December 6, 2009

Basic Sourdough Bread: BBAC#30 Plus 5 More

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Sourdough Bread
The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge #30: Basic Sourdough Bread

For this challenge I used wild yeast mother starter (mistakenly referred to as BARM in the book) to prepare the sourdough starter. I didn't use commercial yeast for the final dough and fermented at a shorter period so the bread doesn't become too tangy. The sourdough refers to the starter which is acidic but depending on individual taste, the breads made with sourdough starters can be very sour or not at all. I prefer the latter because I never liked breads that are very sour.

I added a very small amount of rye flour to the dough and I really love the flavor of the bread which has a hint of sweetness. I made a free standing loaf and a small pain d'epi with half of the dough and into the second half I kneaded crumbled blue cheese then baked them in three 5 x 2 inch loaf pans. The mini loaves are incredibly yummy and the aroma is just wonderful. The crumb is chewy and the crust is very crispy. I love these tiny loaves. I started eating a large piece that I tore off from one of the loaves right after photographing them and ended up devouring the whole loaf while uploading the photos into my laptop. Yes, the bread is thaaat good. Mini sourdough loaf with blue cheese rocks!

Sourdough Epi
Sourdough Epi
shaping pain d'epi needs more practice

Mini Sourdough Loaves With Blue Cheese
the middle part of the mini loaves had an enormous oven spring; they look like toy cars, don't they

Mini Sourdough Loaf With Blue Cheese
mmmmm

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

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I continued baking while on "vacation" from this blog and here are the photos and ratings:

#29 Pugliese
BBAC29 Pugliese
another flavorful bread from the book although crumb is not as open as I would have liked; the slices make very nice appetizer toasted and drizzled with black truffle-flavored olive oil, then topped with lemon zest and chiffonade of mint

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 3
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 4
worth 5
Total: 27
Average: 4.5

#28 Potato Rosemary Bread
BBAC28 Potato Rosemary Bread
I love everything about this bread: the flavor, the texture, and aroma

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

#27 Portuguese Sweet Bread
BBAC27 Portuguese Sweet  Bread
sweet and soft, delicious just with butter; an instant favorite
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

#26 Poolish Baguettes
BBAC26 Poolish Baguettes
bread is tasty but crumb is not open
Rating:
flavor 4
texture 2
visual appeal 4
ease of preparation 5
performance 3
worth 3
Total: 18
Average: 3

#25 Pizza Napoletana
BBAC25 Pizza Napoletana
the best tasting pizza ever; the bread is sweetish, its edges are crispy and the rest of the thin crust with its almost charred bottom is chewy, just the way I like it; it's also perfect for sweet dessert pizzas with berries, apples, or pears drizzled with chocolate sauce or ribbons of Nutella
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

12 comments:

caninecologne said...

hi oggi
hope all is well with you!

Anonymous said...

yey! you're back! everyday i check your blog. :)

Cindy said...

Hi Oggi,

Welcome back to blogging. Even though you have not been blogging, I can see that you've been quite busy baking. The crumb on your mini sourdough is unbelievable!! I don't like blue cheese, but I still want a bite of that.

Cathy (Bread Experience) said...

Wow! Beautiful breads and photos. You've definitely been busy. I love your rating system.

Juliana said...

Welcome back :-) Love your breads...they all look yummie!

Oggi said...

R, I'm good. Thanks.:)

A, thanks for your patience.:)

Cindy, I sort of like blue cheese but didn't know it's excellent baked in bread.:)

Cathy, thanks. Yep, been busy baking and eating them.:)

Juliana, thanks. Love to be be back.:)

misterrios said...

Hey, welcome back- Love the crumb on your sourdough bread. It just looks amazing. I just want to reach in and grab a piece of the epi. I've been following along with the picture blog, and all the breads have been wonderful!

Anonymous said...

The rosemary potato bread is one of my favorites. I have made it a couple of times now. Beautiful pictures.

Oggi said...

Daniel, thanks. The epi is a very short and a bit crooked; tastes great though.:)

RGG, it's also one of my faves. The mashed potato is a very good idea from Peter.:)

Anonymous said...

I really like the idea of a sweet dessert pizza - I've never heard of sweet pizzas before. Definitely will keep that in mind. http://ap269.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/bba-challenge-25-pizza-napoletana/

Oggi said...

AP, oh you should try dessert pizzas, you'll love them.:)

Anonymous said...

I agree with you, the Portuguese Sweet Bread was an instant favorite!

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