Wednesday 29 February 2012

Wine Figs and Pine Nuts

One of Dan Lepardss recipes I thought I would never try, until I had some wine to use up and realised all I needed was figs. Dan says it is an amalgamation of two recipes from colleagues. My dough turned out significantly darker than the book. Seing as most of my banneton raised breads end up flat I felt no need to flatten the dough as he recommends. This could only partly explain my problem with slashing. He has a neat chess board check, I have a spikey hedgehog effect, despite my best efforts.




Below are the tools at the ready for what I call the "leap of faith". The dough has risen in the muslin lined basket. The baking tray is well sprinkled with rice flour ready for the loaf to be tipped out. Then the excess flour from the muslin lining is brushed off with a pastry brush. A spray of olive oil and then  slashing. The craft knife loses out to the razor stuck onto the end of a wooden coffee stirrer. But neither works that well if truth be told 


The tools of the tray



Part way through slashing



End result

The bread makes good eating with any sort of cheese. The fig seeds give that characteristic crunch no matter how disintegrated the figs become. They are like the the millet in the 5 grain bread. A bit disconcerting if you are not expecting it, like a spoonful of sand.

Saturday 25 February 2012

Pulling it off

I've been wondering lately whether it was sensible to call this blog Rye Smile because rye breads have been my bete noir.  But after following various authorities with mixed success I have now developed a hybrid that is reliable and the family are happy, nay keen, to eat.  It's baked in a pullman tin and the dough is rolled in a seed mixture before being plonked in the tin. It's about 75% Rye.  I double up a rye starter to about 3 cups  and use the bread machine to knead a 50/50 rye wheat 3 cup dough. Once both have risen I combine the two, apply the coating and rise in the pullman tin.


Worth another picture:




Saturday 4 February 2012

John Barleycorn is Not Dead

Finished Product

Friday night and I'm trying Dan Lepard's Barley Bread:

Starter and Levain


Resting Dough
 Saturday morning and there has been a considerable rise:


Risen Loaf
 Beautiful crust colour.


Baked Loaf


Rye Rye... and Rye again


After my own efforts, and then following Andrew Whitely's methods, I thought I'd give Dan Lepard a go and follow his Sour 100% Rye Bread recipe. Here's the result:


Master and apprentice
The results were in line with expectations. A good looking loaf from the top view but rather too dense

and rather too flat. Nevertheless as I always say of any such loaf "It makes excellent toast!"


I have higher ambitions for my ryes ...and today new weapon arrived to add to my armoury. So you will be hearing more about ryes (and pan loaves) from me in the future.


Pullman tank