Here are links to blog posts that concern themselves with techniques that might be of interest to you…
Demystifying Baker’s Percentages
This is a brief post to help those of you who are starting out on your bread-baking journeys and have been reading about the mysteries of the ‘Baker’s Percentages’ or ‘Hydration levels’.
Hopefully, I’m going to de-mystify the terms for you and also show you how working with simple percentages can be adapted for yeasted and sourdough breads as well as other baking products. Click to read more….
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What’s in my storecupboard and fridge – and why?
I’m often asked about ingredients. It’s not what I’ve got as much as why have I got it?
So, I thought I’d run down what’s in my cupboard and why?
But first….what’s not in my cupboard? Flour? Why not…because that’s in a different part of my room. It’s not a bakery…it’s the utility room…but it’s my space and I jokingly call it ‘the bakery’. Click to read more….
What’s Autolysing all about…..
Autolysing’ sounds complicated and scientific. It’s the word given to a technique that is easily introduced into your bread making regime that will give you a dough that is easier to work and easier to shape. It will give you a loaf that will rise better, have more flavour and a better texture.
It’s worth a read and worth a try. Once you’re hooked, you’ll see how easy it is to improve what you do.
Let’s break this own into three stages…….Click here to read more
A banneton is a proving basket made of a natural material, either cane or wicker. The word derives from the Latin benna meaning a ‘wicker carriage’. Banne appears in Norman and Lyonnais French with the same meaning. It’s banna in old Norse and brotform in German. There are some basic ‘rules’ when using bannetons: Click here to read more…..
Quality ingredients are all-important and the key to good flavour and good texture.
Water
I’m lucky, I live in Wales where the water is soft. Click to read more……
Guide to Hydration Levels in Bread
If you read bread recipes, you’ll often see a reference to the ‘Hydration level’ of the bread. This can be confusing and you totter on the edge where baking and science meet.
Please don’t be put off. It’s really easy to understand and will give you a good indication as to what the results of all your efforts are likely to be. Click to read more….
Mixing and Kneading? By hand, by stand mixer or by machine?
Whenever I work through a recipe, I’m always conscious of the fact that there will be those of you who work by hand, those who employ the services of a bread machine and those of you who turn to your trusty stand mixer. Click to read more…..
Some suggested books (October 2020)
There are a number of specialist bread baking books on the market and quite a few available solely for Kindle via Amazon.
However, currently, these are my top six. Click to read more…
Here’s a quick post about stamping Bread Rolls.
I use a Paul Hollywood Kaiser stamp (see above) and it works really well. Click to read more….
have a constant emotional conflict – aesthetics or practicalities? The bookshop shelves, whether they’re at the physical Waterstones or in the virtual world of Amazon, are full of bread and baking books that advocate the manual mixing, kneading and formatting of dough into bread. Click to read more
How to kit yourself out as cheaply as possible.
A friend sent me a link this week to a company offering a ‘Baker’s Starting Kit’ at the eye-watering price of nearly £60.
It was a thing of beauty. Packaging to die for! Lots of lovely little things to take out and admire at the start of someone’s Bread Journey. Click to read more
BreadClub20 