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CalBeachBaker's blog

November 22, 2024 - 8:48am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Pumpkinseed Rye Kurbiskernbrot (Germany)

Today's bake: Pumpkinseed Rye   Kurbiskernbrot (Germany)

Source: The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes: Increased dough to make 3 loaves @ 721gr each.

Substitutions: None

Discussion: Another nice rye bread from 'The Rye Baker'. This is a relatively easy bread to make consisting of a soaker, a sponge, and main dough. It has a nice mild-sour taste and Stanley describes it best "A medley of pumpkin seeds, crunchy flaxseed, and chewy coarse rye meal, all encased in a tender wheat rye crumb. The pumpkin seeds dominate its flavor profile, their sweet richness accented by the burnt notes of black rye malt and moderately sour finish".

 

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  More flour in the bannetons, scale the dough for larger loaves.

 

*** The Images can be made to full size by placing your cursor on the image and right clicking, and then, open image in a new tab.

Ratings:

 

 

August 14, 2024 - 8:34am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Laminated Honey Rye - Living Bread by Daniel Leader

Today's bake: Laminated Honey Rye

Source: Living Bread by Daniel Leader

Notes: Doubled original recipe of TDW 1.055kg.

Substitutions:  AP flour for Type 55, Used plant-based butter.

Discussion: I wanted to try something different and this bread and process caught my eye. This bread is a nice combination of AP and rye flours giving it a rustic taste. The combination of herbs and lemon flavors makes is really quite nice. The only major issue was with the baking, the 'butter' was running out of the bead and it was fortunate that I was using rimmed pans or there would have been a pool of butter on the flour of the oven.

Make again? - Yes with modifications.

Changes/Recommendations:  75% Less butter and increase the amount of lemon juice and lemon zest by 25-30%.

*** The Images can be made to full size by placing your cursor on the image and right clicking, and then, open image in a new tab.

Ratings:

 




Chilled dough and butter, ready to start the lamination process.


 



Tony

 

 

 

 

June 28, 2024 - 7:35am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

East Berlin Malt Rye - Malfabrot (Germany)

Today's bake: East Berlin Malt Rye -  Malfabrot (Germany)

Source: The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes: None

Substitutions:  None

Discussion:   Another nice rye bread from 'The Rye Baker'. This is a relatively easy bread to make  with only a sponge and main dough. It has a nice sour taste and Stanley describes it best as a 'tender close crumbed bread. The malt is incredibly sweet with strong chocolate, caramel, and coffee notes from the roasting.' I sampled a slice after cooling and then the next morning and the flavors definitely intensify with an overnight aging.

Make again? - Yes.

Changes/Recommendations:  Less flour in the bannetons and scale the formula for larger boules.

*** The Images can be made to full size by placing your cursor on the image and right clicking, and then, open image in a new tab.

Ratings:


 






 

 

 

December 4, 2023 - 9:58am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Slow-Baked Finnish Rye Jalkuunileipa (Finland)

Today's bake: Slow-Baked Finnish Rye   Jalkuunileipa (Finland)

Source: The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes: I scaled Stanley's recipe to make 2 small loaves instead of single larger one.

From - 1 @ TDW: 1.383kg   Pan Size: 9x4x4 In / 22.86x10.16x10.16 CM
To -     2 @ TDW: 1.210kg   Pan Size: 7.88x4x4 In / 20x10.16x10.16 CM

Substitutions:  None

Discussion: This was an interesting bread to bake. The bake time is 6 hours. The flavors are deep, rich, and malty with a chewy crust and a tender crumb. I paired it with a Swiss cheese but it is also excellent by itself as a snack.  

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  None

*** The Images can be made to full size by placing your cursor on the image and right clicking, and then, open image in a new tab.

Ratings:

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

November 14, 2023 - 8:51am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Community Bake - Infinity Bread

Today's bake: Community Bake - Infinity Bread

Source: pmccool

Notes: None

Substitutions:  None

Discussion:  This is a delightful bread made with bread flour, fresh milled hard red wheat and bloody butcher corn, water, pepita seeds, diastatic malt, and honey (formula and process below). The crust turned out nice and crunchy with a toasty flavor. The crumb is soft with a semi coarse texture from the milled corn. My semi-biased tasters gave this bake a 2 thumbs up.

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  Make a larger batch with bigger loaves. Improve scoring.

Ratings:


 

 


 




 

 Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 19, 2023 - 8:14am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Weinheim Carrot Rye Weinheimer Mohrenbrot (Germany)

Today's bake: Weinheim Carrot Rye   Weinheimer Mohrenbrot (Germany)

Source: The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes: None

Substitutions:  None

Discussion: This is another bread from The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg. When I was mixing I delayed adding the scald to the mixer and added a little more water to the dough to make it easier to mix which was a mistake. In spite of my error I am quite happy with the taste and texture after a day of letting it dry a bit.

