present Sous Chef (do bakers even have these?) Murphy. I’ve gone through all theContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 6)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 5)
At this point in the the Leaven and Poolish are ready (they each pass the “float test”) and the autolyse has been going for 90+ minutes. I mixed them all together in my KitchenAid mixer with the spiral dough hook. After letting it all rest for about 20 minutes I added the salt, kneaded itContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 5)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 4)
Autolyse is technique I’ve come to use when baking my sourdough bread. This is the process of mixing water and flour together before adding the rising agent. It is a process that allows the flour to absorb the moisture and start to break down the starch and sugars. I normally mix the water and flourContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 4)”
Baked By Bear Sourdough 