Just Baking

Ok, no more alliteration!
Brioche is something I’d heard of before, seen on TV, but I’d never had it let along made it. I knew what was in it; I have recipes in about 4 different books for it, and a Google search brings back “about 4,130″ results. It’s not hard to find how […]

I messed up somehow, big time. I was trying to make a recipe from Hamelman’s “Bread”, and I thought I would double the recipe to make more loaves for a party I was having.
The recipe called for a poolish to sit overnight. This part was easy, just flour, water and yeast. Overnight, […]

I’ll admit it… I’ve been unmotivated to bake. There are several reasons, but the main reason has been this stinking heat!
We have relief in sight. The high on Sunday was almost 90 degrees, and it was humid. Same on Monday. But yesterday, that all changed, and today, on Wednesday, the high is… […]

Baking French breads can be complex at times, making poolishes and starters, proofing, watching humidity and temperatures, etc. I love all that stuff, though.

Every once in a while, however, I want something simpler. Some things call for simple. I don’t think I’d care for sausage gravy on a baguette. No, that needs […]

I am back again!  I apologize for anyone that was reading any of my stuff and noticed I haven’t been posting.
To be frank, it’s been just too hot to bake in the house!  So what I’m writing about today is the anticipation of baking weather… Autumn!
The smells of yeasty dough, baking bread, melty butter on […]

I finally got my oven fixed, so I’ll actually be baking some stuff soon. However, I’ve been swamped, so my bread baking hasn’t picked up yet.
My wife and I did make something that just about anyone with an oven can make, though. It fits very well with summer fare and almost can’t be […]

I’m departing from my ‘Beginning Baker’ stuff for a post or two.  I was recently in Manhattan, and I talked my wife into a trip to Chelsea Market.  You may have heard of Chelsea Market if you watch the Food Network; their offices are there.
So what does Chelsea Market have to do with baking?  There […]

I’ve got a great oven/range.  It’s a 36″ Dacor propane cooktop with an electric oven with convection, bake and combination settings.  It heats up to 600 degrees if I want it to, and really is nice.

So how do I improve it for baking bread?  I’ve already cracked the window, so I have to stop that.  […]

I’ve been away a while, and not baking for that time.  I’m here to report on why I haven’t been baking…
I’d read all the books about how to bake artisan breads in a home oven.  I have 2 stones, one for the dough, one above to even out the temps.  I use a shallow pan […]

Last week, I got yet another bread book, called “Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes”, by Jeffrey Hamelman. I’d heard this was about the best book out there. I really like the “Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart, but Bread has some great information, too.
I’ve been trying to get bigger holes in the […]