STIR THE POTS

Altus

I've fiddled with a technique of adding old bread into new dough, which is known by its German name, Altus. The man who inspired my recent attempts has the great literary name "Pip," the hero of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Pip is from Oz. Check out his amazing breads on The Fresh Loaf. Whether it's his impressive milling grains, use of biodynamic flours, or the array of different flawless breads on the site, he's terrific. Well, like another character from Dickens' novel (Mrs. Havisham) I almost put myself in flames, catching fire while tasting this "grain" loaf of his. Dickens' references aside...make this loaf, as you won't be dissapointed!

Inspirations

Lately I have people asking questions about sourdough, specifically maintaining methods, flours, hydrations etc. But my own experience in baking success or failure is about the starter. It's both sort of simple and sort of complicated. Beyond that, let's say that I'm not great at explaining all the finer points of what the hell gets me through the bake, but I can pass on advice through those who have inspired me.

Take Mick Hartley of Bethesda baking fame, one of my former partners on Dan Lepard's forum. Mick's advice really helped my own baking efforts, and even school wasn't as clear as his way to explain things, especially to a lazy baker like me. Well, Mick just sent me his new book. It's terrific, a great source containing simple methods for budding bakers. Check it out, as it will be your gain!

Susan of Wild Yeast has always made great bread and is a wealth of information on her blog. She's helped me a lot. I even had the opportunity once to co-blog on a challenging bread from another great source, Wolfgang Süpke. Once in a while I will pass out proven formulas, hoping anyone reading this blog, whether professional or novice, can make sense of my spreadsheets and percentages I spew from this screen. Anyway, thinking of Mick and Susan and Wolfgang and Dan today... led me to one thought... Go bake bread!

 

Agustín Oliet (Gusete)

 

Agustín Oliet

I first heard about  Agustín Oliet through his collaboration with Javier Marca and Ibán Yarza. I wanted to know more about this quiet team member of the Spanish bread blog, Madrid Tiene Miga. From what I could tell, he's a home-baker with passion. His moniker is Gusete. Recently I had an opportunity to interview him. He speaks with wisdom and brought real pleasure to be able to find new friends in this exciting baking revival happening in Spain.

 Jeremy: How did you get interested in baking bread? 

 Agustín: Since I was a little boy, I have enjoyed seeing stuff growing in the oven. I use to think that it’s better than a 1950’s sci-fi movie. Discovering bread baking, so simple apparently and however so difficult, it was almost a personal need. 

Jeremy: What does bread mean for you?

Agustín: Peace. Patience. Home.

Jeremy: If you could change your career would you become a baker?

Agustín: For sure!

Jeremy: Is there bread you most prefer to make?

Agustín: The newest discovered recipe is always the one I am dying to try, but I also repeat many breads because of my vanity. I love the applause of my family and friends.

Jeremy:  Thinking of bread, what’s your favorite sandwich?

Agustín:  Two thick slices of rustic white bread rubbed with tomato, olive oil and Iberian ham.

Jeremy: Is there a typical bread you like in your region?

Agustín:  I grew up in Madrid where there is no longer a bread culture. The market is dominated by large companies of mass production of precooked bread. It’s almost impossible to find good bread. However, in the south of Spain (Andalusia) where I have spent most of my holidays there are some good types of breads. The Mollete de Antequera, an Arabic influenced bread, is one of them. Recently I got a very acceptable version, which I published in Madrid Tiene Miga.

Jeremy:   How did you get involved with Madrid tiene miga?

Agustín:  By chance! Some of us met after making a common online order of bannetons and the idea of having a blog came out. That was 3 years ago and we are still together!

Jeremy:  Can you describe the rise of home baking in Spain?

Agustín:  It is curious and beautiful thing. Home bakers in Spain have different ages, different backgrounds and different reasons for baking bread, but the common passion is intense ending up with us together in an spontaneous, osmotic way. In a common bread recipe published by Javier Marca and I in MTM, we talked about how exciting is to put the bread in the oven and many people commented that they also loved this moment. At the end, I think that what is happening is that we simply miss the real bread.

Jeremy: Who influences you in the baking forums, books, bakers?

Agustín: All of them. The work of Dan Lepard, Iban Yarza and Javier Marca is important, as without them I could not call me artisan baker. But many of my knowledge comes from American books (Reinhart, Hamelman, Buehler), or hours and hours reading stuff in The Fresh Loaf, Wild Yeast, Ye olde bread blogger, Au Levain ...

