My mixer isn't powerful enough to really knead the dough enough to develop the gluten, so i had to do it by hand (which i actually enjoy anyway :) ).
dough after kneading, putting it to rest and to rise
Although it states in the recipe to let the dough rise for about 3 hours, mine only took about half that time to rise. My scale was acting up and i am pretty sure I didn't measure the full amount of salt called for.
risen dough
I baked my loaf on a pizza stone, and i also used some steam which helped create the crusty exterior. My slashes were a little wonky though, maybe next time a razorblade will work better than a knife, but i'm not one to complain....there is nothing more pleasant than hearing a crusty loaf cooling...it crackles and pops, and smells oh-so-good :).
baked loaf
Overall I was really quite pleased and proud of my little loaf, especially the crumb. God, I love bread :) !
You can find this recipe at http://breadchick.com/?p=336. ...and if you can, be sure to check out my fellow Daring Bakers' posts.
13 comments:
Ooh, your loaf looks lovely! That second to last one with the little browned bits is especially enticing. ;-)
Oh, I don't hink the slashes are wonky--the final result looks great!
j
Ooh, your loaf looks lovely! That second to last one with the little browned bits is especially enticing. ;-)
The color of your bread is fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the challenge.
Oh yes! When you hear your bread sing you just know you've done it! Well done, nice crust!
You should be proud! Look at the color on that loaf! Great job :)
Yanno -- I almost always use my mixer to knead my dough and just went au naturale for this entire recipe. I must have had brain rot that day or something, but the kneading wasn't too bad, was it? I love that one photo of the dough with the giant gas bubble in it. Hilarious! And your bread is spectacular looking! I love, love, love bread too. So much, in fact, that if I could ditch my dinner gig each night, good bread, some salami and good cheese with wine would be just fine. Oh. And some salad, of course. *sigh*
I agree - the color on your loaf is so beautiful! Great job on this challenge.
It looks terrific! Wonderful!
Thanks everyone :).
Kellypea, i am totally with you on that dinner. LOL.
This loaf is one of the most beautiful I have seen after looking over a lot of Februarys posts! It makes me wish I had joined a month earlier! It looks as good as I'm sure it tasted!
wow, thanks kate :). too bad you missed the french bread challenge, but i'm sure you'll enjoy this month's challenge...i cant wait to see your finished product, i'm sure it will be lovely.
Thats a very interesting post. I have been inspired. Thanks.
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