We had a good day at the market yesterday. We sold out of all our soda bread and French Bread by around 11:40. The French bread had a nice tang to it -- I used a natural starter and poolish. Next time, I will hydrate the poolish a little more so the bread has more air bubbles in it. (For better or for worse, recipes can take months, and sometimes years to perfect. I really admire Tartine baker Chad Robertson for explaining in his cookbook Tartine Bread the iterative, deliberative, and time-intensive process that goes into finishing a recipe.) Also, because I baked in a convection oven rather than a hearth oven, the bread's crust was a little softer than was optimal. Nevertheless, they browned nicely, rose big, and looked beautiful in the wicker basket displays. I brought a couple of loaves over to a baby shower later that day and they were a big hit for sandwiches. The soda bread was well received, but I am still trying to perfect the hydration level. It was a little too gritty for my taste yesterday -- needed a little more buttermilk. In weeks past, I have been adding too much buttermilk, then have had to compensate with extra flour. We'll get there.
Jennifer's electronic music from DJ Digital Organics definitely set the pace for the day. Her sign and origami flowers were really class.
I had an apprentice baker in the kitchen yesterday morning. Big up to BN for taking the plunge and seeing what commercial baking is all about. You were a big help and made the morning fun and educational.
Big up to everyone that came through at market: BN and AST, Bob from Grill-Me, Brandon, Zach and Cristine, EC, Lauren, and Aya, Mattieu, Rufus, Jenny+ Jerry, and of course JP.
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