Jeremy: When choosing formulas where do you find your sources of information primarily?

Agustín: Usually I bake in the weekends, and I can remember a recipe that caught my attention on a visit to a blog or a forum during the week, but sometimes the bread dough is just formed in my head, and then I go to ground books to find confirmation for that idea, or to tweak the hydration...

Jeremy: Sourdough or commercial yeast, which do you prefer?

Agustín:  I think it should not be any debate about yeast or sourdough, because we talk about two entirely different things. It seems that the home baker should be a purist, and only use sourdough because yeast is a professional sin, but I think this is near-sightedness. I recently listened to Dan Lepard summarize very well this idea, saying something like, "When I was younger I was so arrogant that I thought that only sourdogh bread was good, and I've learned with age to use sourdough or yeast depending on the bread that I became interested in each time "

Jeremy:  Do you buy bread in bakeries or do you prefer making it yourself?

Agustín:  Sometimes I buy things that are sold in bakeries under the name of bread, but I'm trying to quit ...

Jeremy: Is baking addictive?

Agustín: Just behind sex.

Jeremy: Does your family understand why you bake bread?

Agustín: Yes, in essence. Perhaps not the more intimate reasons, these ones that make baking a need, but nor do I.

Jeremy: …And do they like tasting your bread?

Agustín:  Daily!

THE END

 -----------------------------------------------

Below is a translation of the interview in Spanish.

Agustín Oliet

Me enteré de Agustín Oliet a través de su colaboración con Javier Marca y Yarza Iban ... yo quería saber quién era este miembro del equipo de la tranquilidad de la tríada español por detrás de Madrid TIENE Miga. Él es un panadero en casa con la pasión, el hombre tranquilo detrás del blog, su apodo es Gusete, comprobar hacia fuera, él habla mucho de la sabiduría y se está llenando el círculo de mis nuevos amigos que se encuentran en el renacimiento español para hornear!

Jeremy:¿Cómo te interesaste en hacer pan?

Agustín:Desde que era pequeño me encanta ver cosas creciendo en el horno, es más intrigante que una vieja película de CF de serie B de los años 50. Descubrir el pan, su aparente simplicidad y, sin embargo, su dificultad, era casi una necesidad.

Jeremy ¿Qué significa para usted el pan?

Agustín:Sosiego. Paciencia. Hogar.

Jeremy: Si pudieras cambiar tu carrera te conviertirías en panadero?

Agustín: Indudablemente.

Jeremy: ¿Hay una receta de pan que prefieres hacer?

Agustín: La nueva receta recien descubierta siempre es la que más me apetece, aunque muchos los repito por vanidad (quiero decir, por recibir los aplausos de la familia o los amigos)

Jeremy: ¿Cual es tu bocadillo favorito?

Agustín:Pan de payés con tomate, aceite de olive y jamón ibérico.

Jeremy: ¿Hay algún pan típico de tu región que te guste?

Agustín: He crecido en Madrid, donde la cultura del pan se ha perdido. El mercado está dominado por las grandes empresas de producción masiva de pan precocido, es difícil encontrar buen pan… Sin embargo, en el sur (Andalucía) donde he pasado la mayoría de mis vacaciones, hay algunos buenos panes. El Mollete de Antequera, un pan de clara influencia árabe,  es uno de ellos (hace poco conseguí una versión bastante aceptable, que publiqué en Madrid Tiene Miga).

Jeremy: ¿Cómo te involucraste con Madrid Tiene Miga?

Agustín: De casualidad! De un encargo de bannetons por internet que hicimos entre varios surgió la idea, y ya llevamos casi tres años juntos!

Jeremy: ¿Puedes describir el auge de la panadería casera en España?

Agustín:Es una cosa curiosa y bonita. Los panaderos caseros en España tienen distintas edades, distintos orígenes, distintas razones para hacer pan, pero la pasión común es igual de intensa, y eso ha hecho que acabemos por reunirnos de forma casi espontánea. En un pan que publicamos en común Javier Marca y yo en MTM bromeamos sobre el momento en que metes el pan en el horno, sobre compartirlo abrazados y emocionados… Mucha gente comentó “A mi también me encanta”. Creo que lo que pasa es, simplemente, que echamos de menos el pan auténtico.

Jeremy:¿Quién te influye más a la hora de hacer pan, los foros, los libros, los panaderos?

