Ann_T

@PatrickT, Took photos last night and this morning of the first batch out of the fridge and did a blog post. You can find it here - Pictorial - Cold Fermentation Today's bake.

Thanks @JoNorvelleWalker. I can too, but considering it was a work night, I decided the Bearnaise was the one thing I could cheat on and get away with. Can't remember the last time I used that cheat but actually, anything with half a cup of butter isn't half bad.

Thanks Dejah. That Bearnaise sauce was the easy part. LOL!!

Birthday Dinner. Chateaubriand for Two. Started dinner as soon as I got in from work, just after 5:30. Cut the corn off the cobs and got individual corn puddings into the oven. Prepared the vegetables and got the potatoes for the Duchess potatoes on cooking. Mashed the potatoes with cream, butter and a couple of egg yolks and piped onto parchment, ready for the oven. The beef tenderloin, centre cut was seasoned with salt and lots of pepper. Seared in olive oil. Added a whole garlic bulb cut in half and placed cut side down in the pan along with a bunch of fresh thyme and a sprig of rosemary. Topped the garlic with the herbs and placed the seared beef on top. Added butter to the pan and as it melted, basted the beef with the butter. Pan went into a hot oven for 8 minutes, along with the potatoes. While the beef rested , the vegetables, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus and zucchini were steamed. And I cheated and used a package of instant Béarnaise Sauce.

Will the pics over the next couple of days.

I started three more batches this morning at 600 g of flour each all at 63% with 1g of yeast and 15g of salt. After the last stretch and folds they are now in the fridge and will get used over the next four days.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to make for dinner yesterday so before leaving for work, I offered Moe a couple of options, one being steak. He chose the steak and requested green peppercorn steak. So that is what we had. I carved out the russet potatoes using a melon baller and made Parisienne potatoes, along with steamed green beans and cauliflower. One of our favourite meals. Friday night's dinner. Roast Chicken.

Same process I use.

@PatrickT, I tend to use more salt that what most recipes suggest. I like 13 to 15g in 500g of flour and up to 30g when I make a 1000g batch. Most recipes call for around 21g in 1000g of flour. I sliced that 82hr fermentation loaf this morning. Wonderful crumb, holey with lots of shine. Made the best toast for breakfast.

@BonVivant, what a beautiful feast. I can't believe that is your first time making it at home. Amazing!!!! I need to check out that cookbook. Last night's intended dessert, postponed until today. Originally I had planned to serve the fruit over a lemon or grapefruit sorbet topped with a little Prosecco. Went to four different grocery stores and none had sorbet. So then I thought I would do something I have done in the past and make a fruit plate served with sweetened whipped cream folded into creme fraiche. And again, the stores that I can usually find creme fraiche didn't have any either. Anyway, didn't matter because neither of us had room for dessert last night. So I remembered this morning that I still had some clotted cream left. So......I whipped up some heavy cream, sweetened with powdered sugar and a little of vanilla and folded it into the clotted cream and made Moe a fruit plate for lunch.

@PatrickT, one last loaf out of the last dough from Monday night. Matt took the last batch out of the fridge at 7:00 AM this morning and it sat on the counter all day until 3:30 PM. He divided it in half. Half for his pizza and enough left for a larger Baton. I let it rest for a while before the final shaping and it just came out of the oven just before 6:00 PM . So this dough had about 82 hours in the fridge. Handled beautifully for both the bread and Matt's pizza crust.

Yes. That is what I do. Anywhere from 24hrs up to 96 hrs. Unless I'm baking the same day. Even then, with just 1 g of yeast it takes 6 to 8 hours to rise. I put three batches of dough, 500g of flour each in the fridge on Monday night. One came out of the fridge Wednesday night and was left on the counter until Thursday morning. Another came out last night and was left out until after 4:00 AM this morning and I baked four baguettes. And the third batch, Matt took out of the fridge this morning to make pizza. Should be ready for him to use after 2:00 PM. I will probably get two or three more batches into the fridge tonight so I have them there for when I want to bake again. I'm really happy with doing just 500g batches at a time now, rather than 1000g batches. This was today's bake.

Thanks @kayb @MaryIsobel, welcome to the Island. You picked a wonderful time to be here. Weather has been perfect the last couple of weeks. At least for me, because I love it hot. Only thing I miss about Ontario is a long hot summer.

Bruschetta for breakfast. This was suppose to be the start to last night's dinner. But I knew if I had this I wouldn't be hungry for the main course. So made it this morning for breakfast. Thick slices of my homemade bread fried in olive oil. The tomatoes and basil came from our garden, and the garlic was locally grown here in the Cowichan Valley.

I love this dish. I think I have some of these little ribs in the freezer. Need to make them soon. Moe and I celebrated our 43rd Wedding Anniversary today. Dinner was grilled pork tenderloin medallions with a reduced black pepper cherry sauce. Served with spaetzle, braised red cabbage and zucchini.

Breakfast is served. Cheddar and Chive Omelette with toasted baguette.

I've been freezing homemade bread for years. Nice to be able to pull a loaf/baguette out of the freezer. This was especially good the last couple of weeks when we were having 90 plus temperatures and didn't want to turn on the oven. I never have bread go moldy.

@JoNorvelleWalker, you don't freeze? If I know that the baguettes won't be eaten same day or next, I wrap in a paper towel, and into a ziplock freezer bag and freeze. They defrost quickly. And don't seem to suffer from being frozen. My freezer is empty of baguettes at the moment so I started three more 500g batches of dough last night and they are in the fridge and will get baked over the next two or three days. Baked four baguettes this morning from a 500g batch of dough. The dough was made Saturday morning and went directly in the fridge after the last stretch and fold. Taken out of the fridge last night around 8:00PM and left on the counter until 4:00 AM this morning. I started three more batches last night for the fridge. The 500g batches are great to have on hand. Will make four baguettes, or one or two boules depending on size, or two pizzas. My intentions are to keep three on hand. As I pull one out to use, another one will go into replace. Using just 1g of yeast for 500g of flour and hydration is 63%. This seems to be the perfect ratio for both loaves as well as for pizza dough.

WOW @Steve Irby, beautiful quiches. Last night's dinner off the grill. Grilled Porterhouse Steak. Vegetables done in a grill pan.

I had a craving for chicken stew and dumplings. So that is what I made for dinner last night.

Sliced one of yesterday's baguettes for breakfast today. Toasted and topped with Canadian back bacon and sliced tomatoes. Breakfast for two.

Linda, yes. If a dough isn't going to be baked same day, then it goes right into the fridge immediately after the last stretch and fold. It still rises in the fridge and will continue to rise once it is out of the fridge and after it warms up. Because I have started to use just 1g or yeast in 500g of flour, it takes 7 to 8 hours before it is ready to divide and shape into loaves or use for pizza.

@JoNorvelleWalker, I always love the colour you get on your loaves. Decided to bake cheddar cheese baguettes this morning. Dough had been in the fridge for two days and taken out last night and left on the counter overnight. Baked three cheddar and one regular. Moe had to sample with a "little" butter.

For dinner last night. Escargot in Mushroom caps. Ready for the oven. Baguette for dipping in the garlic butter.

Started 3 batches of dough Thursday night. All at 500g of flour, 1g of yeast, 14g of salt and 315g of water for 63% hydration. Two batches went into the fridge and will get used for baguettes and pizza in the next day or two and one batch I left out on the counter overnight and baked four baguettes yesterday morning. Started another batch Friday morning to replace the one I baked so I'll have three batches on the go. Going to try and keep at least two batches in the fridge at all times so I can bake whenever I feel like it.