It is sort of incomprehensible trying to predict how you'd feel after the passing of your mother. We knew for years of her diagnosis, & to help try to prepare myself & protect my heart from the inevitable I would try to play in my head & guess how things would probably feel after she left us. She would crack jokes about it & make us laugh - always trying to find the humor in life & death - help try to prepare us in the way she knew how (that's just how she was, always thinking of others first). In her last days when I was able to be by her bedside & hold her hand and just be there with her (I'll be forever grateful I could be there during this special time), my heart was breaking but I still couldn't have prepared myself. That morning, my world was turned upside down. I was grateful for the shock which kept me from losing it. The weight of it all felt crushing, & I kept my sights focused on my dad and sister. My anxiety & panic reemerged but I kept busy reading books on grief, talking with friends and family members who loved her too, & learned after talking to a grief counselor that all I was feeling was actually normal and healthy. You feel such pain and sorrow because you have loved your person so deeply.
I'm reflecting on what a weird & dizzying last few months it's been. My new normal no longer includes picking up the phone to call her every time something funny or interesting or scary happens - but I imagine to myself what she'd say in those situations and it brings a smile to my face. How lucky was I to have a mom like her, you know. I have an incredible father, husband, sister, and friends - amazing how so much love can come from something so heartbreaking.
Anyway, I really wanted to let you all know that I'm still here since I've taken a prolonged absence. I'm keeping up with Ozzy and churning out sandwich bread (some new concoctions I'm excited to share with you all). I moved to my new home and am tweaking my method. I will share more experiments and recipes soon once I can dedicate more of myself to all of this again. Thank you all so much for your patience and for your kind words these last few months.
See comment section below for bake notes 🌼
Having fresh home baked loaves of sandwich bread available for my family is important to me - I always am sure to prioritize a couple loaves in my schedule every two weeks 😃 Please see the link in my bio (the new and improved LinkTree) and scroll to the bottom for my full sourdough sandwich bread recipe with video tutorial! This recipe is so flexible: use your favorite blend of flour; you can cut back on the sugar or butter; milk powder is optional. I've seen many adaptations and they all seem to work! The brown sugar, butter, and milk powder help make this loaf so super soft and perfect for grilled cheese, pb&j, or hearty thick-cut deli sandwiches 😋🔥
I'll post the full recipe below, and note that I actually left this loaf to final proof in a cool spot of my house overnight! I built the levain in the morning, combined all the ingredients midday, and shaped before bed. Proofed around 70°F for 10hrs and it was ready to bake by early morning 👌 Hope you enjoy!!
To make 1 sandwich loaf (the @usa_pan I use is on my Amazon product page: 13x4x4"): Prepare 150g levain: can build overnight (1:5:5 --- 14g starter + 70g flour + 70g water) or in the early morning (1:1:1 --- 50g each starter, flour, water). I added 10g sugar as well to give the yeasts a kick.
At peak, combine all prepared levain + 525g flour (I used a blend of 200g @centralmilling Electra Light + 200g @kingarthurbaking AP flour+ 125g @meadowlark_organics bolted flour) + 275g water. Knead with dough hook until just mixed, then add on top 11g sea salt + 30g brown sugar +*25g milk powder (*optional).
After these are incorporated, knead in (a pat at a time) 70g softened butter. Knead another 10 min until dough is homogenous and soft
Bulk for 4 hrs at ~80°F with 3 coil folds.
Shape (see tutorial in link in bio), and final proof until dough rises just above the rim of the tin: ~5-7hrs at ~80F; ~10hrs at ~70F; timing is variable & highly depends on temp.
Bake in preheated oven 400°F 20 min. Turn temp down to 350°F for another 30-35 min until golden brown.
Cool on a wired rack wrapped in a towel to help steam/soften the crust. Slice and store in the freezer until you're ready to enjoy!
Still baking over here as much as I am able - taking a little bit of a break from IG this month to be with family but have lots more bakes planned soon 🥰 Every loaf is such joy - here is a 20% fresh home milled @bobsredmill whole wheat using my KitchenAid attachment @mockmillusa + 80% @centralmilling Electra Light bread flour loaf, at very high hydration ~88%. Used both lamination folding (1) + strong coil folds (3) for strength building this wet dough as explained in my Basic Method tutorial which you can find on YouTube channel (please have a look at the link in my bio for detail). Total bulk lasted 7 hours at ~76°F, then shaped, and proofed overnight at ~45°F (really pushed this beautiful dough nice and far!) ❤️ Baked using my @challengerbreadware pan as usual. A bit sour and wheaty - delicious 😋 All info on my methods can be found in the link in my bio...
