Daily bread

[shewhomust]

I continue to bake my sourdough loaf if not daily then never less than weekly, and sometimes more. I haven't posted much about it lately because there doesn't seem much to say - it's a routine, it doesn't demand much effort and the results are pretty reliable. Good toast and good coffee for breakfast, it's worth the effort. "Good," of course, means "the way I like them," but that's the point of the exercise.

I have been meaning, though, to record that my default loaf is currently quite a plain mix, containing a proportion of buckwheat flour, which gives it a slightly nutty flavour and a satisfying crunch. Yotam Ottolenghi remarked in The Guardian that buckwheat and walnut is a classic combination; he was talking about grains for salad, but since walnut bread is another favourite, I gave it a try. It didn't work. It wasn't horrible, but the two distinctive flavours cancelled each other out.

Despite which, I am writing this now to record that I may, finally, have cracked the saffron loaf. After two not-entirely-successful attempts I was nervous, but I followed the quantities I had noted in September, which made a very dry, rather sluggish dough. When I couldn't delay any longer, I put it on the lower shelf of the oven at mark 4 for 20 minutes (until the cottage pie on the top shelf was ready) and then moved it up a shelf and a gas mark. After 50 minutes it was smelling wonderful, and I decided it was done. This really does seem to have worked: good, if not spectacular rise, great saffron flavour. I had added a handful of citron peel and pistachio nuts: I thought I had been overgenerous with these when I was trying to knead them into the load, but they are well dispersed in the baked loaf - and if anything have risen towards the top of the loaf (the opposite of what fruit does in cakes).

I'm hoping there will be time for a batch of spice buns before we set off on holiday...

Comments

[sovay]

good, if not spectacular rise, great saffron flavour. I had added a handful of citron peel and pistachio nuts

Thanks. Now I'm hungry.

[shewhomust]

After all your restaurant reports, it's the least I can do!

[athenais]

Gosh, I wish I baked my own bread weekly. Maybe I could do something about that. The saffron loaf sounds really yummy.

[shewhomust]

The sourdough imposes a certain routine, which works for me - and it really isn't a great imposition. Give it a try! And you could do a proper San Francisco sourdough -

- might be worth talking to Chaz about it, but don't let him frighten you: we don't all aspire to his standards!

[lamentables]

What happens with the sourdough when you go away?

[shewhomust]

I freeze it; and then use what comes out of the freezer to restart it. It's very good-tempered stuff to work with...

[lamentables]

Ive been meaning to experiment for years, but life does get in the way... I even bought a book on gluten-free sourdough. (I even read a book on gf sourdough!)
Maybe this will be the year.

[shewhomust]

Maybe this will be the year.

Do you make your own bread anyway? Anyway, yes, worth a try - ideal for people who work from home, since it likes intermittent attention therough the day.

[lamentables]

I make loaves in a bread machine, though no so much recently because I was getting fed up with how quickly it spoils. And I make soda bread cobs (rolls, whatever your local name is) which are much handier for freezing/defrosting as needed.
I bought a sliced gf loaf last month - first time in about a dozen years - because I apparently needed to remind myself how disappointing it is. This probably means it is time for a bread renaissance.

[cmcmck]

We were at Shrewsbury farmers' market last week and the sourdough bread stall was doing huge trade.

[shewhomust]

The Bread Lady from whom I used to buy bread at the Farmers' Market has retired, and moved to the Western Isles; there is a new baker (based, I think, at one of the local NT properties) but their bread is a bit dull.

[klwilliams]

While I have no idea what any of this means, we've been watching the third season of The Great British Baking Show, so I do appreciate the artistry and work involved.

[shewhomust]

Much of this falls under 'memo to self' and only makes sense with reference to my own process. But if you want to appreciate the artistry of sourdough, no doubt your husband can help!