SFBI Artisan Baking I Day 4
Oh boy, did we bake today!
5 batches of dough were prepared by each group of 4 students. Baking included egg bread (challah-like
bread made with butter), pan loaves, whole wheat bread (40% whole wheat), rye
bread and a multigrain bread with a seed soaker. All the loaves were mixed and shaped before lunch. After lunch, we baked and baked and
baked. We then scaled up three dough
mixes for tomorrow’s return to baguettes.
We also mixed a poolish, sponge and preferment, one for each batch of
baguettes to be baked tomorrow. It was
a busy day, but I did manage to get some pictures of our beautiful breads.
The rye breads were actually scored before the final proof because of their delicacy due to low gluten.
The pan loaves were problematic because the bread pans had
been washed with soap and had lost some of their ‘seasoning’. The breads stuck in the pans even though we
sprayed oil and coated the pans. At home I don’t rely on this technique but
instead, spread a layer of shortening or butter into the pan and then dust with
flour to ensure my breads will release successfully from the pans. The egg breads were most impressive with
their braids and shiny egg wash. We
shaped rye bread loaves into square shapes, something new and different. We also got to experiment with various
scorings. The wheat bread had good
volume and a soft crumb, very nice. My
favorite, however, was the multigrain bread with a seed soaker. The seeds had been toasted in the oven
before soaking. A mix of flax,
sunflower, and sesame seeds was used – very tasty! The final loaf dough also contained whole wheat and rye in
addition to bread flour. The dough was
pretty high hydration at 72%. I and
others had some trouble shaping the loaves adequately to get a good oven
spring.
After all the bakes, each team mixed poolish, sponge and
preferments and scaled baguette final doughs for the three bakes.
We completed the day with Miyuki reviewing our bakes. I need to work on my shaping of batards to
ensure a firm product and, of course, my scoring of the batards suffered due to
the shaping issues. My egg breads, pan
loaves, whole wheat and ryes came out well.
Everyones whole wheat loaves had great oven spring.
Loaves, left to right, are whole wheat, rye, multigrain seeded, pan loaves and in front, egg bread.
All in all, it was a successful baking day. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day of
class. It has gone by quickly, and I’ve never baked so much in my life. I am very happy with what I have learned and
experienced. More baguettes tomorrow –
I am going to focus on shaping and scoring in hopes of generating a better looking
product. Onward-
Happy Baking
No comments:
Post a Comment