Following on from my previous breadmaking efforts, today saw me with the luxury of a day at home with DH to keep an eye on the Monkey, the perfect opportunity for my first attempt at the full Tassajara yeasted bread recipe. It's time and labour intensive but oh my! We've just had the first taste of a warm loaf with butter and organic jam and it is absolutely delicious. Much, much lighter than the bread I made with the Hovis recipe and the fast-acting yeast. I won't go into all of the details, but here's a few photos of the process. With this method you make a 'sponge' first by stirring some of the flour into the warm water, sweetening (I used molasses) and powdered milk. That mixture is left to rise:
You then fold in the salt, oil and the rest of the flour, turn it onto a floured board and begin to knead. Into the airing cupboard again...
It was amazing kneading this bread, it felt like a living creature!
For this recipe I used Doves Barn organic flour (about half and half wholemeal and white). Voila! Two loaves (1 x 1lb tin and 1 x 2lb tin) and six Monkey-sized poppy-seeded rolls.
2 comments:
Lovely-looking loaf. :)
Generally I find that using milk in any bread makes for a softer loaf; I just sling about two pounds of flour into a large bowl, whack in a mix of warm water and milk together with a slug of olive oil and a sprinkle of yeast (normally that Dove's Farm one in the natty orange packet), and bingo! I also quite like adding wheatgerm, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseeds or crushed hemp, and mixed dried herbs make for gorgeous cheese on toast. (Can't wait until the witchling is having dairy things too... Lunches would be a bit easier!)
that bread looks astounding! I'm drooling.
I am definitely going to get hold of that book.
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