Six years ago, Zorra started an event called “World Bread Day“. Bakers from all over the world would bake a loaf of bread and blog about it. This year I am thrilled to participate and chose my favorite type of bread to join the party. The recipe comes from a very nice book, Artisan Baking, written by Maggie Glezer. A country French-style loaf called Essential’s Columbia. The formula comes from George DePasquale, from Seattle’s Essential Baking Company.
The perfect Sunday starts with a batch of sourdough starter all puffed up from getting fed 12 hours earlier. Before I even have my morning capuccino, the kitchen still dark, I look at my ingredients waiting, and get all excited anticipating the thrill of getting a nice loaf of bread from our oven. It does help a lot to weigh it all the night before, all you have to do is heat the water in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, and you are ready to go…
In Glezer’s book, this bread is listed as “advanced”, but it’s actually quite simple to prepare. It calls for all purpose flour, bread flour, whole wheat, and a little rye. Also in the formula a small amount of toasted wheat germ, and barley malt syrup. It uses a very firm starter, probably the firmest I’ve ever seen in a recipe, it is actually more like a dough that ferments for 12 hours and then is incorporated in the mixture of flours, salt, and water. A very slow and long fermentation, with the help of my bread proofing box. Amazing how the two banettons fit just right inside!
After shaping, the oblong loaf proofed for 3 hours, and the round one for almost 4 hours, as I could not bake them at the same time. Not much difference in the crumb, which was a bit surprising to me. I expected the round loaf to have a slightly more airy inner structure. But bread is bread, its temperamental nature one of the things I love the most about it.
I could not find a way to contact Maggie Glezer to get her official ok to publish the full recipe, but it is available online in a couple of blogs, so you can find it. But the book is a must-have for anyone with a passion for wild yeast, so consider providing that little boost on the economy.
My batard shaping was a little better than usual, but still needs improvement… gotta keep going at it!
The perfect Sunday ends with a couple of loaves resting on the counter….
and the perfect Monday starts with a small gift to the Department! 😉
I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting… and I invite you to visit the roudup of breads at Zorra’s site!
ONE YEAR AGO: The US Listeria Outbreak 2011
TWO YEARS AGO: 36 Hour Sourdough Baguettes
THREE YEARS AGO: October 16 is World Bread Day
Bewitching Kitchen 
Magnificent loaves, Sally! So glad the proofer is working well for you!
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Thanks, Celia…. the proofer does a great job, and with the weather cooling down… it is a must for me
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Hi Sally,
wonderful loaves and Happy World Bread Day! Please let me know, if the formula’s on Maggie Glezer is on grams or US measurement ? I’m interested to buy the book but I’m not feeling so confident to convert every bread formula. Thank you in advance for your answer.
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You will be happy to know – she includs cups, grams and ounces for each ingredient! Really a fantastic book, I’ve made several breads from it, they all turned out great. Many were before my blogging days, though 😉
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As always, your artisanal bread creations are inspiring … inspiring me to get out some some good deli meat, sausage, cheese, fruit and good drinks to wash it down with. 🙂
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Isn’t bread great? 😉
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This really does sound like the perfect sunday! Bread making is so peaceful and the results…delicious!
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I wish I could do it every single Sunday, but it’s not always possible… I often just refresh my starter and put it back in the fridge, the poor thing
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que pão maravilhoso! mais uma perfeição saindo do seu forno. seria o meu pão, não apenas para os domingos… beijos
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Angela, nossos comentarios devem ter se cruzado pelo eter… Tentei deixar um, mas tive que compor duas vezes, por algum motivo tive dificuldades de submeter… Beijao!
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i really need to stop living next to an french ex-pat bakery and actually get to bread making, inspiring! happy bread day, lady!
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Well, I would not mind having a french ex-pat baking me some bread on a regular basis… but it’s true that the pleasure of getting a loaf of bread from your own oven is pretty special… that’s why I keep doing it 🙂
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What a beautiful contribution Sally! I love them.
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Thank you!!!! Yours is pretty spectacular… and you participated every single time, that is awesome!
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Magnificent loaves, Sally! I live near Seattle and often go to Essential Bakery and your oblong loaf looks exactly like the original (unless I am mistaken, they don’t make it in round form). Wow! I am awed.
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In the book, they go for oblong, so I bet it’s the shape of choice for this bread. But, you know I am a bit of a wimp and tend to do the ‘comfy shaping’ by default – but I am forcing myself to open my horizons and get uncomfortable. It’s like yoga, you must learn to be uncomfortable – it’s part of becoming better! 😉
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Your department must just love having you there:D What a cool proofing box!! Much more sophisticated than my warming pad, lol! You are an expert bread maker, Sally!! These look absolutely perfect in texture, color and shape!! xx
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You are too sweet!
I am now going to be floating on air the whole day, thanks to the ego massage you just gave me… 😉
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That looks like a fabulous loaf, Sally!! I love all the different combinations of flours and wheat germ! I definitely need to try this one! 🙂
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It’s a really nice loaf – it also kept for three days at room temperature without losing much moisture… a keeper!
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Nobody bakes a loaf of bread like you Sally – I just wish I could be there to see them rise and enjoy all the delicious aromas in your kitchen… your guitar shape looks fabulous to me ;-).
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I appreciate any compliments on my shape… 😉
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heehee… I can be silly sometimes… forgive me… ;-).
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don’t forget we are virtual sisters, right? 😉 Silly Sally
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Beautiful as usual, Sally. I’m ready to eat it off my screen. Love the color. Wish I could smell it and taste it.
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Come on over! 😉 Well, it’s too late for that loaf, but there will be more bread…
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I had no idea it was world bread day! What a way to celebrate, this looks fantastic!
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It is a fun event – the roundup should be posted tomorrow, I think…
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What a gorgeous contribution, Sally! I always find baking with yeast a little intimidating but I’m working really hard on working through that.
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Thank you so much! Yeast is intimidating, but not nearly as much as…….. cakes 🙂
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Both looks look perfect! And, one more book will need to go on my wish list. Can’t wait to read it.
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Both “loaves” look perfect. (I should have caffeine before I leave comments on blogs in the morning.;)
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he, he, he…. glad I am not the only one…
just remember this, if we kept track of how many boo-boos I did leaving comments on your blog versus you on mine, I’d beat you by a loooong shot! 😉
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I have this book and it’s one of the most beautifully laid out books I have in the bread department. I read it and admire it and strangely haven’t made any of the breads from it yet. But I will and your beauTIful Sunday loaf is inspiring me. That proving box is really doing great things. Fantastic loaves Sally 🙂
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It’s indeed a great book, Joanna – one of the most beautiful and delicious breads I’ve ever made came from that book. I don’t have it with me right now (I’m at work) but it is the bread with roasted garlic, and it has a parsley leaf decoration on top. AMAZING bread, had incredible oven spring
but I made it before my blogging days, so I don’t have photos of it. I should really make it again
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You have no idea how much I wish I could smell this freshly baked loaf of bread through my screen. 🙂
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Beautiful looking bread. Your crumb looks very open and your crust nice a dark and crisp the way it should be.
Regards,
Ian
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beautiful loaves!
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You are too severe. Both loaves are beautiful. I like your proofing box! Thank you for baking for Word Bread Day . Hope you will join us next year again!
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