Category Archives: BBA Challenge

BBA#24: PANETTONE

Posted in BBA Challenge, Breads by

Here we are, at bread number 24 of the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, started by Nicole from “Pinch My Salt“. Read all about it here.

Panettone, the traditional Italian fruit bread, is very popular in two of my former homes, Sao Paulo and Paris, during Christmas.  I wish I could say it brings back fond memories of childhood, but the truth is that I never cared for it. In my memory, panettone was a dry, chalky bread with hardened pieces of fruit in the crumb.  What can I say?  I was a difficult child. 😉

Nevertheless, Peter Reinhart says that this recipe, which is more involved than most, produces the best panettone in the world.  I was a bit skeptical, but gathered up all the ingredients and hoped for the best.

Was it good?  Oh, YESSS!  The best in the world?  Well, I haven’t sampled that many, but my husband considers himself a panettone connoisseur, and he and I agreed that this was the best we’ve ever had, by far. The crumb was moist and velvety, with the right amount of fruit and sweetness, plus that unmistakable hint of “fiori di Sicilia“, the extract that gives panettone its characteristic holiday flavor. It was impossible to eat just a single slice of this bread…and we shouldn’t have brought out the butter…in a few minutes nearly half the loaf was gone!  The other half will make some graduate students very happy tomorrow!

This is it!  The panettone for this year’s holidays!

crumb

The recipe needs advance planning, as it uses a wild yeast sponge (mixture of water, flour, and a sourdough starter) as part of the final dough.  The fruits soak in rum, orange and fiore di sicilia extracts overnight.  The process went smoothly, my loaf is a little shallow because since I didnn’t have a 6-inch pan, mine was 7.5 inches in diameter.

This is the wild yeast sponge ready to go into the dough…. sponge2

Dried fruits soaking in rum, orange and fiore de sicilia extracts

IMG_2623

The dough smells wonderful from the very beginning….

dough1

dough2

dough3

Ready to go into the oven…

dough4

Just out of the oven…

baked1

Check out the panettone posts by other bakers following along the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge:

Oggi, from I Can Do That

Mags, from “The Other Side of Fifty”

TxFarmer, from Sina.blog

BBA#23: PANE SICILIANO

Posted in BBA Challenge, Breads by

I’ve made this bread about a year ago, and it didn’t turn out very good, so I was not exactly thrilled to make it this weekend for the BBA Challenge.  It takes three days from beginning to end, on the first day you make a pate fermentee, on the second day you make the dough and shape the bread, put it in the fridge overnight and bake next morning.
Siciliano1

My pictures tell you two things: first, I had problems shaping the dough, instead of a nice S shape, it got kind of bulky. Second , the bread had almost zero oven spring (a term used by bakers referring to how much the bread rises during baking).  My loaves ended up quite small, a problem that also happened to Paul (you can check his website following a link at the end of my post).

It tasted ok, but not great, a little too dry for my taste. I don’t think I’ll be making it again.

doughCrumb

Check out the loaves made by my virtual friends ahead of me in the BBA Challenge:

Paul….

Carolyn…

Oggi…

Joelen…

Mags…

and TxFarmer

Next in this baking journey: panettone! Looking forward to it…

BBA#22: PAIN DE CAMPAGNE

Posted in BBA Challenge, Breads by

“Pain” in French has nothing to do with “pain” in English, but this bread gave me plenty of pain. Let’s start with the good news: the crumb.
Crumb1

I’d be embarrassed to meet Peter Reinhart after BBA#22. I managed to mangle the “epis” shape. In my defense, I couldn’t resist the challenge of shaping it, as one of our favorite boulangeries in Paris is called “Pain d’Epis“. I’ve now developed an increased sense of respect for their wonderfully shaped breads, baked to perfection, day in and day out.

Back to the recipe. It calls for pate fermentee, made the day before and refrigerated overnight. In the morning add all the other ingredients (I used rye flour as the whole wheat component), and complete the recipe. I folded the dough (3 times) instead of kneading.
doughprep

To make the “epis” shape, first form a baguette-type loaf …
formed
then make scissor-cuts in opposite directions.
cutepis

After one more hour of rising, into the oven it goes….
book

Well, well, well … hmmmm, something went wrong. I guess the cuts should be more parallel to the surface, and deeper. When properly cut, the lobes of dough can be moved further apart, because if not the dough will rise and join the “epis” together again.

I lost the battle, but not the war, because the bread was very tasty, with a good crumb, nice crust,  not as as hard as a sourdough’s crust, just right… I want to perfect this shaping of the epis, though, and if anyone has advice, ideas or suggestions, I’m all ears!

Twenty-two breads down, twenty-one to go!

Check some of the “pain de campagne” made by my fellow bakers (maybe they can give me some lessons!):

Carolyn, from Two Skinny Jenkins

Joelen, from “What’s Cookin’ Chicago?”