Agustín:Todos ellos. El trabajo de Dan Lepard, Iban Yarza y Javier Marca es importantísimo, tanto que creo que sin ellos no podría decir que se hacer pan. Pero muchos de mis conocimientos provienen de libros americanos  (Reinhart, Hamelman, Buehler), o de horas y horas leyendo cosas en The Fresh Loaf, Wild Yeast, Ye olde bread blogge, Au Levain…

Jeremy: Al elegir las fórmulas, ¿Cuáles son tus fuentes de información más frecuentes?

Agustín: Quizá recuerde alguna receta que me llamó la atención en alguna visita a un blog o un foro durante la semana, pero a veces la idea para el pan se forma en mi cabeza, y entonces suelo acudir a los libros a buscar confirmación a esa idea, o a retocar su hidratación…

Jeremy:Masa madre o levadura comercial, que te gusta más?

Agustín: No debería haber debate sobre esto, son dos cosas completamente distintas. Parece que el panadero casero debe ser purista, y usar solo Sourdough, porque la levadura es un pecado de profesionales, pero yo creo que esta es una visión corta. Hace poco escuché a Dan Lepard resumir muy bien esta idea, decía algo así como que “cuando era más joven era tan arrogante que pensaba que solo el pan de sourdogh era bueno, y con la edad he aprendido a usar sourdough o levadura dependiendo del pan que me interese en cada momento”

Jeremy: ¿Compras el pan en las panaderías o prefieres hacerlo tú?

Agustín:A veces compro lo que venden en las panaderías con el nombre de pan, pero estoy intentando dejarlo…

Jeremy:¿Es adictivo hornear pan?

Agustín:Yo diría que solo por detrás del sexo J

Jeremy: ¿Tu familia entiende por qué haces pan?

Agustín: En esencia, si. Quizá las razones más íntimas, las que lo convierten en una necesidad, no las entiendo ni yo mismo…

Jeremy:... Y se lo comen?

Agustín: A diario!

EL FIN

 

 

Tartine, take #4

Using Chad Robertson's book, Tartine bread, I tried again for a fourth time to make an honest Tartine bread. This time though I followed my friend MC's latest adaption, using both a hot and cold oven, and with exceptional results!

Rather then just white flour, I went for the whole-wheat version of the basic country loaf, but included some add-ins;  soy bean and flax seed, borrowed from the Bourke Street bakery book. As well, I used a 100% hydrated levain and calculated the numbers on a spreadsheet calculator. Instead of adding in the final 50 extra grams of water, I left it out. The dough felt just right and I just used my own intuition on this part of the bake.

I made the dough with the 40 minute autolyse process, and mixed it in my Kitchen Aid, put in my salt and add-ins last. I let the loaf rise for about 40 minutes, gave it a fold and went out for a quick dinner. On my return, I gave it another fold and let it go for about one more hour, even though it was really rising quite fast, even with the cooler temperatures we have been having here. The dough was split in to two loaves, pre-shaped, left to rest about 25 minutes, given a final shape, and then retarded overnight.

                                                            "Hot oven"

Next day I baked two loafs, one in my Cusisinart oven, the other using my mainstay stove. Put the second loaf into a cold oven, placed it into a creuset pot with the temperature set at 470 F degrees, and let it bake about 45 minutes. Then I removed the lid, giving it another 20 minutes to get some color.

 

                                                          "Cold Oven"

 

All in all this latest by far is the best I made from all of my Tartine loaves, and I am sure I will revisit this books fine recipes again. And why not, if not just for a tweak and peek!

Ibán Yarza

Not too long ago, I first started noticing hits from  La Memoria de pan, Te quedas cenar and El foro de pan. All coming from Spain, so I wondered who was behind all this wonderful bread blogging. Shortly after I became a member of El foro de pan, which by chance is also visited by no other then Dieter Buschmann and Dan Lepard.

 The creative and talented baker behind it was Ibán Yarza and I had no clue who he was?  It was then I started finding out about this bread revivalist, cyclist, fermentationist. Along with Javier Marca and others in the bread baking renaissance in Spain. A self taught baker,he is teaching at home and wherever he is needed, from Bilbao to Barcelona. Ibán can be found with kilo's of flour on his bike and sanwiches in hand, but most often he his folding dough. Passing on the message of good bread with passion. On his various blogs regarding food or bread you can see his dedication and appreciation for good things, bon vivant au bici! I can't wait for him to start something on cycling soon!

