DianaM

Mine does, too! Drives me up the wall. I told him if I break a tooth on that 85%, there'll be hell to pay.

Ooops. That's what reading diagonally will do to ya. :-p

I can recommend these financiers, 4 ingredients, dead easy and very tasty (can be made in regular muffin pan as well, just adjust the baking time): http://bakingattiffanys.com/2013/07/22/bouchon-bakerys-traditional-financiers/ I like scones as well, they can be made with a nice cheddar and there you have some savoury stuff for those without a sweet tooth.

I really wanted to like whole wheat, but I have an aversion to it as well. I have tossed out many a bag of w/w flour because it just went rancid, barely used, in the cupboard (and yes, later I started storing whole grain flours in the freezer). Have you done any experiments with spelt or rye? Those might be some options to consider. As for the sour taste in sourdough, my (very limited) understanding is that the sour taste is given not by the wild yeast, but by the lactic acid bacteria living in symbiotic relationship with the yeast. I seem to recall reading on The Fresh Loaf that the sour taste can be reduced by taking a small amount of culture, and gradually building the starter for your bread in 2-3 stages with higher ratios of water and flour, like 1:3:3 (starter: water: flour). I have not tried it myself, my culture is not even two weeks old yet, and I've only made 2 breads with it, both with the leftover starter that I was loath to throw out. My process for the levain breads is a little different than yours. I was using a recipe, and it said: build the starter, mix starter with water and flour for autolyse (about 30min), add salt, then knead by hand in the bowl. Bulk ferment for a few hours with 2 stretch-and-fold's at 50min intervals. Preshape, rest 20min, final shape, then proof either at room temp or retard in the fridge before baking. I have actually been surprised at how spongy (in a good way) these breads were, I expected dense, and I got the opposite. For my future experiments, I'd like to try incorporating seed and grain soakers into the dough, dried fruit and nuts, then maybe try a rye sourdough. Oh, and maybe some enriched doughs made with wild yeast, I want to try that also. Along with about 50 other non-bread things, the list is getting ever longer.

The buns look beautiful, Tyler, the way they merged together actually looks intentional. Like a couronne. On day 7 since starting my culture, I put the leftover starter to use, and made this pain au levain, a nice 750 g (finished weight) boule. My slashing technique leaves a lot to desire, I am using a serrated knife since I don't have a lame (yet). The flavour is very good, not sour, but with a very pleasant, subdued tang on the finish. I think it would have benefitted from an extra half hour of proofing, but I wanted to get to bed before midnight, so maybe next time. First pic, right after it was baked. Sliced this morning.

I'm on day 5 of having created a sourdough starter from flour and water. It has doubled its volume in 6 hours on a 1:1:1 ratio feeding schedule, it looks bubbly, and am hoping to put it to good use in a few days with a pure levain bread.

Thank you for posting this, andiesenji! I have been wondering what to do with the leftover solids after making almond milk. (But I make mine by hand, just squeezing the liquid through a tea strainer, since I usually make little of it.) How long do you dry the solids usually? My oven has a "dehydrate" function, I could try that. But if that doesn't work, what oven temp do you recommend?

Just a genoise baked in a pretty mould.

Cranberry muffins, gluten- and dairy-free. I should have filled the liners more, and I did have some batter left over. But they were pretty tasty anyway.

Those batards look fantastic, beautiful slashes on them! I made cinnamon rolls a while ago, P Reinhart's recipe. I never ice them, I much prefer them this way.

I am intrigued by the steamed bread. Would you please share your recipe and method?

I cannot help with your question, but as soon as I saw the first pic, I wanted to comment on how even and beautiful that golden crumb coating looks. My two pence: you have put a lot of effort in perfecting this cake, wouldn't it be a shame to skimp on this final step?

Thank you, cakewalk! It's 8" by 3".

Ok, I am jealous now. I really want to visit Alleguede's shop soon. As soon as the weather lets up, Son and I will take a day trip to TO - looking forward to that!

I decided to revisit a Reinhart brioche recipe, and I made the variation with the highest butter to flour ratio. It is outstanding! Excellent texture, so tender, and a rich buttery flavor that we could not have enough of.

They all look beautiful, and I bet they taste fantastic. I would have been very happy to receive any of those for V-day.

I am coming late to this thread, but I happened on it while searching for information on the protein content of different flours. I have many questions about the protein percentages in different flours, but for this thread I'll stick with my KA question. The KA all-purpose unbleached is (potentially) very similar to the AP I use (a Canadian brand), and I need to cut mine as well, but I need to clarify something. I am looking at the KA unbleached AP. They say it has 11.7% protein. However, in the nutritional info, it says 4g protein per 30g flour. Unless my math skills are really bad, that is more like 13.3%. Or am I missing something? If protein is 11.7% then it's very different than my AP. If it is 13.3%, then it is the same.

Thank you, Franci, that's exactly what I have. Cakewalk, if you cannot find it, PM me and I'll send it to you.

I add sorghum to the teff and millet usually, and I like the results.

Franci, what yeast are you using? Paula says "dry yeast;" does that mean active dry or instant? Or are you using fresh yeast? Incidentally, I was just looking for a great brioche recipe, thanks for bringing this up. I have Reinhart's from BBA (made the "middle class" brioche before, good but not great), Gisslen's (not tried it yet), and now what got me thinking was Jacquy Pfeiffer's. I want to make the brioche bostock, plus I haven't had it in a while and I dearly miss it.

Kerry, did you ever find a good tamper that you're happy with? Am looking for one, too. I cannot use the tart shell, because I use rings. And cannot use a tumbler because the rings are small, and I don't have a tumbler to fit them, I'd have to buy a set. And then I might as well buy the tamper. Hubster has a SS tamper that he uses when he makes his espresso, but the surface is ever so slightly convex, and it is very heavy. Not sure if I could use this without squishing the dough. Andiesenji's batticarne looks perfectly level.

I am eyeing with envy not only your breads, but also your Staub dutch oven.

Great stuff, thank you, keychris!

Keychris, teonzo or gap, could you please post a pic of these stencils? I have no idea what they are supposed to look like, but would like to start looking for them. TIA.

Besides the suggestions already given above, the only technique I can think of is backing off the moulds using acetate. I am certain I have seen pics or perhaps a video in a thread here, but now I can't find it. It was in a discussion about how to get very smooth and tidy bottoms on your chocolates. I am not sure whether it would solve your cracking problem though, but it might be worth a shot.