yozzause's blog

With a forecast temperature of 42 degrees CENTIGRADE  for the following day you would have to be mad to even thinking of lighting the oven, BUT that's what i did, my sourdough starter was looking pretty vigourus so i decided to put it to use. This bread EVOLVED,  i decided to use 500g white flour and 200g of my starter i then thought i would add my home brew lager beer, unfortunately i opened my dark stout by mistake. Not normally a problem to drink but it was warm and aussies do like their beer cold.especially in hot weather so rather than waste it and open a lager i decided to add it to the dough. I then thought it would be a good idea to add some course rye that i had.

so what went in

500g white flour    

200g s/d starter

100g course rye

14g salt 30g olive oil

412ml dark stout

dough was mixed and given a bulk ferment for 3 and a half hours then given a stretch and fold it was about half proofed at that time. Much later that night i devided the dough into 2 pieces and shaped 1 piece went into the fridge and was retarded the other was formed and allowed to rise (slowly).

At 5.00am i got up and popped the oven on  and 30 minutes later it went into the oven  the other dough was pulled from the fridge and was going to be baked at work later.

The end result was acceptable i thought there might have been a more noticable difference between the two, there was a difference in the taste and the consensus was the retarded one was slightly better tasting.  

  so we had a dough that was 12 hours from start to finish and the other half was a further 5 or more hours

 THE

TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE HAS NOW REACHED 42 AS THEY FORECAST, COOLER FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS 36,36 & 35

kind and warm regards especially those that are in the snow YOZZA

Whilst dividing my sour dough culture the other evening a sudden urge to take advantage of the cooler weather (36 deg it has been over 40) and bake came over me. I decided to make a small dough and was thinking of making some bread sticks so added a goodly amount of olive oil to the mix.

Any way as the stretch and folds were done and the time wore on i decided to change to a loaf instead so the dough was shaped and later put into the fridge as i went to bed.

I awoke at 3am so took the dough from the fridge to allow time to warm up before baking b4 work, 6.30 into the oven and then just enough time to cool.  pictures taken at work and available for morning tea.

the small loaf did not go that far but it was enjoyed by us all. i currently have a sour dough rye that i bought to work and will bake either tonigh when i get home or will refrigerate for tomorrow morning  to take along to a bbq with friends we haven't seen for years

yozza

Recently there have been some postings about wine bread with some interesting colours coming from the inclusion of red wine. And who could forget Shiao-Pings Praline Almond bread. 

Well i decided to have a go with the inclusion of Beetroot on 2 counts first it makes an excellent  BEETROOT & CHOCOLATE pudding which is a lovely and moist. The 2nd being the vivid colour.

The duty chef was keen to give the idea a run so we produced dinner rolls for the evening restaurant crowd

The dinner rolls are pictured above and show a vivid outside colour but the inside was an orange tint which interested me some what.

I decided to make a Beetroot sour dough, i have been maintaining a sour dough culture here at the college for over 6 months now so it was a good reason to try it at home as i had beetroots left over.

The total flour was 500g, 400 being white and 100 wholemeal (ran out of white)

over night ferment featured 250g of the flour  100g of grated beetroot and and all the water 250ml and 50g of the sour dough starter , i kept this low as i wanted it to take the night to ferment.

I started it at 5.00pm see the pretty mix in the bowl, 12 hours later 5.00am i made up my dough adding the other 250g flour and 10g salt and 50g of oil and made a dough on the bench by hand.

The dough came to work and bulk fermented till about 9.30am  when i added 100g of pistacchios and divided and handed up into 2 boules .

1 of my colleagues took a pic with his mobile phone (hence poor quality) but what a lovelly colour!

After a further 3 hours i turned the boules  out onto a sheet and baked in the deck oven. The crust colour had changed somewhat  and lo an behold when i cut into the loaf, some one had pinched the colour or changed it just like a CHAMELEON.

My taste team all had some with only one person describing the sour as too much for their liking but i already knew that would be their viewpoint. but for me superb taste.

I would have like to have tried some as toast but alas with a large taste team it didn't see the next day. i wll be trying a larger batch soon. 

Recent visit by Harmony primary  school to the  technical college where I work . Children involved  in a program FROM THE GARDEN TO THE TABLE, Garden produce was bought in and menu's  compiled by the school children were tweaked and produced for lunch for parents invited guests including the mayor and food critic from the local paper in our commercial kitchen with the help of our students and chefs.

A hearty garden soup, vietnamese spring rolls, salmon and salad.and a mini trio of sweets, (all very tasty) 

I was able to assist in the bakery where the bread rolls were made for the luncheon and we had a go at making the little pink piggies which was a sweet dough.

Primary students showed some very good hand skills and took to the task like ducks to water.

a great time was had by all 

Hi everyone this is my first ever blog and introductory blog to the fresh loaf
I am 58 years old
I did my apprnticeship as a baker at Noonans Bakery in South Perth Western Australia, worked for 10 years in the trade but got out due the pressures of anti social hours and a young family as well as big bakeries taking over the trade closing down the local bakery.

Worked for 21 years as a government bus driver but got out when the labour side was hived of to private enterprise, stayed as a government employee working for Tafe, currently a supply officer, buying all the colleges requirements.
At tafe we have a hospitality section and the students have a small bakery attached to the main kitchen, from time to time i have been able to assist some of the chef lecturers with my bread skills.
I was able to get our building trades lecturers to have their student build a wood fired oven in the training restaurants forecourt.
The project had all the element that were required for the building apprentices seting out the foundations raising walls, pouring a reinforced concrete raft laying fire bricks , constructing arches, chimney, pouring insulating material, constructing roofing etc.
we now have a wood fired oven that will cook pizza and holds around 18 500g loaves (5kg flour mix) it's marvelous everything i could have hoped for, lights easy bakes to perfection.
I really want one at home and it is on my list of to do things. i have always maintained an interest in bread baking and find it quite therapeutic.
I am really enjoying the fresh loaf since i founs it and will post some pics soon. YOZZA