His latest project was the translation into Spanish,"The Handmade Loaf " by British bread guru Dan Lepard.

 

Ibán Yarza

Jeremy: It must be a great feeling translating Dan Lepard’s book THML. How did that project happen?

Ibán: It is just a dream come true. Translating my favorite bread book is something I’m really grateful for. I can’t remember how it actually happened. I met Dan Lepard first back in 2005, but the idea did not fully came to life until quite recently; then Leqtor books and The Glutton Club teamed up with the British publishing house to make it happen and everything happened very quickly. In fact, a translator always complains about the lack of time, and so do I.

Jeremy: Will you write your own book?

Ibán: I don’t think so. I think there are already very good bread books. The problem in Spain is that we have very little (and mostly poor) translations. But if you take the following books, knead them well and let them rise slowly, I don’t think I could add anything.

The handmade loaf, Dan Lepard
Bread, Jeffrey Hammelman
Bread making, T. DiMuzio
Surdegsbröd, Martin Johansson
Pains d’hier et d’aujourd’hui, M Barboff
English Bread, E. David
Bread Builders, Wing and Scott

Jeremy: What got you interested in bread?

Ibán: To be honest, I can hardly remember when or why. I guess I was seduced by the magic of sourdough, the idea of creating bread from scratch. I was unemployed, probably a bit bored, so I went wild and started fermenting!

Jeremy: Sourdough, yeast, what makes them so different? And which is better?

Ibán: Quite simply, flavor. I’d say when you bite into a good piece of sourdough bread you can feel there is a soul inside that dough, you can feel it is alive.

Jeremy: Fermenting is sort of like a Frankenstein thing, "It's alive!!!!"  What other things do you ferment besides bread?

Ibán: I love fermenting. I “milk” my kefir pot every morning, and after the Spanish Summer is gone, now is time for sauerkraut. I’ve got a big “sauerkrauttopf” full of good bubbling stuff right now and pickled gherkins. Next thing I want to try is kvass (a beverage made of fermented rye bread). I really like to discover home brewing, but I’m a bit put off by all the equipment involved (unlike baking or pickling).

Jeremy: What is the most satisfying in baking bread; building the levain, mixing, folding, shaping or baking?

Ibán: Building a levain is a life-changing experience. Mind you, I don’t have any children yet.

Jeremy: Did you always eat or like bread growing up?

Ibán: Funny enough, I don’t recall great bread as a child, or even the sense that I was a true bread lover.

Jeremy: Did your mother bake?

Ibán: Not at all. But now she does bake her weekly sourdough loaf.

Jeremy: What is your favourite flour?

Ibán: Rye. No matter whether it’s white or whole-meal. I remember a Estonian rye flour I bought in Tallinn some years ago. I will never forget the aroma I got the moment I mixed it with water.
Jeremy: Does bread have terroir or a local taste?

Ibán: Absolutely. Go try some German, Baltic or Russian bread, and you’ll instantly fall in love with those countries and the people who bake those loaves.

Jeremy: You've traveled a lot. Some of your flickr photos show you holding sandwiches in front of landscapes. Is it like a “gracias” to the bread gods?

Ibán: Haha. When trekking I do like to make “offerings” to the places I visit. By this pagan/bread-esque offering I somehow summon all the energy of the place. Well, I said “somehow.”

Jeremy: Have you ever considered just opening a bakery? Going pro?

Ibán: Not really, I’m a home baker teaching home bakers and trying to spread the word of bread as widely as possible. I’ve visited many bakeries and seen their work. It’s something I could do, but I don’t think I’m interested enough.

Jeremy: Do you buy from bakeries anymore? Or just eat your own bread?

Ibán: Since 2005 I just buy bread out of pleasure, say to try this or that bakery when I’m told they’re worth it.

Jeremy: What is a spekulas sandwich? And what other sorts of combinations do you like with your bread?

Ibán: Ah, that’s a good one. Back in 1998 I spend some time working in a hotel in Amsterdam. The guy next door (a funny guy named Bas who played the trumpet and roller skated in the middle of the night to the hospital where he worked as an emergency anesthetist) told me about it. First I thought he was joking, but then I checked with other Dutch people to find he wasn’t kidding. I did try it and it was gorgeous. The spekulaas (spekulatius/speculoos for German/French/Belgian) is a crunchy biscuit, and just makes for a mind blowing experience when encased in two slices of fluffy white bread with plenty of butter. Do try it, believe me.

