Bread making

It's alive and getting hungrier. After a slow start I am having to feed it every day now and it is bubbling well. Smells like a distillery. I hope to make my first loaf with it when I get home. If it's good I will be starting to GIVE SOME AWAY!

 

The starter's had nearly a fortnight and is bubbling strongly but not really doubling in size. Not sure if it's stable yet, just have to try it and see.

 

How did it go Madahhlia? Would love an update please,
Jenny

 

Made some Nettle Bread earlier,smells lovely,well it just smells like normal bread actually but it's supposed to be good for you..full of vitamins

 

Loli, that looks fantastic. Can you divulge the recipe or is it a closely guarded secret? Looks good enough to feature on a Heston Bloominheck episode to me... ,
Jenny

 

It's just your basic bread recipe with a handful of blanched Nettles...simples

 

Looks pretty!

 

@Jenny namaste, the starter is still alive and well and is able to double its volume after a feeding. I've also kept it dormant for several days at a time and it bounces back.

However, the actual bread is not as good as I'd like. I've been kneading, proving and raising a second time and find the texture is too close, the second rise is slow and unresponsive and the bread has too strong a sour flavour.

So, next time, I'm just going to knead, put in the tin, raise once and bake, to see what happens. The rise should be brisk because the starter has so much fresh flour to feed on and the sour taste should be milder as the yeasts will be favoured and not the lactobacilli which create the sourness.

I'm not sure what the reasons are for rising twice but I have found recipes that say to skip it and it's worth experimenting. If anyone knows the reason, let me know.

 

Re Nettle Bread...forgot to mention,just use the top half a dozen leaves and harvest as many as you can now before they become 'woody'...Blanch and freeze them for later use

 

Just come out of the Panasonic. A Norfolk Malted Crunch with a grilled green pumpkin seed topping. They are nicely nutty and cheaper than walnuts:

Jenny

@Lolimac - have you been baking bread today?

 

Cor Jenny that looks absolutely delicious

@Jenny namaste ...Yes ,baked some small Nettle loaves for some of the girls at work,it's a bit difficult finding young leaves now,they're getting a bit woody and bitter.

Note to self...remember to freeze more in the spring

 

they look spectacular Loli. Do you have small bread moulds to bake them in?
Jenny

 

Yes,I'd do better if I weighed out the mix so they were all equal though

 

Adds to their charm Loli,
Jenny

 

For tea tonight ( with friends " bring an unusual cheese and some bread please " )
a nice Crusty French style bake loaf, home pickled onions ( chillis in ) and a lump of Barkham Blue cheese .
Barkham Blue has a very distinctive appearance. Made in a 1kg ammonite shaped round, it is covered in an attractive natural mould ripened rustic rind. The deep yellow moist interior is spread with dark blue – green veins. It has a rich blue taste, smooth buttery texture with a melt in the mouth flavour, without the harshness associated with some blue cheese

Jenny