While perfecting one type of bread, we are also boldly trying out new recipes. Very recently we started to experiment with some new types of flour like French Type 55 and American flour with a high protein content. We have some more baking to do before we can say anything knowledgeable about the subject. Another thing we tried and had lots of fun with was making sourdough rye bread. Handling rye dough brings back memories of Kindergarten and play-doh. But the first results are very promising and we will continue on this healthy path. Here are some macro shots of our latest baking results (shot with a Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro for the people who want to know).

Getting close to the crust. It has air holes too!

All these little holes make the crust really crispy. And with the right water content, the crumb will still be creamy

Our first sourdough rye bread has left the people who tasted it wanting more. Happy to oblige we will give it another try soon.

After 24 hours in a paper bag, the texture and taste got even better!

More Useful Bread Baking Tips

• Never trust the amount of water given in a bread recipe, your flour could be (acting) different from theirs
• Using steam (spray water on the sides of your oven, be careful not to damage your oven by spraying on electrical things) during the first 8 minutes in the oven gives the bread room for expansion and forces the enzymes in the crust to give your bread a nice colour!
• Buy a plastic dough scraper, they are great for dividing dough and for dough folding plus they are cheap!
• Read a good book about bread baking techniques; we like ‘Bread’ by Jeffrey Hamelman
• There are lots of articles about sourdough. Some are very technical and elaborate talking about sourdough starters as if the are designed by Nasa and need the upkeep done at moonlight, dancing around Stonehenge. All you need is unbleached organic flour, water, a jar and a spoon. Put 50 gram flour and 50 gram water in a jar and stir. Put a lid on the jar but do NOT close it completely so no air pressure (gas released by the sourdough culture) can build up and shatter your jar. Feed you culture every day at about the same time by throwing away half of the dough and adding again 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Keep the sourdough culture out of the sun and stored at room temperature. After 2 to 3 days it should start to bubble. After 5 days it should be able to triple in size in 24 hours. It is now ready to be used. If it does not bubble after 3 days, throw everything away, clean your jar and try again! Perhaps buy another kind of flour, as the yeast and bacteria are present in the flour!
• Do NOT store bread in your fridge because the temperature of the fridge (about 5 degrees Celsius) is about the worst climate for keeping bread so it’s the fastest way to old and stale loafs and rolls. Store it in your freezer or in a plastic bag at room temperature. The best thing of course is to eat it after it has (almost) cooled down, although some breads, like rye bread get a bit better with age
• If your bread is a bit stale, give it a quick ‘pick me up’ in the oven for 5 minutes at about 175 degrees Celsius, you will lose some moisture but you will get your crust back. Be aware, this will work only ones!