Thursday, September 27, 2012

New Horizons in Bread Baking

My nearly-90-year-old stove, where I bake my bread.
Today was a landmark day. I began the process of making bread using delayed fermentation. Think sourdough starter. Until now, I've always used dry active yeast. Long, slow fermentation initiates enzyme action in the dough to maximize the bread's flavor. There is also evidence that it aids the digestion of the whole grains. All I did today was mix a little whole wheat flour and water together, let it sit, and stir it a couple of times. Peter Reinhart, through his book Whole Grain Breads, is my teacher.

1 comment:

  1. let me know when you're ready to start selling this. You're right that it is absolutely the most delicious bread around (and nutritious.) I can bake bread almost as good, but it takes hours to make a loaf, and I can't use more than one at a time (and it's just as easy to make 4 loaves at a time.)

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