Jeremy: Who inspires you?

Ibán: People who are passionate and can see beyond flour and ferments. People who can see love inside a loaf of bread, like Dan Lepard. I’ve read a bunch of books about bread and met many bakers, but many speak solely about ingredients and crispy crusts; lately I’ve become a fan of the Swedish Martin Johansson (from the blog Pain de Martin) and the way he calls himself a “home baker”, hemmabagare.

Jeremy: Is Spain ready for the bread baking revival?

Ibán: I don’t actually mind if it’s ready or not (probably yes, provided it’s spread the right way), I simply think it NEEDS it!

Jeremy: Some people can teach bread. Personally, I am terrible at explaining it to people!) What is your secret?

Ibán: Well, I spent 5 years working as a guide at the Guggenheim Bilbao museum of contemporary art. After explaining abstract art for 1.5 hours to people from all over the world, everything else seems piece of cake.

Jeremy: How is the bread revival in Spain getting on?

Ibán: Really well, there’s more and more people baking, and good bread is getting more time and space in the news. Now we have to concentrate, otherwise we risk this becoming simply a trend or (worse) becoming something exclusive and reachable only by an elite.

 Jeremy: How are professional Spanish bakers taking to your teaching bread to the masses?

Ibán: I teach mostly to home bakers, although it’s not unusual to have pros on my classes; people who come are really nice and interested. I know of many bakers who see all this with suspicion. But I think we all better start to think that people just want better bread, and they will get it, whether from their bakers or their own ovens.

Jeremy: Is there a typical loaf in Spain?

Ibán: Spain is a big country when it comes to food, so the choice is big. Although it’s sad to realize that nowadays it’s becoming harder and harder to buy good bread in Spain. From the Pan de Cea in the Northwestern region of Galicia (a round plump loaf made the old way), to the many varieties of “pan sobado/bregado/candeal”, a sort of white loaf with a tight white crumb not unlike the French “pain brié” that can be found in central Spain, or the “pa de pagès” (country bread) from Catalonia, the little and soft “mollete” from Andalucia, or even the rustic and sturdy corn breads made traditionally in Northern Spain.

Jeremy: How do you keep all your projects going, El foro del Pan,Te quedas a cenar, La memoria del pan? Etc...and bicycling across Spain?

Ibán: Well, at the moment I have plenty of time (plus I don’t sleep much); but my idea is to launch nice projects, like “El foro del pan”, that can eventually live on their own without my input.

Jeremy: Bicycles and bread bakers, is it a zen thing? What is the correlation?

Ibán: More and more I do believe there is an inner relation between bike riding and bread baking. More specifically between sourdough baking and single speeding (or even riding fixed gear); the feeling of throwing away years of evolution to concentrate on the pure, simple pleasure. Also the sense of time, duration. Then if you build your own wheels I think everything somehow comes together. Oddly enough, I’ve met a bunch of people who seem to share the same feeling.

Uprising...mon histoire de pain - or my on going history with bread

It's been sometime since I started baking bread, inspired by a book by Dan Leader. Today, I am the guy who is known (not always happily) for leaving a trail of flour on kitchen counters, or stuffing the refridgerator with my levains. Call it a hobby, passion or just obsession for wild yeast. Lately though I have cut back on my bread baking. But as hard as I try to not buy more bread books and stop purchasing grains and flour... I can't! Call me a bread head, a  natural yeast evangelist, or just a man who can't ignore the power of the genuine dough.

While researching to prepare for an interview recently, I saw a video of the Spanish baker, Iban Yarza. In it he talked about his amazement at the "revolucion of homebakers." Quizás una revolución, pero yo prefiero decir una levantamiento - in English, perhaps a revolution, but I prefer to say an uprising! Funny how bread is so full of symbols, myths and analogies in whatever language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My inspiration, mentors, companions, panophiles in my revolution - it's led by pro bakers like Dan Lepard, Wolfgang Süpke, Richard Bertinet, Graham Prichard, Dieter Buschmann.

 

Of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention all of my fellow and first time Bethesdabaker's, which put me in contact with a bevy of bakers and my first bakers conference! They're coming up on a 5th Anniversary in Bethesda next July... sorry Mick, you know my schedule!

 

Then there are micro Bakers; Mick Hartley, Rick of Mair's Bakehouse, David Aplin ...Blog bakers, Susan, Marie Claude, Nils, Hans Joakim, Petra..Javier Marca,and there are more. The list is growing. There are some I have met and some yet to be acquainted with. The world of great bread, it seems to perpetually flower, no pun intended.