Also, just a note that I updated my link in my bio a few weeks back! ✨ You can now find more educational resources there as well as my favorite full length recipes at the very bottom of the list. Happy baking everyone! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sharing with you some favorite oven springs from 2021 🔥🎇
I wanted to take a moment to say what a year it has been - full of challenges that have made me grow as a mom, a daughter, a wife, and a baker too. I have watched my son grow another wonderful year older, and watched my husband working diligently to make our new home a reality (should be moving in by March!). I've heart wrenchingly watched my beautiful, witty, lively mom grow more frail by the month from her degenerative disorder, and my dad bravely and conscientiously work to get things in order -- and with all this, I also see my family growing not apart, but closer together and really being there for one another through it all. I'm grateful for every day I got to spend with family this year. Our challenges and struggles have truly made us stronger.
I have also been so lucky to know many here that make the Instagram sourdough community everything that it is: uplifting, inspiring, encouraging, and fun! Love to see your wonderful bakes and read your shared experiences along the way. Thank you to everyone for your kindness and I hope you all have a warm and happy New Year ahead! 🎆🎇
Just one last update to the link you'll find in my IG bio - I have reorganized the whole LinkTree and added to the educational links you'll find there. I also added my favorite base recipes (sandwich bread, brioche, pretzels, bagels, etc etc) to the end of the list of links 🥰 Hope you check it out and hope the content can be helpful to you ❣️
It's that time of year again... Here are some of my favorite bakes from the last beautiful year here on Instagram! I had so much fun playing with all these different flavors, grains, inclusions... Lots of experimenting and learning along the way. Thank you for your inspiration and love along the way ❤️ I'll post some more favs tomorrow! A warm holiday and happy New Year to you all! 🎇
Notes: colors come from natural additions such as carrots, butterfly pea flour, matcha, purple sweet potato, turmeric, cuttlefish ink, chocolate, blueberry, & red pepper puree! 😋
30% @meadowlark_mill_and_farm bolted wheat, incredible flavor and makes for such a gorgeous dough. Three coil folds was all it took to develop this strong, taut (yet still pleasantly jiggly 🥰) dough. Check the link in my bio for more on developing strength via coil folds.
Remember, nailing that ideal hydration is really key to preventing an overly extensible, slack dough. Too much water and it will be difficult to build the gluten network enough so that your dough holds its shape through the extended final cold proof. See how tall the dough is after being tipped out of the banneton!
For this particular flour, blend of 30% bolted, wheat and 70% @centralmilling Electra Light bread flour, I chose a hydration of ~87% as these flours are really thirsty and absorb a lot of water -- but more important than calculating this exact value %age/number-wise, I went by dough feel. As I'm mixing in the levain and salt, it is important to me to get my hands in and **feel** the dough and make sure I am not over hydrating (dough will tend to be overly slack/pancake-like), and also that the dough is not under hydrated (dough may have trouble relaxing between folds or during final proof/tight dough has more difficulty rising in the oven spring). This is one of those subjective things that comes down to baking again and again and trying out different hydrations and seeing how this affects your given dough. Check the link in my bio for more tips on nailing the proper hydration using the Flour Stress Test!
Wishing everyone a warm, joyful holiday! 🤗❤️❄️
My family's favorite 48-hr fermented Roman-style pan pizza 🍕 Delightfully crispy bottom - creamy, fluffy crumb inside. After a short warm bulk, I refrigerated for 48 hours at 38°F in my refrigerator until I was ready for pizza day! The style pizza is by @bonci_gabriele and I'm using @ezzosausageco cupping pepperoni and a 4 cheese blend of mozzarella, parmesan, romano, and asiago 🔥 The pizza sauce is made by slow simmering canned crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic + finely diced onion + oregano for an hour. Hope you try it out! Happy Friday!!
