Brød

A little side project I have been working on here at the lab is mastering the art of bread baking. 

While I had been baking bread occasionally for staff meal, it was always a crap-shoot; I never knew how the loafs would turn out. About 1 out of every 5 loafs was delicous, most were just mediocre, and there were a few that turned out horrible- dense and as heavy as a pile of bricks.

 A couple of weeks ago I decided that if I really wanted to master bread baking I would need to bake a loaf everyday, so that is what I have done and I must say my breads have improved drastically. 

Here are some photos of my progression:

The dense loaf that did not rise.

eh- these were just okay, they could have been lighter and fluffier.

Great flavor but could have been cooked just a bit longer.

A successful Yeasted Apple Loaf!

Getting there- good flavor but a bit dry.

Much better- great flavor and much better crumb.

After creating many successful loaves using commercial yeast, I decided it was time to move on to mastering sourdough. I cultivated my own starter and began experimenting with different proportions of flour, water, starter and, salt  until I (with a few tips) got it right.

Every so slightly under cooked but still delicious.

After a few attempts, I got the proportions right the timing down, and boom- I started cranking out sourdough rolls daily.

One of the interns who just started at the lab is truly a master bread baker! I mean, he even gives bread classes at Meyers Madhus (Claus Meyers cooking school). Yesterday I got a little bread lesson from him. We mixed together about a 65% hydrated sourdough, allowed it to rest and rise overnight, and then baked it this morning. He gave me some great pointers and now I feel pretty confident in my bread baking!

He also shared his secret Danish rye bread recipe with me. We have 3 loafs resting in the fridge right now, which will be baked tomorrow morning.

Look at the beautiful crumb.

 Mom, Dad, Sam, and friends in Ithaca- get excited from some delicious bread this winter holiday!