More Bread!

Amazing how much I have learned about bread, and amazing how much there is to learn about something categorized under one word--bread! In an attempt to get caught up on the last two weeks of my bread/dough class I am going to make this post short and carb-filled (that is rather than sweet!).

Our production item this week was Danish. This is a bread many of us are familiar with as a morning pastry. The dough is made in the same method as croissants are made, a laminated dough which is rolled out several times with butter, creating all of those flaky, buttery layers. The center is traditionally filled with a fruit filling or something sweet. We used strawberry and apricot fillings, which were both pre-made, but the best Danish were those with cheese and apple-cinnamon filling, both of which we made.

Caramelized Onion and Fresh Oregano bread. This was made with pate fermente, which is a pre-made batch of dough, which is set out overnight to ferment (called pre-ferment). This is used to give a deep, developed flavor to the bread.

Cibatta. One of the best breads yet! This was a very strange dough to make, as it was very light and sticky and couldn't take much handling, but the product is worth it! There are huge air pockets in the crumb, which is very tender.

The cibatta made wonderful grilled sandwiches. This one was steak and blue cheese--I am nostalgic just remembering how good it was.

Our last production item of the class was making baguettes. Above is a photo of several prior to baking. Nothing beats a good baguette with a chewy crust and tender crumb!

Pane di Como, a white bread that was made with biga, a pre-ferment from Italy.

Pane Pugliese, these were great little guys for sandwiches. A rustic looking bread with a crusty and flour dusted outside and a tender crumb inside.

One week to go with bread making! Next week will be filled with sourdough made from our own sourdough starters which we have been nursing for over a week. Just like a baby, the starter has to be fed and changed everyday! Half of the mixture is discarded (so that it doesn't grow out of control) and then water and flour is added. Can't wait to taste the results!