What to call sourdough breads, given that they’re not always sour? There is a variety of alternatives. The French levain is popular, but somewhat poncy and effete. (Unless, of course, you happen to be French.) We do have the perfectly good English word leaven, but for some obscure reason, while th...
I’d been longing to try one of those whole-grain soaker recipes for ages, but had to wait for the time to visit the whole foods shop to score some millet seeds; never seen them anywhere else. And then I had to wait another few days for a baking day. And a final delay of a week to post it all here. A...
Like its cousin panettone, pandoro is an involved bread. It requires a carefully-planned schedule, some ingredients and equipment you might not have on hand (but are readily available), and close attention during the final mixing process. That said, I would not discour...
One of my favourite recipes in Bernard Clayton Jr's Complete Book of Breads is Oatmeal Sesame Bread. The crumb is delicious and moist, from the oatmeal, and great for sandwiches. So I decided to convert it to weights and to use a sourdough starter.
I wrote it up over at the other place: Ses...
I was reading Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery in search of the straight dope on Lardy Cake, which I've promised expat friends for a forthcoming English Tea. Having found what I needed, I decided to treat myself to rereading her consummate explanation of the perfect English Cottage Loaf, and how to make it. And there I discovered a lengthy passage, prompted by the recollections of Virginia Woolf's cook Louie Mayer, pointing out both that Woolf herself was a great baker (who knew?) and that she started her bread in a cold oven and baked it under a pot, to create a hot and steamy atmosphere during the first half of the bake.