As for my own dream? Well it's not yet fully formed. Still in flux, it plays out both in my mind but also in real time - in the kitchen as I bake. Slowly proofing, it's all in my hands ready to shape but still developing!

If I left you off this post, sorry, just burning the candle from both ends, Teresa!

Javier Marca

 

 

It's always a pleasure to make acquaintances from far away, especially with like-minded bakers and chefs. Even more when they share my love of sourdough. Checking out bakers with whom to connect, recently, I found Spanish panadero, Javier Marca.

Trained and working as a professional graphic artist, Javier was tired of the methodical churn of his trade. So he swapped that world for a more  ancient, humbling craft -  baking bread. Javier and his fellow blogger/baker Augustin Oliet whose blog, Madrid Tiene Miga (Madrid has crumb), are just a few of the new vanguard for a new "Pan Español." 

They are exploring hand made loaves, in the process forsaking processed and factory flavored bread which has made Spanish bread tradition a forgotten memory. Like me they don't want flaccid pillows of bleached white bread! They want to redefine a dying craft and bring it back to life!

Jeremy:  Tell us about yourself, where, what and who ?

Javier: I'm a graphic designer, and I've been working for 20 years in the editorial business, designing magazines. About three years ago I ended up dissapointed with the institutional environment of it. In the middle of that process of disillusionment, and just by chance, I found a blog about food and homemade sourdough breads. With a mix of curiosity and the will to dedicate my time and passion to something different I started baking sourdough breads, as an observer at first, then as an amateur and finally as a professional. Bread has become, for me, in a way to make a living.

Jeremy: How did you start baking?

Javier: I started baking at home, following the instructions and directions of that one blog. I kept documentating about the properties of sourdough and practicing a lot to get familiar with the techniques and the ingredients. Then I got the chance, through the british baker Dan Lepard (whose book The Handmade Loaf was, and still is, a tremendous guide), of working as an apprentice at Daylesford Organic, in UK, during the summer of 2009, getting to know the part that I was missing: chain production of sourdough bread, keeping the quality of artisan bread, far from industrial standards. When getting back to Spain I started working as the head baker of a new bakery.

 Jeremy: Que es pan Español? What is Spanish bread?)

Javier: There is a huge variety of breads in Spain, depending of the regions, being 'pan candeal' one of the top breads when coming to customer's preferences. The culture of bread in Spain is totally lost, and people are not able to remember how a good bread used to taste. The culture of 'white, crunchy and soft' is mandatory, which couldn't be so bad if 'flavour' wasn't out of the equation. Bread here is loaded with chemicals and yeast, and people don't seem to care.

Jeremy: What makes good bread?

Javier: Love. Time. Hands.

Jeremy: Yeast or sourdough?

Javier: Sourdough mostly; preferments with little yeast for some specific breads.

Jeremy:  What and who are your references for bread?

Javier: Iban Yarza, for his bread culture and generosity, and for getting me into the bread world; Dan Lepard, for his imagination and care, and for guiding, illustrating and advising me; my fellow partners and home bakers at the blog (madridtienemiga.wordpress.com), for their passion and dedication; the 1.255 members of the spanish bread forum (www.elforodelpan.com) for their constant will to learn.


Jeremy: With or how do you eat bread, sanduche, tostada, con mermelada?

Javier: In good company.

Jeremy: Bak, Pan Casero & Cocina, what is it?

Javier: A space that will cover everything related to artisan bread, from classes to debates, conferences, literature, friends, amateurs and professionals... where people can get together and share thoughts, experiences, ideas and techniques about bread.

Jeremy:  Favorite type of bread, or food?

Javier: My own loaf. If I have a good pastrami, then my favourite is a rye sourdough. For a picnic with the kids, a soft white sourdough. And to keep my girl happy, a crunchy baguette with a poolish.

Jeremy: Are forums or blogs helping bread become a better product?

Javier: They absolutely do. They are the best way of learning for beginners and the best window for bread lovers.

Jeremy: How is commercial or professional baking in Spain?

Javier: It is terrible. So focused in profitability and far away from quality. Luckily, that is changing, even though the attempts are, by now, quite tepid. Professional bakers are becoming aware of the poor situation of the bread here, but the step forward hasn't quite arrived.

Jeremy: How do you make a formula or recipe?