Oggi, from “I Can Do That” (and evidently she can do a fantastic job!)

Mags, from “The Other Side of Fifty”

Paul, from “Yumarama Artisan Bread”

Txfarmer from sina.blog (very nice step by step photos)

BBA#21: PAIN A L’ANCIENNE

Posted in BBA Challenge, Breads by

Among the breads in Peter Reinhart’s book, I put this one in my “top-five-list”! Having lived in Paris for several years, I always crave the amazing baguettes that we found in every corner of the city…

Pain1

The recipe for “Pain a l’ancienne” is deceptively simple: flour, water, salt and yeast, followed by a brief kneading, and then into the fridge for several hours.  But, if making the dough is easy and simple, shaping the bread is another story! This is a high hydration dough,  that must be gently handled.  It takes an expert baker to balance the gentleness and assertiveness needed to coax such a soft dough into the correct baguette shape.  Maybe you can get an idea of how tricky it is from the photos…

This is the dough after spending the night in the fridge.   Next morning it will slowly “wake up” at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours (mine took about 3 hours and 15 minutes to double in size).

dough

Once it doubles, gently “pour” it out of the bowl, open it in a rectangle, and cut the dough in three “bread-like” pieces (the full recipe makes 6 baguettes, I made a half-recipe).   Then they will be slightly stretched and placed in a very hot oven.

opendoughformed

I need more practice with shaping baguettes, and not to mention the “slashing”.  I didn’t slash two of them, and only practiced my skills with the blade on the third.    Indeed, need more practice is a kind way to put it  😉

My baguettes had a “boat shape”, both ends rising up, which, according to Susan, from Wild Yeast,  it means the oven was too hot. Note to self: bake at 475F instead of 490F  next time!

threebaguettes

But, even if  they weren’t the best looking baguettes,  the crumb and the crust were just the way we like them; they were delicious!

crumb1

With this bread, we arrive at the midpoint of the “Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge“!    Lots of great breads ahead, but I am starting to feel a bit nostalgic. It’s a lot of fun to “bake a book” like this, with so many other bakers doing the same.  I’ll be a little sad when it’s over, but, for the time being, check out some other bakers’ pain a l’ancienne

Carolyn of Two Skinny Jenkins

Joelen, of “What’s Cookin’, Chicago?”

Oggi, of “I Can Do That”

Mags, from “The Other Side of Fifty”

Paul, from “Yumarama’s Artisan Bread”

Txfarmer from her gorgeous Chinese blog…

BBA#20: MULTIGRAIN BREAD EXTRAORDINAIRE

Posted in BBA Challenge, Breads by

Hard to believe it’s number 20 already!

This bread is made with commercial yeast and a mixture of water-soaked grains. Two things to remember: soak the grains, and cook some brown rice the day before. Or, as Carolyn (on Two Skinny Jenkins) and I did,  find yourself in full panic mode when it’s time to make the dough,  realizing too late that brown rice takes AGES to cook! However, she pulled it off nicely by cooking the rice in the microwave. My own saga didn’t have such a happy ending.  Let’s just say that I had some issues yet again.   But, first, here’s the final product, the loaf of multigrain bread extraordinaire….
bread1

As usual, we can’t post the recipes for breads made in the “challenge“, but here are some photos of  the process.

Soak a mixture of grains (cornmeal, rolled oats, and wheat bran) overnight in water, and then added them to bread flour with the other ingredients (yeast, salt, honey, brown sugar, and water).

soakerflour

My mixture lacked…. cooked brown rice… my apologies once more to Peter Reinhart, but after my initial panic I attempted to use the microwave, got “slightly distracted” and by the time I felt a strange smell coming from the kitchen, this was the state of my brown rice.

sadrice

Needless to say, I skipped the rice.  Instead of kneading in the KA, I folded the dough three times at 20, 40, and 60 minutes, formed into a loaf, sprinkled poppy seeds all over, allowed it to rise one more time, and sent it into the oven ….

double2

The bread is just a little too sweet for my taste, so next time I would reduce the amount of honey, or  maybe skip it altogether.  For a multigrain bread I prefer a sourdough base.  Still, my husband liked this bread quite a bit:  “great flavor and succulent crumb” were his comments.  I probably shouldn’t  have slashed it, but I’ve  been practicing this skill at every opportunity.

I wonder what the brown rice would bring to it in terms of taste or texture – I guess the only way to find is to make it again… 😉

slices1

You can take a look at the bakers ahead of me in the challenge, some used loaf pans, Txfarmer made gorgeous little cloverleaf buns.

Deborah, from Italian Food Forever

Oggi, from I Can Do That

Txfarmer from sina.com

Mags, from The Other Side of Fifty