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**SheilaAnn** · February 11, 2023, 04:35 PM

Just for comparison…. This is the RIGHT way this recipe is supposed to look. From a few months ago…

**Richard Chrz** · February 25, 2023, 09:53 AM

After a week of 18 bakes, I think baking, so much like life is finding the degree of compromise your willing to make on one side of the bake for a side you want to explore more. And then learning to remove some of the compromises along the way.

I can not even think what a perfect loaf would look like, or taste like, nor do I chase it. I enjoy the knowledge, often gained by accident, that makes you go, oh, that’s how that happens. Even if you do not use it, knowing you have it in your pockets if needed. But it would be silly not to explore it a bit, just to further your belief in that part of the process. I had such different bake this week, I made 12 and worked in the way that I know how, and with what elements (garage temps, and fridge temps being way too cold) we’re given me, then the following day most of my pizzas had been picked up, the refrigerator space was not at such a premium, I took advantage of a refrigerator in the house for 6 loaves, and added a few new steps in my build up to shaping, totally different way of balling the dough, but the warmer fridge for certain, just gave me such a beautiful crust, I have almost forgotten what summer bread looks like here, the likely 6 - 10 degrees difference, was two worlds apart. Yet, the uniformity and ears that pop all day long with big bellies, that’s winter bread, the colder can be such an incredible tool when used. Also, my pizza fermentation, even at 15 percent, has no problems waking up from cold nights in the almost frozen fridge. It makes me wonder if the sweet spot is not somewhere 3 - 3 1/2 degrees cooler than normal temp. But, really it may be more linked to average temp over a larger amount of time, so that could be achieved in longer bulk in a cool house.. so many questions.. I think It goes back to the most useful tidbit I took from FWSY, time and temp, consider them ingredients. Which is no different then bbq,

**Richard Chrz** · February 25, 2023, 01:45 PM

Continuing the process in developing my own sourdough style pita or pizza pockets for meatballs, sauce and mozz, as well as various sourdough ciabatta and other sandwich breads for summer bbq and various smoked sandwich meats.

**Richard Chrz** · March 28, 2023, 11:44 AM

I’ve been taking a lesson in flour that I hoped at some point would become something I would have to face and adapt. About a month ago maybe, I emptied one bag of flour on 12 loaves, and then opened a new for pizza and 6 more loaves. Instantly the same brand, same recipe, same mixing time, etc… my dough felt like incredibly silky, and I presumed to be even better.

I baked the first 12, and they all just came out where I like to see them, it made me even more excited to see what the difference in dough was going to provide in the next 6. It was a disappointment, although still beautiful all over, they lacked that last pop of energy somewhere. I was now grateful that I would be done with this bag soon. Opened the next, the same…

So now going into my second week of experimenting with thoughts. The only thing I could make sense of was to A. Cut back on hydration or B. Check to see if I am over mixing for whatever this change in flour is. It will be a few days until I can say if it was repeatable or not.

Last week I went down with mixing, by a lot, my bread bounced back even bigger. So, I’ll report back, but, definitely consider mixing amount in tune with the flour you are working with. I prefer stand mixers, it is my belief they do a far better job mixing flour and water, but maybe there is a point of maybe too much damage to the structure based on some factor? Not sure, but I believe I have begun a new harvest from that mill.

**Bob's BBQ** · March 28, 2023, 03:29 PM

Last summer my nephew asked if he could use my smoker. He wanted to do about 50# of pork shoulders for an event. He wanted me to coach him through the cook so he could learn how to do it, as he was trying to figure out if it was something he might want to pursue as a hobby. I told him that after he was done, he would know if he were a BBQ guy, or a guy that just likes to eat BBQ. He hit all his marks, and the cook went great. He decided he was a guy that just liked to eat BBQ. I'm so impressed with this thread Richard, and your attention to detail and the science. I'm so interested in giving this a try. I fear I may be a guy that just likes to eat bread.... Your photos are amazing.

**Richard Chrz** · March 30, 2023, 09:46 AM

So, I’m baking half of this weeks bakes today, 6 in total today. I definitely solved my problem with a lighter mix.

i never quite understood how aggressive or “possibly damaging” over mixing could be in a good stand mixer, but, I guess it is a pretty violent process in thought, and maybe you can only rebuild so much, or maybe there are more intelligent ways of building back a a dough like that. But I switched from 6 minutes to about 3 1/2. My new stand mixer can run on a timer for up to 12 minutes, with it being direct drive it just never over works.

I’m not sure I know the science, but, I am gaining a pretty good grasp on some of the control levers.

Today’s bakes are some of my best I think.

**Richard Chrz** · April 30, 2023, 09:31 AM

Getting more comfortable in my process on an open crumb flatbread, I sent a few out this week to friends that I thought would give me honest feedback. This is still at 65% hydration, I’m going to start moving this towards 80 percent for awhile.

Sandwich photo credit goes to one of my samplers, the burger with it is my own.

**FireMan** · April 30, 2023, 09:42 AM

I’ll definitely take that sandwich! Yer burger, aesthetically is just a little off. But, I’ll bet it tastes mahvelous!

