Hardly a rabbit hole for me. Our shop has deliveries of (very average) bread delivered once a week, or I can enjoy fresh bread whenever I want it.
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You didn’t get that good without a lot of experimentation and practise. Your creations wouldn’t look out of place in a top boulangerie. I work from 08:30 till at least 18:00 every weekday, have a 3 month old grand daughter living with me and I’m ripping out and renovating the flat my stepdaughter is about to move into. I also need to make time to get drunk and listen to records. any attempt at baking is at least six months away. Zero free time at the moment.
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I must give it another go, what basic recipe do you use Paul?
Priorities are important!
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Trying a different ratio to the Sardinian recipe I have mixing in a third khorasan flour
Another 15 mins proving then in they go
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For that loaf:
500g strong white bread flour
1 heaped tsp salt
2 1/2 tsps instant dried yeast
350ml warm water
20ml EVOO
That’s a total hydration of 74% so it requires a lot of kneading - I mix it roughly with an ordinary kitchen knife and put it in the Kenwood for about 20 mins until the dough is coming off the side/bottom.
First prove - 1 hour, bowl covered in cling film
Knock down and shape.
Second prove 40 mins covered with a tea towel.
Slash/score.
48 mins @ 205c in a dutch oven.
For a crispy crust, switch off oven and remove the loaf from the dutch oven and put back on to the main oven shelf to cool slowly with the door slightly open. If you want a soft crust remove it and put it on a wire rack to cool with a tea towel over it.
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That’s great, thanks Paul.
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The smaller have been dropped at pals and the larger carved up…not quite there on the taste of the holiday but close
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Looks brioche-ey
Is it?
Eggy bread with maple syrup and bacon 
Not really, it’s a little sweet but still very much bread tasting… I’ll bring a couple to Lopwell if I get time
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Made some baguettes using an overnight poolish. Unfortunately I didn’t score them deep enough but I can put that right next time.
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Poorly scored aside, these are very tasty. I’m sure I’ll get a bit more oven spring too with deeper slashes.
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New bakery shop opened in town today.
Baps for the morning roll were superb.
Flesh baked loaf started well with some cheese and homemade mango chutney. It’s enormous.
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I’ve been experimenting with using a poolish recently and I have to say that it not only produces a lovely light loaf but also improves the texture and it certainly enhances the taste.
This is the second batch I’ve made using this method and I’m very happy with the results. I think it will be my go-to recipe for basic white loaves going forward.
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Haven’t made bread in ages and yesterday afternoon decided to. Scales flicked off when measuring the water so I just finished pouring what I thought in. Way too much. Left it until now and it was looking ok but still very wet. I’ve just turned the bowl upside down onto a tray and I’m hoping for the best. It was looking quite flat lol
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I think I need a bigger dutch oven.
They looked well apart when I put them in but the slightest touch when they rise and they seem to stick to each other as if by magic.
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Booby bread 