Really, baking bread is a miracle with a little bit of magic. When you consider that you are trapping air bubbles in a matrix of protein and water (gluten), it is a miracle that anything is more than a piece of leather when it comes out of the oven. But gluten is very adept at trapping the air and even letting you knead and shape it in various ways. In the last few weeks, I have been test baking Schneken (German brioche rolls), TBD (The Bread Doctor) Sourdough, and Russian Black Bread. All are very different doughs, but start with flour, water, salt and yeast. Here are some photos of the finished products:
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| TBD Sourdough |
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| Russian Black Bread |
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| Schneken made from Brioche |
I had a sale of Russian Black Bread this week and had orders for 51 loaves. I am very pleased with the flavor and texture of the bread, although my teacher’s loaves were darker when we made them in school. My son, Andrew, states that the Schneken rolls are his favorite pastry. They have an Amarena cherry in the middle which is a very delicious and unique flavor. I had never tasted one before baking school. The sourdough bread is made from a wild starter that I made when we lived in Salt Lake City going to medical school over 20 years ago.
Here is a photo of the outside of the kitchen remodel that we are anxiously awaiting, and the madness is just beginning. The laundry room under the kitchen is out of commission, and Lisa is at the laundromat weekly. We soon will be looking forward to days of microwave meals from our dining room or something similar when they knock out the kitchen walls and gut it to make the old room and new rooms one…..more madness.