I used baby carrots so I think the bread was a little bit sweeter than it would normally be but I found it to be quite pleasant. The crust and crumb are nice and soft with oat and nutty flavors from the sunflower, pepita, and flax seeds.

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  A little less hydration, score earlier.

Ratings:

 






 

 

September 10, 2023 - 6:03pm
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Honeyed Spelt and Oat Levain

Today's bake: Honeyed Spelt and Oat Levain

Source: Sourdough Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads Sweets, Savories, and More - Sarah Owens

Notes:

Substitutions:  None

Discussion: This is another bread from Sarah Owens that I have been planning on baking for some time. The crumb is nice and soft due to the oatmeal soaker and  ~20% spelt flour, with a slightly sweet flavor from the honey. The crust is nice and crunchy with toasty malt flavoring. This is a nice bread to toast up in the morning for breakfast or for lunch.

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  A little less bake time.

Ratings:






Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 25, 2023 - 8:08am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Sauerland Black Bread - Sauerlander Schwarzbrot (Germany)

Today's bake: Sauerland Black Bread - Sauerlander Schwarzbrot (Germany)

Source: The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes:

  • Changed TDW from 1.291  kg  to 2.259 kg.
  • Pan Size - From: 1 @ 9in x4in x4in / 23cm x10cm x10cm  To: 2 @ 7.88in x4in x4in / 20cm x10cm x10cm. 
  • Hydration from 74.83% to 76.77% due to using fresh milled grain.

Substitutions:  None

Discussion: Another from The Rye Baker. This is a nice rustic bread made of 100% rye flours and sunflower seeds, flax seeds and a little stale bread. When I sampled a slice about 1 hour after it was cool and then again 5 hours later, I was pleasantly surprised at the dramatic change in the richness and depth of the flavors, it needed some time for all of the flavors to mature. This is a moist bread with a nice mellow sour taste combined with a subtle nuttiness and a hint of barley flavoring from from the malt syrup.

I can see this bread pairing well with goat cheeses and medium flavored foods.

Stanley describes the taste as "a well-balanced, interesting bread that pairs well with beer-roasted pork tenderloin, garlic-crusted lamb, and artisanal sheep and raw cow;s milk cheeses."

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  None

Ratings:


 


 





 Tony

 

 

 

August 20, 2023 - 3:10pm
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Ukrainian Black Bread - Chornyy Khlib

Today's bake: Ukrainian Black Bread - Chornyy Khlib

Source: The Ukrainian Classic Kitchen - Olga Drozd

https://www.ukrainianclassickitchen.ca/index.php?topic=1255.0%20%20%20by%20Olga%20Drozd

Note:  Doubled the TDW from .728  kg (2 loaves) to 1.654 kg. (4 loaves).

Substitutions:  None

Discussion: I've been looking for a Ukrainian bread that was different from what I'd been seeing and hit upon this one. It's made from ~90% whole rye and ~10% buckwheat flours. I'd say it's typical of many high percentage rye flour breads. After 24 hours of rest, I sliced into it and can report that the crust is tender and the crumb nice and soft. The main flavor is coffee with the buckwheat and rye notes with a touch of sweetness showing up as you chew the crumb.

Olga's description of this bread -  "This is not like store bought rye but dense and intense.  The bread is indescribably tasty.  This amount makes one long skinny loaf, or 2 shorter ones. Slice cracker thin."

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations: Next time I would moderate the the strength of the black coffee a little and I would consider making a larger batch with larger loaves.

Ratings:


 

 


 


 


 


August 15, 2023 - 8:04am
CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

Jalapeño Cheese Bread

Today's bake: Jalapeño Cheese Bread

Source: Sourdough Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads Sweets, Savories, and More - Sarah Owens

Note: Use baking sheets to catch the inevitable melted cheese.

Substitutions:  Substituted Bloody Butcher Corn for Corn Meal.

Discussion: This is another delightful bread from Sarah Owens. I roasted the jalapeños on my grill with hickory wood which added a nice smoky flavor to the peppers. The coarse grind of the durum and corn meal add a nice texture to the crumb and crust. The crumb is nice and soft and the taste of the cheddar cheese and jalapeños are predominant.

Make again? - Yes, definitely.

Changes/Recommendations:  The cheese pieces were a little large as can be seen in the crumb photo. I thought I'd diced the cheese pretty small but next time I'd make them pea-sized. Prior to roasting, cut the peppers in half length-wise then scrape the seeds out.

Ratings:


 


 


 


 


 


Tony

 

 

 

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