Bread - What are you baking today…..
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100% agree. Paula bought me Forkish a long long time ago. I was completely and utterly daunted and it sat on the shelf for years. Come the lockdowns and my determination to learn shit rather than sit around moping, I pulled the book down and concentrated. It seriously gives you such an amazing base of knowledge and understanding, that it is the perfect platform to move on from. I think the understanding bit is the key, I really understand what is going on at each stage, and that is what allows me to experiment (reasonably) successfully.
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Looks great! I've been intrigued by making bread. Particularly love sourdough bread.
Only thing holding me back is taking on (yet another) time consuming hobby.
I'm sure I'll get to it at some point.And my god, this is a hunger inducing thread.
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@JunkPants thank you! It’s a fascinating hobby. Some folks get really emotionally involved in a negative way, freaking out if they don’t get results, but I just find the whole process very therapeutic.
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So @neph93 that charming razor and attachment is for bread making? Only?
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TRIGGER WARNING: REFERENCES TO SUICIDE.
@steelworker in principle yes. About 10 months ago I would have considered using it for other purposes. -
@neph93 holy shit, your bread looks soo good
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@JunkPants said in Bread - What are you baking today…..:
Looks great! I've been intrigued by making bread. Particularly love sourdough bread.
Only thing holding me back is taking on (yet another) time consuming hobby.
I'm sure I'll get to it at some point.And my god, this is a hunger inducing thread.
I'm going to add my 2 cents worth here, and it is likely to be add odds with others, but a) I don't give a shit b) It is significantly less involved than keeping a sourdough starter as a pet (I've done it, and it was fun for a while, but my lifestyle makes it very complicated to keep one going) and c) I think that a good Poolish will fool most people into thinking that they are eating sourdough (if indeed that has any import at all).
Get Forkish, read it and do some experimentation, then major on Poolish, it's easy and does not require daily involvement and tastes great.
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@neph93 I was thinking splashy murder
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@steelworker I know... I'm more of a blunt instrument guy on that end of things.
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@Giles said in Bread - What are you baking today…..:
@JunkPants said in Bread - What are you baking today…..:
Looks great! I've been intrigued by making bread. Particularly love sourdough bread.
Only thing holding me back is taking on (yet another) time consuming hobby.
I'm sure I'll get to it at some point.And my god, this is a hunger inducing thread.
I'm going to add my 2 cents worth here, and it is likely to be add odds with others, but a) I don't give a shit b) It is significantly less involved than keeping a sourdough starter as a pet (I've done it, and it was fun for a while, but my lifestyle makes it very complicated to keep one going) and c) I think that a good Poolish will fool most people into thinking that they are eating sourdough (if indeed that has any import at all).
Get Forkish, read it and do some experimentation, then major on Poolish, it's easy and does not require daily involvement and tastes great.
I'd agree with G that Poolish and Biga can be as rewarding and as tasty as sourdough. And in my experience most people do not know the difference (although I can taste it from a mile off). I'm a massive fan of Forkish overnight white, which is a technique over method bread that is excellent for perfecting your moves.
That being said I like the dirty, fungal messiness of sourdough.. and enjoy dicking around by making new starters with different bases. My life style, (Bukowski with better clothes at the moment), does allow for it.
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A friend got really into it years back, and to a certain extent his life did seem to revolve around the sourdough for a while there. It was a positive thing from what I could tell though. Certainly made some amazing bread at the time. Haven't seen the guy for ages, but can't imagine he's kept that up.
Maybe Forkish, and poolish, would be a good place to start.
I've always felt that there's something particular to sourdough, that other methods can't quite provide, but maybe I'm wrong, and just not experienced enough. More than possible.
This also reminded me of that bit in Kitchen Confidential where the (drunk) baker calls in to Anthony Bourdain telling him to "feed the bitch".
(Must be 20 years since I read that book...!) -
@JunkPants Sourdough has unique qualities other breads don't have for sure. Longevity, and a unique taste. If you really get into it a unique opportunity to manipulate that taste. Put succinctly, the question is, is it worth the effort? For some who look for "the perfect loaf" then it may be, for those who really get a mania for it then ok. But for someone who enjoys baking, thinks it is fun, and wants good quality bread on the daily, there are methods both less intensive, and more stable/predictable.
For example, I got into a routine a few years ago where my life and bread making aligned and I was able to do a double sourdough bake twice a week (eight loaves). Maintaining a starter was simple, there was enough bread for my whole family, and I could give one or two away. And most importantly I enjoyed it, and it fit into my life.
At other times, when things were busy, I did one Poolish bake and one sourdough a week. Sometimes though life gets busy and an overnight dough, or a poolish is good enough. I have some time on my hands right now so I am mucking about with a starter, pan de cristal and other stuff, but when that changes the starter will be buried at the back of my fridge for 6 months, and a pre-ferment like Poolish will be my luxury bake, and certainly good enough.
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@Giles said in Bread - What are you baking today…..:
(Strongly advised not to leave the country for 3 months)
I'm sorry but you can't just drop intel like this and not have a curious Belgian wondering........
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@Seul said in Bread - What are you baking today…..:
I'm sorry but you can't just drop intel like this and not have a curious Belgian wondering........