**Richard Chrz** · August 17, 2023, 12:11 PM

I think a few peopl know that I purchased a new standmixer at the beginning of the year, it is a Anskarum.

I’ve been using it now for almost 9 months, and the amount of bread and pizza, I can’t even imagine right now. But it’s a lot! Almost 12 loaves every week and 16 pizza kits.

when given all this time, you start asking questions of every little detail you see, I’ve been thinking since almost the first few times using it that, I believe it completely wipes the floor of my KA Pro 600 , they are just on different fields of play, not saying you should go out and buy one, just my experience.

I got the idea thanks to a friend sharing a video of someone making monsterius amount of pizza dough that never hit the bench, all done by good process, and the use of an industrial floor style standmixer.that, I believe my stand mixer, blends the ingredients so much better that I may not be needed for much.

so, test bake one,

3 minutes on a low speed, in stand mixer, ( no autolyse etc), removed the dough, balled it up once, and left it in a bowl to just ferment, no folding, no coiling, no kneading, just roll away and leave it alone. At the same time I had 11 regular loaves and a batch of 6 sourdough ciabatta that I did all my normal work with. When I shaped my 11 other loaves, I pulled this one out of the bowl and did it alongside.

Results. The loaf mixed in with 3 others, and a few individual photos of the actual loaf I did almost nothing with.

**Richard Chrz** · August 24, 2023, 04:14 PM

So I repeated the above experiment, with two loaves this time, both were what I really expected, not like my normal loaf results. So the one beautiful loaf last week, was a fluke, the steps matter. I was really hoping that I would get to be more lazy.

**Richard Chrz** · September 1, 2023, 04:19 PM

We have a new event center in town on the Mississippi River, it’s small, historic building, and they have a cool little bar vibe. They also have a full kitchen that is not being used.

They reached out to ask if I would talk with them about offering cooking classes, but more in a cocktail style maybe date night kind of experience. One that they are quickly intrigued is entering into the discussion of a a sourdough baking class. There is no way I can teach sourdough bread making in an hour or two, so I guess it would have to be broken out into 6-8 weeks one night and maybe it is just people pay for the night they are interested in, not sure.

But, if you were to attend something like this, how would you like to see it structured, remember, there may be a few really interested, but really they are trying to get people in the door and ordering drinks. So, not sure what expectations should be.

**Richard Chrz** · September 2, 2023, 08:56 AM

Movingthis conversation from Show us what your baking, to here.

treesmacker I have just quick drew n out the view looking down, and look it at it from the end. I simulated where roughly the score is, if I am dead center both sides (practice for a while with a piece of floss, hold it center line or a. It off, you can decide that later but push down and set a center line to follow, the e d view, I roughly drew how far down I score, and the rough angle of angle.

I will collect my thoughts and respond again, with the questions I have asked of scoring, so take it at hearsay though, it’s only what I have thought. Give me a bit though and I will come back to it.

**treesmacker** · September 2, 2023, 03:40 PM

Richard Chrz Thanks for that information. I've been scoring off to my right thinking as it rose it would draw all the way across and I thought that is what you were doing. I'll try it right down the center as suggested and see what happens. So helpful! Thanks again!

**Richard Chrz** · September 6, 2023, 10:16 AM

There is 5 loaves of of my Loaf #1 in the larger container, one experimental one on top left, then 2 ciabattas on the right if the container. 10 sourdough pizza balls that just got cut and balled up again at the 24 hour mark. The pizzas will get a few hours out on the counter. When I see they are on the move they will go back in refrigeration, likely by noon.

the 6 regulars will get cut and shaped this evening, then proofed, and into refrigerator. guessing by 3 or 4 for cutting and shaping, then roughly 5- 6 pm before properly proofed, is my guess at least based on kitchen temp. It’s a bit cool. Not shown is a batch of sauce that was made today, will sit in the refrigerator a large batch until I put them in separate cups tomorrow.

raw flour weight, just about 12-13 lbs of flour used.

**Richard Chrz** · September 29, 2023, 01:47 PM

I’ve taken the last few weeks off from baking, as well as grilling, pizza, etc, to preserve energy for our fundraiser last weekend, as well as this week. But it was time to start back up, hence the live fire Carne Asada last night.

instead of just baking I decided to test out some AP flour I had sitting around, i accidentally got a 25lb bag of it, same brand as my bread flour. I had been using a bit of it here and there for other projects, but had not done bread yet.

I need to cut all of them open, although one regular loaf is for my mom. My first one revealed not as open crumb, and my wife has had a slice and said, although it is good, it is not as good as bread flour.

Working with the dough, fermentations, shaping, baking etc, there was no change, I had a very strong oven rise even. I’ll hopefully get photos of the rest of them. The one that will really tell me is the ciabatta not shown in this photo.

2 of my Loaf #1 (or as I’m considering changing the name to Pain de Chrz.
1 fougasse
1 baguette
1 sesame loaf (total guess project with some over proofed dough I had in the fridge for a week and a half or more. So it was purely for “to see”
1 Ciabatta.

I also mixed up a pizza dough for tonight with AP.

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