....and the quest for the perfect 'crumb'. I've been baking almost all of our bread for the past several years and though my sandwich-type loaf is fine, I'm still not completely satisfied with the artisan country bread that we enjoy so much. I want to bake the kind of bread that is the perfect compliment to a steaming bowl of homemade soup or a big plate of spaghetti....crusty and chewy and tasty. The kind of bread that I...ahem...used to buy from Panera.
The bread should have bigger holes and a chewier texture....something that can handle a big slather of butter. I've tried the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day techniques but didn't really like the results or the fact that it takes up alot of space in the fridge.
I did find a recipe in Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book that looks promising ...takes 2 days to prepare but I'm willing to give it a shot. And I also broke down and ordered a sourdough starter (mine always ended up tasting sour in a bad mouth-puckering way) so maybe that will be a key to the mystical ever-elusive perfect loaf.
One can only hope.
....to be continued.
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3 comments:
Delicious.
I always struggle with the crumb. While I loved my crusty, blistery loaf - the holes inside were too uniform and small. The crust was perfect, though. Just perfect.
I like the whole grain bread book from Peter Reinhart, but I think I *love* his "Artisan Breads Everyday." I tried the techniques from the other folks you mentioned, but have never been successful with their recipes. Peter Reinhart's work every time.
That one is on my wish list mamaraby....but I may need to move it into the cart for next month's purchase, I want to make it NOW :)
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