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bread thread

fear and loathing

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Been trying to make a large boule with a great crumb and crunchy crust.


I've been using Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, and the modifications in Michael Pollan's Cooked.


The real Tartine method requires you to grind wheat berries into flour, and soak the flour in water overnite.
I've had great success if I get rid of the bran. If I leave the bran in, the boules rise very little, but taste great.

The baking day ties you up for about 10 hours, but the bread is authentic like from an artisan bakery.


The Robertson method yields two, absolutely great 2.5 pound boules.
 

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You don't have to grind wheat berries, but if you do, grind twice and filter out the bran with a fine sieve.

Store bought whole wheat flour is fine.


The artisans use a sour dough starter culture (King Arthur), which makes for a more complex flavor, but makes the rises take seemingly forever. I gave up on babysitting the yeast starter culture, and am getting fine results with commercial yeast packages (but not "rapid rise").
 

fear and loathing

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I use my old bread machine to make pizza dough.

While it churns for 1.5 hours, I can get the sauce and toppings ready.


I saute the mushrooms and bell peppers in large batches, then aliquot them into individual Food Saver vacuum bags, ready to go in the freezer.


I can turn out a great pie in 2.5 hours.
 
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I dearly love freshly baked bread, but with La Brea breads so readily available out here (either still warm from just being baked at the store, or the breads they offer one can finish baking at home), there's virtually no reason for me to spend the time baking bread from scratch.
 

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I dearly love freshly baked bread, but with La Brea breads so readily available out here (either still warm from just being baked at the store, or the breads they offer one can finish baking at home), there's virtually no reason for me to spend the time baking bread from scratch.

I cannot purchase a real boule at any price. {s]Putting "artisan" on the package label don't mean shit[/s]. Wait: It does mean shit.


You're lucky.
 
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I cannot purchase a real boule at any price. {s]Putting "artisan" on the package label don't mean shit[/s]. Wait: It does mean shit.


You're lucky.

Well, if you ever visit the Bay Area, I can recommend a couple of bakeries that make pretty phenomenal, at least imo, boule.
One of the first things I noticed when I moved out here, at least as far as food goes, was all the readily available delicious freshly baked breads, and not just sourdough (of which I'm not really a fan). That was over 20 years ago, and the bread making has only gotten better.
Then again, I live in the land of, oh, you want fresh bread, here's several bakeries who specialize in bread ... oh, you want cheese with that, here are several local cheese makers, etc ...
I'm spoiled rotten.
 

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Well, if you ever visit the Bay Area, I can recommend a couple of bakeries that make pretty phenomenal, at least imo, boule.
One of the first things I noticed when I moved out here, at least as far as food goes, was all the readily available delicious freshly baked breads, and not just sourdough (of which I'm not really a fan). That was over 20 years ago, and the bread making has only gotten better.
Then again, I live in the land of, oh, you want fresh bread, here's several bakeries who specialize in bread ... oh, you want cheese with that, here are several local cheese makers, etc ...
I'm spoiled rotten.


We were likewise blessed in The City: bakeries, cheese factories, delicatessens to die for.


Hey, have you ever been to the Tartine?
 
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We were likewise blessed in The City: bakeries, cheese factories, delicatessens to die for.


Hey, have you ever been to the Tartine?

Oh, yeah ... amazing food in The City.

You mean the SF bakery?
Yep.
It's one of the ones I had in mind when I said I could make recommendations.
 

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Oh, yeah ... amazing food in The City.

You mean the SF bakery?
Yep.
It's one of the ones I had in mind when I said I could make recommendations.


First place I'll stop when next in the Bay area. Then, on to Chinatown.
 
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First place I'll stop when next in the Bay area. Then, on to Chinatown.

My favorite restaurant in Chinatown closed years back.
It was run by Taoist monks.
They did everything ... cook, serve, all of it.

If you haven't yet been to the Ferry Building, go!!!
It's better on the days there's a Farmer's Market, but even the days without one, it's a paradise for food.

San Francisco Ferry Building
 

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My favorite restaurant in Chinatown closed years back.
It was run by Taoist monks.
They did everything ... cook, serve, all of it.

If you haven't yet been to the Ferry Building, go!!!
It's better on the days there's a Farmer's Market, but even the days without one, it's a paradise for food.

San Francisco Ferry Building


definitely on my list


Where's a good place to go for some cheap Chateau Haut Brion Cabernet?
 
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