Coming second in the 'Home Baker - Open' category in 2015 was a real confidence booster and my bread baking activities since have included ideas and experiments for this year's attempt at the awards. Whilst adapted from the same core recipe and method, I tried out different flavours and added ingredients, narrowing things down to the three following sourdough loaves.
Date and fennel sourdough I've eaten this both as a savoury item with cheese and toasted for breakfast which really enhances the fennel taste and aroma; the baking gives the date pieces a sticky jammy consistency which I like.
Cheese and ale sourdough using a dark malty ale and cubes of Gruyere cheese which end up either as nuggets embedded in the crumb or toasted and golden on the outside where they burst through the crust.
Eight grain porter sourdough I think the taste and colour of this bread benefits both from the dark malty ale and the malted grains in the flour and this too is quite versatile, great toasted with jam, topped with scrambled eggs or as the base for bruschetta.
I've also enjoyed making an enriched yeasted dough, similar to a Challah, and the consistency of the dough lends itself well to shaping. In addition to the sourdoughs I entered a plaited ring or couronne topped with linseeds into the 'open' category.
Not long now to wait to see what the judges thought about my efforts and I can't say how pleased I am to be going to the winners' reception in a couple of days. Can I go one better than last year? Fingers crossed!
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