Javier: Sometimes, straight from a book; sometimes looking at what I have in my flour cabinet; always translating yeast to sourdough, changing hydrations.

Jeremy: Is there a good reference for old Spanish bread recipes, ie, books, or just people?

Javier: Hummm... maybe books and blogs like panisnostrum.blogspot.com.

Jeremy: And what are you baking lately?

Javier:  White sourdough loafs, whole wheat, rye and caraway, rye with pine nuts or rye with raisins and walnuts, 3-stage Detmold process, spelt... All of them sourdoughs for the classes. Also testing soft swedish flatbreads, persian flatbreads with za'atar, grilled naan...Oh and tons of sourdough pizza(00 flour and 20% Semolina!

Jeremy: When will http://labakeria.com/panes/pan-de-espelta/be up and running fully, I am very curious!

Soon, I hope.

 

Gracias!

Work in progress, a pizza.

There isn't a minute I am not thinking of a specific vegetable to cook, some bread I want to bake, a dessert I would love to eat, but pizza well, it's just one of those things. There, I just want to make the perfect dough; light, crisp, slightly bruciato (how I love that word!).

Certainly my goal is a sourdough based pie, sure a Napolatano with just water, salt and flour. Of course I know you need a 800 F oven, but I just don't have one, yet! This is my latest effort, a bit unorthodox, no sauce, just fresh tomatoes with cheese, basil and a bit of that nduja for some heat and salty pork goodness. 

I based the recipe on an assortment of wonderful information gleened from Pizzamaking.com And that information is based on the one time pizzaoila and blogger Foolish Poolish Bakes, who sadly is no longer blogging, but still inspires!

 

If I recall right, the dough has a 72-75 percent hydration, one percent salt and something around 30 percent levain (I used my 100 percent hydrated sourdough). My levain was already percolated so I used it straight from the jar. I made up the dough, which rose in bulk about four hours and then in the fridge overnight.

The next day when I got home I shaped two 270 gram balls and let them warm up for about three hours. Then I flattened and stretched the dough by hand, and baked it in my Cuisinart baker oven (pre-heated for about 40 minutes) at broil with the stone on the top shelf. And then it baked for about 20-25 minutes until browned and slightly spotted - mai cosi bruciato!

A blogger comes to visit....(Zen and the art of bread baking!)

Sometimes I dream of opening a neighborhood bakery. But right now I have a full time job as a chef. And weekends, when I'm not doing chores with my wife, visiting my mother, or riding my bike, I bake as much as I can. For now, I'm a bakery for a core audience of family and neighbors in Sunnyside. 

 

Today though was different. I shed my namesake moniker of the "lazy baker" and  was up early. Taking notes, calculating water temperatures, etc. I was getting ready for a visit from fellow blogger, Zen chef, someone I've admired for some time. He asked for an invite to my apartment for a on-the-spot story about my bread baking. Interesting since he hadn't even tasted it. I was both nervous and humbled. This was a visit from fellow "culinarian" (someone who genuinely knows as well as loves food), and I wondered how he would guage my skill on what I do when moonlighting as a baker at home.

What I wanted to show him was that anyone can bake bread at home, with levain being the master. Well, ultimately he seemed satisfied by what someone could do even in a small kitchen. A full four dough batches baked in one bake off - not too shabby!

I am sorry I didn't snap any pictures worth looking at, but Zen chef and I sampled the bread with some fine charcuterie from my pal Johnny. Everyone needs their own local butcher like Johnny. Anyway, until his post about his visit is up, I will encourage him to learn the basics of percentages, hydration and all the inner workings that make for a good loaf.

Merci Stephane!

Eskerrik asko lagun eta zoriontsu gozogintza

 

 

Le pain sauve les vies

No, this isn't a call out to S&M. It's a rave for bread, "pain" the French word for our beloved loaves.  Today I spotted this street graffiti while on a mission, bringing supplies my hard working friend and fellow blogger, Shuna Fish Lydon. She's the pastry chef at the newly bustling Bowery restaurant/bakery Peels.

As a kitchen worker, it's often difficult to eat in our profession. Sometimes there are no breaks in between service. You're frequently too tired, or lack interest in the "staff meal," or just yearning for something different than what's being prepared in your kitchen. 

  

   

I got a message from Shuna this week. She was craving peanut butter sandwiches. I like peanut butter with the right bread. So I brought her some loaves. And on the way spotted the sign. Kind of captures the day.