So,a note on bakes today. Lately I feel like I have been losing some control of the depth of fermentation pushing my score/ear over, .today I realized I had migrated to scoring dead center. I moved myself back to 1/4 inch at most off center, and regained most of what I was looking for. I have no idea how I moved to center without realizing it.
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Last edited by Richard Chrz; December 6, 2022, 01:07 PM.
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rickgregory why not just tell him to grow and harvest his own wheat?
I buy bags of malted barley and run it through a mill with a 0.039" gap to crack the husks and open them up, but I don't think anyone at home wants to get into the flour milling process when there are so many good flours already available...
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jfmorris - actually a fair number of serious home bakers mill their own flour. There are attachments for the KA stand mixer and small, standalone mills. The advantages are two, really:
1) Completely fresh flour
2) Grain lasts a lot longer than milled flour which will eventually degrade over a period of months at room temp.
The latter is really only relevant to folks like me who bake weekly or less. For Richard it would be silly unless he wanted the freshness.
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First 8 of 18 loaves this week,, also 8 pizzas doughs ready, and two focaccias to still bake by Friday afternoon.
Last edited by Richard Chrz; December 7, 2022, 09:58 PM.
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Yet, I don’t make or bake anything like Forkish, my loaves are a completely different method. Thank you for the kind words!
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Andrrr I use my own method, I closed books a few years ago and decided to develop my own methods and timing, recipes, percentages, flours, etc.. always happy to help. Just ask, otherwise I assume it’s of little interest. Lot’s of bread knowledge in this forum, mine is just one way, by no means the right way.
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P.s. almost every step in my method is in this thread. I change things constantly, but the steps here will get y0u a great loaf.
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Winter is proving again to me that the methods never stay the same. It really is one of the reasons I hesitate sharing methods, as my methods and fermentation schedules are generally always evolving. Some of this weeks methods and fermentation schedule were almost nothing like previous posts. I did a new way of shaping for me on this bake, and I love it, but have found minor cosmetic issues to work through.
I did not keep actual count this year, but next year I hope to have better records keeping. I think I baked roughly 300- 350 loaves of bread, and roughly 500 pizza kits made. Next year I would like to increase those numbers a bit, with some newer offerings added in. The only thing I can say that I have had success in over the last few years after closing all books on bread & pizza and just learning from dough instead, is that I have become one with my oven, and the dough sets the schedule, (much like bbq doneness is determined by probe tender, not temp). I have a super cheap electric oven. But to paraphrase Chris Bianco a bit, “you can have a 100,000 dollar oven and still turn out shit, as shit going in is shit coming out.”
I bake one loaf at a time, and a few weeks ago I did my longest bake of almost 14 hours of oven time, and managed to keep humidity the entire time. I think if there is a lesson in bread, it is become one with your oven, stop listening to how books tell you to bake, your not using their oven.
here are a few photos from this weeks bakes of various loaves.
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I just watched a video with Richard Bertinent and he took a 2 day old loaf (the best type of loaf for the recipe he was making because it was dry) for Pain Surprise.
It made me think of all the bakes you have been showing. A quick search and nothing came up on Pain Surprise…it looks really good!
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You bake ONE loaf at a time? And still get consistency like that? (Bows in the direction of Richard). Have you ever considered getting something like a Rofco?
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WayneT I generate steam the entire time. I have a photo I can post here, although I think it is in an earlier post. Let me find it and I will repost the photo as a new comment. I set up my two ovenngrates on the bottom two holds. The very bottom one I have a half sheet pan full of water, that I will strategically refill through out the bake, 3 loaves no need, but once you start going 4, 6, 9, loaves, that pan needs to be refilled, and efficiently. More on that later. But certainly will share.
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Richard Chrz - what proofing boxes are you moving to?
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rickgregory ignore the price, as that is for like 10 of them. I will likely get these, as I have one already that I have used a few times. I think I can proof comfortably 6-9 loaves and up to I believe 10-12 pizzas, likely the lower end of those two, but, I’m getting way too many 6 qt cambros, and my experience says the more dough that bulks together, the better the bulk goes. https://www.amazon.com/Fish-Tubs-Foo...inkCode=df0&hv
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Mastery, of anything, is always a beautiful phenomenon to witness. Thanks for starting and maintaining this thread.
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So I just got my first review from a local up and coming food reviewer
“First time trying Fairchild Kitchen. Richard Chrz is a God damn wizard. Sourdough is a labor of love and science and a beautiful balance between rest and action. I only got half a piece this week so I ordered two more to really know what's up. You want a loaf that has taken many experiments to perfect and tweak. Try out these parcels of perfection from Fairchild Kitchen !”
Last edited by Richard Chrz; January 1, 2023, 09:05 PM.
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So, I’ve been hyper focused on fixing my bread. Over time, I somehow have lost steps looking for efficiency, it owned my head space. I feel I have accomplished what I was searching for. At some point I would like to update the shaping photos, and a better angle photo on scoring, with a bit of my thoughts on why, I do it this way.
Last night I had the opportunity to bring one of my loaves to a James beard semi finalist, as well as his lovely wife who operates the front of the house with impeccable grace. Unfortunately I was not able to chat with the chef as we had planned. But I did get a message from the chef and his wife. “EXCELLENT, it could be served in any Michelin star restaurant, perfection.” I don’t think I would have gotten that had I not reeled in my steps again. A photo of the chefs loaf.
Last edited by Richard Chrz; February 4, 2023, 02:56 PM.
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Richard Chrz what is “over proofing” dough? I can Google it, but I want to hear from you. Specially pizza dough.
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SheilaAnn I’m trying to answer in this, as reply’s always seem to limit response.
I think it starts with what does “proofing” mean. Proofing means.. proving it is still capable of increasing.. over proofing means that you take the dough beyond a point of maturing in growth, which means it no longer has the ability to benefit from your love once it hits the oven. It lost it’s pep. When I put a loaf in a banneton to get help in it’s shape, it has to “prove” to me it is still going to build once I have started that and bake before it’s lost it’s ability to improve again. Key word (Im”prove”) I try to work in a 75-80 percent of maximum ability range, advance while it is still building, or “before” it has peaked. Too much room for things to go wrong, unless you are nailing it day in and day out in exact scenarios. Or so that is what I think… it Is just how I made it make sense to me.
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