Combo in mixer: 185g @kingarthurbaking all purpose flour + 150g @centralmilling 00 pizza flour + 265g water + 30g levain. Rest an hour. Then knead in 6g salt + 13g extra virgin oil (I use my mixer with the paddle)... Dough will be smooth but sticky!
Bulk 4.5 hours at 78°F with 3-4 coil folds at intervals: 45 min (will be so sticky); 45 min; 60 min; 120 min (by the end becomes more silky and less sticky). The last coil, transfer the dough to an oiled container and move to fridge 38°F, ~48 hrs.
~3-4 hrs before the bake, take the dough from the fridge and put on the counter ~78°F to finish rising, about doubling in volume.
Preheat oven 500°F with baking stone on lowest rack for a full hour. Oil your pizza pan (you can find the 16x12" pan I use on my Amazon Supplies page: see link in bio and scroll down to the bottom). Using a mix of semolina and all purpose flour for dusting, shape the pizza and transfer to the pulled pan.
Bake with the pizza sauce 18 min, then add toppings and put back in the oven another 2-3 min until the cheese just melts 🔥🤩
Dark chocolate and espresso babka, using a sweet starter for a boost of leavening power! 😍 I've made this now twice this last week and I'm absolutely in love! So goooood! I will post the recipe notes below. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead! 🥰🔥
Night before, mix 10g levain + 80g flour + 80g water + 20g sugar. Allowed to rise overnight, approximately 12 hours until peak at ~78-80°F.
Using a mixer, combine 345g flour (I used 285g @kingarthurbaking AP + 60g T65), two eggs (110g), 95g cold milk, and 160g levain. Knead till smooth, rest 5 min.
Then knead in 6g sea salt, 25g sugar (caster or granulated), and then 100g butter a pat at a time. Knead 5 min till very smooth.
Rest ball of dough 6 hours at room temp, and get 2 coil folds in there to build strength. Rest overnight in fridge 38°F.
Next morning: roll out cold dough, smear on cooled chocolate espresso filling (filling you can make ahead - 20g espresso + 65g heavy cream + 50g sugar + 56g butter + 1 tsp vanilla + 85g dark chocolate).
Cut, braid, proof about 5-7 hrs until nice and puffy. Egg wash, bake at 350°F 45-50 min. Glaze with simple sugar! ❤️🤗
Yesterday morning I got to participate in an incredible opportunity - a charity event called #bakersgopink - after my new friend @debrynadewi of @sourdoughbabes reached out to me last month! 💗🌷 I spent an hour with a whole bunch of beautiful bakers who live in Indonesia who have bonded due to their love of sourdough and the pandemic and wanting to do something good together. This charity event spends the month discussing issues about and fighting for the causes they feel strong about including breast cancer, preventing women and children abuse, providing care for orphans in Papau who were born with HIV, and with events also on food waste management, and improving mindfulness. They sell their baked goods to raise money for these causes! Incredible, I tell you! I played a small part this weekend by donating a Q&A and demo session where we got to meet online and nerd out all about sourdough bread 💗💗💗
These last few months have been quite challenging ones for my family and me on many levels, and many times I feel lost and overwhelmed and heartbroken with it all. I cannot tell you truly how amazing and healing it was yesterday to reconnect with the bakers out there in this community - seriously emotional experience that I'll remember forever, and reminded me how awesome social media and the power of friendship, baking, and connection can be 🙏🙏 thank you for reaching out @debrynadewi 😊
I haven't been home to bake much lately, but wanted to show one of my favorite loaves... A pink bread seems appropriate for the day - made using @friedasproduce Stokes purple sweet potatoes 😋 Swipe over for a video of how I incorporate the 15-20% potato 😃 Check the link in my bio for more detail on all things sourdough!!
Special thanks again to @sourdoughbabes@debrynadewi and everyone who participated yesterday (and @el1ana.s for the Story screen grab 📷) 🔥
Lemon zest and fresh vanilla bean makes for a loaf that smells and tastes like such a treat! 😃 Wonderful paired with coffee or tea!! I turned it into a purple/blue butterfly pea flower swirl bread for some extra fun 🤗 So cool how the different lighting can cause the loaf to look more blue or purple - though I find the purple color to be a more accurate representation of the true color 💜💙🔥
Hope all who celebrated yesterday had a lovely and peaceful Thanksgiving - we reflected at the dinner table what we were grateful for and I feel particularly grateful this year to spend this holiday with both my parents 🥰
See the link in my bio and head to my YouTube channel for my full blue swirl bread tutorial. I used 1 whole lemon for zesting and all the seeds from 1 vanilla bean - swipe over for video details!
