Bagel Monday is a way to start each week with a fresh start, and start it right. This last Bagel Monday I worked on a batch that had a few issues, but I learned a lot. Aside from the actual bagels, Bagel Monday is a way for me to get into a good mindset for [...]
Someone recently shipped me a new starter, which got me thinking about my growing collection. I now have 4 different starters, and they vary in feeding schedules and uses. Blarf is my first starter, and a San Francisco native. I am currently keeping him at 125% hydration, using a 4:4:5 feeding once a day. He [...]
To unload your proofed baguettes from their couches, you will need: a peel cornmeal bowl scraper proofed baguettes in couches (canvas) After your loaves have properly proofed, you will want to move them onto your peel. First, sprinkle cornmeal over the peel to prevent any sticking. Separate the first baguette by stretching the pleat, and [...]
I sat down today to try to begin work on the Sour Flour Training Manual, and didn’t really know where to start. I created a Word document, wrote “Sour Flour Training Manual” on it, and then stared at it for a while. I ended up deciding that I would be writing an outline of topics, and started a list: History (of Sour Flour), Philosophy (of Sour Flour), Ingredients, Scoring, Steam, Activity of Starter, Loading the Oven…
What is it that Sour Flour actually does? When I started Sour Flour, the idea was that I was going to learn as much as possible about baking bread, and that would be the business. To make sure a business could be viable, I ran some numbers and came up with the fact that if [...]