Bits and bobs
Apologies that I have been negligent about posting or updating much here. Pandemic has meant I spend most of my day at my desk, in my apartment, working with content management systems. After 8-10 hours of that I just can't bring myself to do much more of this in the evening or on the weekend.
* * *
I made the Tom Cat Semolina from the last Community Bake again.
Again I got the hydration too high so it spread pretty wide. It was good though.
Oh yeah, I also made a batch of Banana Bread but forgot the bananas. We won't talk about that. ?
* * *
On another note, I got a promo of a cute little Bread Baker's Notebook from Princeton Architectural Press.
I laughed when I saw the line for "Your Starter's Mood" in the template for the journal entries.
I know I run a website but I'm still very much a paper person and have a thing for note taking and nice journals, so, yeah, I really like this and could imagine giving it as a gift to an enthusiastic new baker.
* * *
The server that The Fresh Loaf is on needs to be upgraded soon, so a heads up that there may be a day or two bumpiness in late March or early April.
I'm also researching what to do with TFL in the next year or so as the CMS version that this site is running is being retired. I'm pretty confident that an upgrade will make the site easier to use on phones and tablets, which is great since that is what most people visit the site on now, but I haven't found replacements for all of the components used here. So I'm doing a bit of looking around, hoping to keep the upgrade from being too disruptive, and hoping to bring the site more up-to-date with today's web standards.
Comments
Thank you for all that you do behind the scenes to keep the site up and running. I’m relatively new to TFL, but have already learned a lot here and really do enjoy the site and it’s community.
Thank you.
The upgrade sounds exciting potentially but like a lot of work for you. Let me add another thank you for all you do for bakers around the world you use the site Floyd.
Benny
Thank you.
A very grateful new baker here. Thank you so much for keeping this site going. Having a place to learn, interact with people who have experience, experiment, find new recipes, research, and more has brought me (and likely many others) so much further than I imagined possible in just a few months. Thank you.
And that paper journal.... Love it!
Thanks!
as I found out myself. But great(er) success with the subsequent bake when I continued to make a few minor adjustments. If you're finding the dough still to soft to shape, maybe drop the hydration from the now revised 75% down to ~72%. Whenever I've had that same issue with a dough, a drop in hydration proved the trick. What might also work is maintaining a tight couche channel for them to reside in until the moment before loading into the oven. I also found that the original suggestion to bake at 400 to be way too low.
It certainly is a bread worthy of keeping in the front of the Rolodex.
I think the first time made it I baked it at 465, like I usually do. Last time I dropped it to 400 and it did come out a bit pale.
I thought I had reduced the hydration enough this time, and I did keep it well supported when rising. it was only after I scored it and put it in the oven that it decided to go wiiiiide rather than tall. :)
I recently joined but have researched the site extensively over the years. The amount of knowledge collected here is astounding and I'd like to add my voice to those that thank you for spending the time and effort maintaining and upgrading the database. Which reminds me, I need to check in on some databases that need maintenance and upgrades...