Bread - What are you baking today…..

[neph93]

First Biga bake for a couple of months!

Not hugely happy but it tasted goooooood.

[Giles]

I'll play.  80% Biga.  80% "00" and 20% semolina….

[neph93]

I've noticed how a lot of my bakes have the bigger bubble at the bottom and the sides but yours and @Chap's have them throughout the loaf. I think this is a result of you guys using baking stones and dutch ovens. The immediate and intense heat forces the gasses upwards while one go on a cold baking tray. The baking steel will solve that but I haven't got around to seasoning it.

[neph93]

Home office today which means a cheeky Thursday Biga bake in between the hits.

Pre-shaping in a little welcome arctic sunlight:

[neph93]

I need to change my bread making game. I’m not unhappy but it means I only have the same thing to post every Sunday [emoji1]

Forkish warm spot white levain. Again.

[Giles]

Boom.  I don't have a warm-spot - wish I did….

[neph93]

@Giles:

Boom.  I don't have a warm-spot - wish I did….

I’m sure you have… airing cupboard for example? There must be a closet in one of the bathrooms with underfloor heating.

In my case we have a cupboard as a part of the same unit that houses our integrated fridge. All the warmth generated ends up there so the temp is a steady 29C.

[Giles]

I promise you, we don't.  We have lots of great cupboards and areas that remain super cool all year (possibly more useful), but nothing that remains super warm. Even the boiler room is so large and open, it does not remain very hot, and modern boilers are so bleeding efficient, ours only seems to warm up what it's meant to….

[neph93]

@Giles:

I promise you, we don't.  We have lots of great cupboards and areas that remain super cool all year (possibly more useful)…

I have realised there is a massive difference in the design, construction and purpose of British and Norwegian houses, so while a warm cupboard here or there in a British house wasn’t unusual, a cold pantry/larder was (is) more useful. I’m campaigning to retain a small corner of our cellar as a cold pantry at the moment. Hot Ingrid doesn’t understand and is having none of it, but as I keep saying, it isn’t her that makes the damn food.

[Chap]

@Giles:

Boom.  I don't have a warm-spot - wish I did….

Maybe your oven has a fermenting setting?

[Giles]

It has a proofing setting, well 2 actually, but does not tell me what the temperatures are.  But that's just made me realise, all I need to do is stick a thermometer in there to find out - Doh…..

[Giles]

80% Biga with 100% "00"

[neph93]

That crust is a thing of beauty. Thick and clearly delineated.

[Giles]

The law of really really unintended circumstances…...

I left it in the oven with the door shut (but the oven turned off) after it had cooked.  After about 2 hours whilst I was watching TV I suddenly thought wtf did I do with the bread, could not even find it to start with

[dave28]

We make Potato Bread. Sounds odd but its very nice in my opinion.
Good with home made roasted carrot or pasta + tomato soup.

[neph93]

It is Valentine’s Day, Norwegian Mother’s Day and Fastelavn (Scandinavian Shrove Tuesdays, on a Sunday).

In an effort to combine all traditions I took Hot Ingrid out for dinner last night and I am made traditional Semlor today, but we had them for breakfast instead of tea.

Started by making a standard sweet bun dough:

Then hollowed them out, a mixed what was removed with boiling milk and marzipan to
make this mix:

I then filled the hollowed out bun with the mixture:

Then added whipped cream, the “lid”, and some icing sugar:

[Giles]

They look amazing, but why does hottie have her head in her hands?

[neph93]

I informed her of their calorific value after she had already eaten two of them [emoji23]

[Giles]

Yeah, being Norwegian, she'd have had no idea…..

[Giles]

My idea of a lo-cal breakfast (no sausages, fried potatoes, beans, or black pudding)…...