PatrickT

Totally agree with you. I've baked several breads now that I won't bake again - because I just didn't like them. Enjoyment is the whole reason behind this wonderful hobby. That said, I do enjoy trying all sorts of new recipes and methods in the hopes of finding more new favorites. Would love to hear more about your sourdough journey - and your recipe for the loaf above, if you're willing to share. And by the way, isn't that a new avatar image for you? Love it! Orchid, yes?

Looks lovely to me! 😃

Gorgeous bake @Tropicalsenior! 😍

Thank you very kindly, @Ann_T! Toppings really do make a big difference in the appearance and flavor of breads. Your baking story is both wonderful and inspiring. Thanks for sharing it - and your results! Gorgeous, as always. 😃

🤣 Very kind offer - thank you! That is one great aspect of this little hobby, isn’t it? The missteps invariably taste as good as the standouts! 😋

Aesthetically, this loaf was not my finest hour. 😂 That said, it is positively delicious and I learned something I will definitely add to other loaves I bake. This is Country Italian sourdough from Maurizio Leo’s The Perfect Loaf cookbook (a recent James Beard Award winner). It utilizes an overnight stiff starter as the leavening agent, includes durum flour in the mix, and adds a wheat bran topping on the loaf before it’s placed in the banneton for the final proof. No overnight cold retard needed for this loaf - it is meant to be baked same day. The crust, thanks to the added bran, is delightfully crunchy. The crumb is moist, tender and positively delicious. That bran topping is a bit of a game changer for me. So simple and a great way to add a different finish to the crust that I hope to use with many other loaves in the future. A friend who saw this bake after returning from a trip to Italy remarked that it looked exactly like the bread they ate everywhere while there. Give this one a try - you’ll thank yourself for doing so! 😃

Thank you, Ann! Your batards are gorgeous - love the oven spring you always get with them.

Results from ChainBaker’s No Knead Brioche recipe. Overall, I’m very pleased. Flavor and crust are excellent. Crumb is soft but not as pillowy as I would like. Next time, I would try using regular bread flour, instead of the Central Milling Old World Bread Flour that I used here. From a process point of view, this recipe could not have been easier. Highly recommended - especially for first time brioche bakers like me. 😃

So glad you shared this. I first learned about this from FoodGeek on YouTube. I asked him how he always got such perfectly uniform slices in his pictures. You guessed it - he uses a meat slicer! Now all I need is to buy one. 😂

I have always wanted to try making brioche but have been intimidated by all of the steps and all of the mixing. After buying my Ankarsrum mixer, I had resolved that I was eventually going to give it a try. I haven't done so yet and wouldn't you know, earlier this month, Chainbaker posted a recipe and video for making a full-fledged brioche loaf with NO preferments, NO mixing and NO kneading! 😂 It looks ridiculously easy and the crumb is as pillowy soft as any I've seen. I obviously can't speak to the flavor of it - but I imagine it's delicious. I'm going to give it a whirl this week and will post pictures and my thoughts here when I do.

Perhaps @Ann_T can confirm that it's the same, but I found one here on the web you could use.

Thank you @Ann_T. I am very happy with the crumb on that loaf and I have no idea how I did it. 😂 Your crumb on that pizza crust is exactly what I would hope to see if I went out to an Italian restaurant. Lovely!

Thank you - and you would not regret it! He’s included not only an amazing collection of recipes, but a wealth of sourdough knowledge and techniques, as well - all gorgeously illustrated. Highly recommend. If you find that you like the cookbook, become a member of his website, as well. He has a very active Discord channel that’s open to anyone who becomes a member. People share their bakes there, ask questions of Maurizio and each other, and there is a special section just for sharing cookbook questions. He sends out a weekly email as well, with more recipes and tips. Really awesome - and he is just the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. 😃 His website is here. Let me know if you have any questions about it. https://www.theperfectloaf.com

Yesterday's bake - Lemon and Herb Sourdough from Maurizio Leo's The Perfect Loaf cookbook. This recipe calls for Herbes de Provence and lemon zest and is made with a bread and rye flour levain. I added 10% honey to the dough and am very pleased with the result. It's definitely one of the most unusual breads I've ever eaten. The herbs are incredibly fragrant and flavorful - almost "woodsy." I grated my lemon zest coarsely and increased the amount to 2% of the total flour weight - perfect for me (but then, I love lemon). The honey added a nice compliment to the brightness of the lemon and the tang of the sourdough. This one is going on my regular baking rotation for sure.

If this is your “regular Sunday bread bake,”you need to start sending out some invites! 🤣 AWESOME! 😍 Cheers - and thanks for the inspiration.

Great recipe - I'll have to give that one a whirl, too. Thanks for sharing. 😃 I basically used this recipe as the base for mine and added 9% maple syrup to it, which was inspired by this recipe. I had a bag of Hayden Mills Heritage Blend Flour, which I used for mine. Really delicious!

Thank you @MaryIsobel! Totally agree with you - I’m a huge fan of these oat porridge recipes. This one is a mash-up of two I found online. Very pleased with the result. 😃

This morning’s bake. Steel cut oat porridge sourdough with maple syrup. It has a thin, crispy crust, tender crumb, and a nutty flavor with just a hint of sweetness. Would definitely make this again.

Those look simply splendid!

Really gorgeous baguettes, as always @Ann_T Regarding lames, Tom Cucuzza made a great video a while back showing how to make one for less than $3 USD. I made one of them for myself and have never looked back - works perfectly for me. Easy to make, easy to clean and easy to change blades whenever they dull!

Thank you @Ann_T! 😃

This is the third time I’ve made this Guinness sourdough with quark cheese, thyme and caraway. It’s still one of my all-time favorites - really delicious. I made this loaf as a gift for a friend who visited yesterday (so alas, no crumb shots). Tomorrow, I’m going to try making a steel cut oat porridge sourdough with maple syrup. Will post those pics later this week. Happy baking, all!

Thank you very much @Ann_T! Are you still using 1 gram of yeast and 63% hydration for these loaves you're baking? They are all gorgeous.

Yesterday's bake - Black Sesame Marble Milk Bread. My marbling technique obviously leaves something to be desired. 🙃 The tangzhong technique gives the crumb an enviable "pillowy, pull-apart" quality, while the black sesame seeds yield an incredible nuttiness. I had two slices of this bread this morning with not a single thing on them - not even butter - and I savored every last crumb. Wow! Give this one a try - you won't regret it. I also feel this recipe would make a terrific base for a cinnamon raisin bread and will definitely try that iteration at some future point. The first picture below is the tangzhong, followed by the two doughs after the first proof, the braided dough, and the final bake and crumb.

Thanks @Ann_T - it was wonderful. Your baguettes are absolute perfection! Today's bake. This is a Spelt Porridge Sourdough, made using Tom Cucuzza's Two-Stage Bulk Fermentation method. Very interesting process that I will definitely try again. I'm always looking for higher shoulders with my loaves (and that ever-elusive open crumb I can't seem to find), but I'm otherwise very pleased with the color and aesthetics of this loaf. I have high hopes for the flavor, as it's similar to the Rye Porridge loaf I baked a while back. I'll post a crumb shot later today or tomorrow. EDIT: Crumb shots added. Flavor is really delicious - very nutty with a soft, moist crumb.