Extra notes: used all white flour here @centralmilling Electra Light + ~88% hydration. Blue dough made from steeping 7g butterfly pea flour tops with 125g boiling water. See YouTube tutorial for details. 150g flour each dough.
Autolysed 2 hours; 20% levain; 2.1% sea salt. Bulked 7 hours at ~76°F. Dough rose about double before shaping.
Final proofed at 38°F overnight, baked as usual in @challengerbreadware pan. See link in my bio for more! 🔥
Part 2: Sweet and buttery molasses dinner rolls! Ahhh the luxuriously soft and fluffy interior - lightly sweet and with wonderful depth of flavor - I hope you guys are able to try these out - Yum!! 🤤😃 Please see Part 1 of this post for the full recipe and video showcasing the whole process. Just use your mixer to make the dough, roll the little buns, and proof! Make these ahead of time and freeze/thaw/microwave for like-fresh-out-of-the-oven, warm, ultra amazing bread 🥰 Thanks to my sister for inspiring me to try a molasses bun 😘
Just a note as I’ve mentioned, the proof time is variable and highly dependent on the temperature (and the activity of your starter). So keep the proofing dough at warmer temps ~80-84F and they’ll proof faster (overnight about 12 hrs in my experience); while cooler temps ~73-75F will take much longer (15-24 hrs). I kept to 80-82F, made my levain in the morning, then mixed my dough that evening a few hours before bed. By the next morning they were ready to egg wash and bake!
Because things have been especially busy with the house lately, I decided to prep ahead and freeze these till Thursday - I wrapped the buns in a towel and they’re just going to rest in the freezer until Thursday morning. I’ll take them out a few hours before dinner to let them thaw, and then wrap them in a damp towel and microwave on high for 45 sec - works like an absolute charm - no one will know they’re not freshly baked buns 😉
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and wishing you all a lovely week ahead! Happy baking! 🙏
Part 1: Baking a few rounds of these sweet and buttery molasses (make-ahead!!) dinner buns for Thanksgiving dinner has meant a fulfilling weekend for me! See Part 2 with more photos and videos showing the final deliciously soft buns! 😍🤤 This dough takes a while to rise (rise times dependent on temperature - see details below), and I have been proofing overnight so they are ready by morning. The process overall is super simple and fun 👌
Basically, build a sweet levain (note: sugar slows the rise but makes for a high rising, sweeter/less sour result), then mix all ingredients in a mixer bowl, then divide and shape the little balls. Proof in the baking dish until fully risen (these triple in volume at least) all the way to the rim and bake! I’ve included all the recipe notes below, and please swipe over for all the videos I took along the way 😃
Prepare sweet levain: 50g active starter + 50g flour + 50g water + 25g sugar; ferment warm around 80-82F ~8-10 hours until tripled or more.
To a mixer bowl add: 250g bread flour (I used @centralmilling Electra Light) + 65g AP flour (@kingarthurbaking ) + levain + 1 room temp egg (50g) + 20g brown sugar + 100g milk + 6g salt + 30g molasses. Knead on low speed with hook ~5 min until the dough becomes homogenous (see video).
Add the room temperature unsalted butter (55g total) a pat at a time. Knead 5-8 min after final pat until dough is smooth and elastic (see video).
Round into a ball, and rest on the counter (covered) for 30-60 min.
Divide dough into 16 balls ~45g each. Place 4x4 into an oiled 9” square ceramic dish ~½” apart.
Proof the dough until the balls rise all the way to the rim: timing depends highly on temperature. 70F: ~24 hours. 75F: ~18 hours. 80-84F: ~12-14 hours.
Egg wash (1 whole egg + 1 tbsp water) and bake in a 400F preheated oven for 12 min. Lower oven temp to 350F and bake another 12 min until beautifully browned.
Cover with a towel to let the buns soften up.
Enjoy right away while still warm from the oven 🥰, or store like I'm doing for a later date! For Storage and Revival Instructions, see Part 2...
