My inglorious batard!

My friend MC is probably the luckiest baker, investigating and expanding not only her own baking skill, but other baker's knowledge and sharing it with her many followers of her blog. Recently she has been visiting a certified baker in Vermont, Gérard Rubaud, who is sharing his method of building a levain to make his celebrated Rustic breads. So where do I come into this picture?

The haphazard obsessive home baker, my moniker Mr. Lazy Baker takes over. You could call it a Jekyll and Hyde bread personality - he means well but is too damned lazy! As in this moment, the main problem being I don't have all of the tools or all of the ingredients to make or follow some great lessons shared by a remarkable lady and wonderful baker, Ms. MC.. But what is this  lazy bugger baker like me supposed to do?

Well I built a levain at about the same hydration, minus the builds with fresh grains and the 24 hour window,etc.. I took no notes and just finished the dough according to MC's instruction and list of ingredients, staying true to that. Basically I bulls*%ted my way into making a bastardized version of what is most likely a wonderful work of artisan baking. I admit, it doesn't make me proud. But in-spite of this, the dough looks responsive and it feels nice. Maybe I feel a little proud. Honestly, I kind of feel like one of those knock off guys making a Chanel bag, that looks better then the original. Is that proud or foolish?

Proof will be in the pudding, as MC said. Well, something went awry and its seems like I may have let the cat out of the bag too soon!

This is what you would call a blow out, or that loaf has a big grin - not grigne - on it.

When and if I can get my paws on the ingredients and equipment, as MC so plainly shows in her own wonderful post, I might give the original formula a try with some real effort. But in the  mean time I may try this Lazy Baker method a second chance with some adjustments, perhaps a thermometer, a note pad and pencil.

 

Comments

[Jeremy]

Well thank you MC and of course Gérard, I don't know what he would make of my version but...it's damned tasty! Now I am following the feeding albeit without freshly ground grains, this thing is a monster!

Stay tuned...

[MC]

Jeremy, you are a riot! The smile on my face matches your batard's grin... and thanks for your kind words. I'll pass them on to Gérard.

[Jeremy]

Thanks Petra and welcome to my blog!
The taste is really fantastic, going to give it another try!

[Petra aka Cascabel]

I like your bread - the crumb looks phantastic!

[Jeremy]

So true Capitan Batard, with old bread you can make soup or salad! Or if frugal you can recycle it into your next loaf, old bread soaker! And this one loaf was great for brekkie with cheese and butter, great sweet taste of the various flours!

[Captain Batard]

LOL...It looks like it almost made it...
the crumb looks really nice!
I am reading a book about bakers of Paris and Max Poilane is one...when asked what was his most memorable bread ..."the best bread i ever had was a bread that didn't work..it was completely flat,it fermented to long,and it was full of holes and looked like Gruyere...Unlike pastisserie,bread is forgiving. You can make mistakes and still end up with a bread that tastes great"
something to chew on...