Sunday, November 20, 2011

Week V: Micro-Bakery Nov. 20


This weekend my Mom, Dad, and sister were in town. Yet the bake must go on, so our Saturday morning was spent around the 500ºF oven. Dad took some photos (see below), Mom and sister went to the Farmer's Market and got a heaping bag of vegetables. Dad got pretty excited about some sunlight shining through the kitchen window, so he set up a photo that looks (in my mind) like a loaf of bread has just beamed in from the heavenly realms. Wild.

This Saturday began the second four-week cycle of Levain Micro-Bakery. I added three subscribers (yay!), bringing the total to eleven, meaning twelve loaves baked per Saturday (one for the house). This was also my first week baking a large batch of Whole Wheat Levain (70% whole wheat, 30% bread flour), which turned out quite well. During the mix I was a little scatter-brained and added too much wheat flour to one of the batches, but no big deal, right? Four lucky subscribers got a bit more fiber than the others. Also, I decided to score (slice before baking) the Whole Wheat Levain with triangles, leaving other shapes for other bread varieties. We'll see how this pattern evolves in the future.

I learned this weekend that baking (especially 10+ loaves) is a very Zen experience. It requires great concentration and balance. You have to be centered. So family, I love you, but in the future I think I'll need to bake on my lonesome (though honestly, great to have y'all here!). I decided to deliver the bread in the car so that the Fam could tag along on my delivery route. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful time together.








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