French

I know I said no more bread posts but this is the best loaf I have ever made. Awesome. Seems like I've been misguided all these years trying to make bloomers and crusty tin loaves- French bread is the future.

Burger

I headed out towards the blue hole in the grey sky pushing some tall gears on my road bike. My beloved mountain bike has been sent away after the back brake finally and completely failed once I'd crested the top of a mountain last Tuesday. It's gutting when you have to walk the long way down after the hard slog up- zero reward apart from the wholesome feeling of health for having completed the climb. Today there was absolutely nothing in the diary until band practice later so I thought I'd seize the moment and get out to feel what I could of the paltry heat of the low autumnal sun. The roads were greasy and covered in mud from farm vehicles and fallen leaves, the sort of shit that gets up in every part of the underside of a motorbike so i was happy enough to be on a bicycle. I had the Black Keys plugged straight into my head and a direction purely dictated by where the clear sky was. I passed an angry old man driving too slowly in a big car and wondered what he what he got out of being so angry. I got home and squashed a handful of minced beef into a hot pan, melted some cheese on it and stuck it between two slices of home made bread.

Bread-o

Such a thing of beauty coming out of the oven has prompted me to post another bread-based blog offering.

I am developing quite a specific set of requirements in the bread-making process... Relative density in time and space; how very Dr Who.

Density- mixing the sour-dough starter with flour into a dough with just enough water so it's not too sloppy and wet and not too dry and tight. The dough can then be kneaded til it is firm and springy.

Time and space- leaving the springy dough for just the right amount of time so that it proves to a nice tight dome in the baking tray. Too small a tray will make the loaf very dense, too large will make it flat so selecting the right tray for the dough quantity is vital. Too much time will let the dough over-proove and go sludgy.

Once these factors are within tolerance you then have to get the temperature and baking time right. I normally set the oven at about 200 and go play on the Internet until I get the faintest whiff of cooking. Tapping the bottom of the loaf should give a pleasing thud or it could do with another few minutes. Burning is never a good smell so avoid that.

All of this is done by feel as I'm not the sort of cook that likes to measure or time anything.

Even more bread

Since last update I've had a few successes and a few failures. It seems production of the better examples has a very thin margin of error. This little beauty is the product of yet another drunken chat round a campfire in between jamming and drinking. Among the various subjects bread-making came up completely unbidden by me. My music pal Eddy is also a bread-maker as well as a fantastic guitarist/singer. We traded experiences and tips. This loaf is still made with my home caught sour dough yeast, kneaded hard into a good tight dough but now I'm using much less of a different type of organic flour. Now, thanks to Eddy, I'm proving it in the airing cupboard in a plastic bag of all things. The first two I tried this way rose so fast they almost exploded so it was lucky they were in plastic bags- otherwise I'd have a shit-load of emergency washing to do in secret before my girlfriend discovers I've got dough all over the clean sheets (explain that one). This one I nursed gently to keep it tame. Finally I baked it on a much reduced heat and stayed close by to keep an eye rather than play on the Internet til I smell burning. Presto: best bread yet. Truly, blessed are the bread-makers.

More bread

Still using the sour dough and White flour but being really gentle with the dough once it's risen. This one has risen much more than the last one and while it's not exactly light and fluffy it is better than last time.. Next time I'm gonna "knock it back" fiercely and allow it to prove and see if that makes any difference.
Tastes good.

Bread

Third time lucky. First effort was a mess, the second was such a car crash it went staight into the bin without seeing the oven. I changed my tack to white flour (organic, of course) with this one as the wholemeal flour was defeating me and I'm pleased I did. Immediate improvement. The yeast I'm using I caught myself using age old techniques. It's amazing but not surprising when this shit starts to work; people have been catching and using yeast for centuries. I've heard of sour dough yeast cultures being kept alive for over 60 years. But don't get me wrong, this is no pet- it's livestock.