Bread glorious bread

My baguette is improving though still not there. My goal is to make good baguettes but without the insane amount of work and care that some people put into their baguettes.

Also trying a new bread. Flaxseed powder, sunflower seeds in a bread flour/wholemeal mix with pumpkin seeds on top.

Current baguette method.
1.water 70% by weight of flour, 1% yeast, 2% salt and bread flour.
2. In a mixer, put in water and yeast and then spoon in flour/salt with the motor running.
3. Mix for 2-3 mins until the flour just forms a (sticky) ball.
4. Put the dough into a container. Spray water all over dough and container and then cover it.
5. Wait for 4-5 days.
6. Take out dough, cut into suitable pieces.
7. Do a stretch and fold.
8. rest for 20-30 mins or so (dough is cold).
9. time permitting, do another gentle stretch and fold and rest again.
10. At the last time, stretch and fold the very wet dough into a rough shape.
11. wait for about an hour or so until dough gets a slightly puffed up look. Dough should be somewhat elastic.
12. 20 mins before bake, heat oven to 250C with steam injection.
13. Just before putting into oven, slash bread. Give it one last spray of water.
14. Bake in oven till well browned.
15. Open oven door for for about 5 mins but leave bread inside.

Flaxseed/sunflower/pumpkin.
1. Bread flour about 1/2 by weight. Whole wheat another 1/4 or so. Rest is flaxseed meal and sunflower seeds.
2. 2% salt, 10-12% maple syrup, 2% yeast, 15-17% butter, 65% milk.
3. Pour milk, syrup and yeast into mixer. Mix for a while till well mixed.
4. Spoon in dry ingredients.
5. Put in the butter (cold).
6. Mix for about 15-17 mins.
7. Put the dough into a covered container and keep in fridge overnight.
8. Punch down dough and do a stretch and fold.
9. wait for 20-30 mins.
10. Form into shapes. Bake in 190C oven till browned or internal temp is 195F or so.
11. Open oven door and leave bread in oven for a few mins.

Toasted pumpkin seeds .. Hmm...

Quite nice. Toasted on a non stick skillet on hob

Potato leek soup from scraps

I used 4 potatoes, garlic, and one leek. 

But I also had some spare cabbage, carrot, cucumber, Wan Sui, celery, mushroom, and thyme. Also a little bit of home brew chicken stock. So I used it all to make this soup. Chop up and sauté all veg with some dried oregano till soft and fragrant. Then add stock and diced potatoes. Top up with just enough water to cover and add the thyme and Wan Sui. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 mins covered. Then take out herbs and blend in a blender. Add the blended soup back and then add chopped mushrooms and cook till mushrooms are done. Salt to taste. I squeezed some limes to add a slight touch of acidity.

Tastes not too bad for me personally, but I think the leek taste might be slightly strong for some. Tomorrow having it for lunch with home made baguettes.

To

250C baguette

This is the highest temp I've ever dared with this bread though it supposedly is the right one.

Oven spring was big, but the internal temp hit 100C well before it browned. Here's to hoping it isn't too dry inside. Eating tomorrow.

Chocolate oatmeal tart

Not very good. Though edible.

[second day] goes well accompanying Hagen Daz "summer berries and cream"

The base is a typical oatmeal cookie type batter. Topping is a chocolate granche. One mistake was the crust is too thick. Another is that I blind bake it without weighing the crust down (recovered somewhat by weighing it down after it came out.

3 chickens

Quite happy that my oven can accommodate 3 medium sized chickens. 4 chickens are a bit of a squeeze. 

Also quite happy with the taste. I like this particular version.

Brine the chickens overnight (8hrs) with a 5% brine (liquid is half classic coca cola and half water)

Take out, wash thoroughly and pat dry. Put in fridge for at least a few hours.

Cut a garlic bulb in half and rub all over. Then stuff the cavities with some cut garlic, wan Sui and Rosemary and half a lemon. Oil the chickens.

Roast one hour at 150c with steam injection. Then open oven door to cool and roast another 50-60 mins at 100c without steam.

Bring second oven to 235c. Transfer chickens and lower to 220c. Roast until chickens brown and oven is starting to show smoke.

Decant the drippings into a pot. Bring to a boil and then add roux and lemon juice. Boil till it thickens. Strain, and use as sauce.

The smoke gave me an idea. Next time I may experiment with an actual smoking with wood chips. 

Chicken fabrication

2.5 chickens worth of parts, skin and bones. The bones to be used for stock. The skin for fat rendering. And the meat for fried chicken. 

I left a fair bit of meat on the bones and one of the thighs was too small.