French Baking

Bonus image - Robin Red Breast shot today.
While we were eating lunch, I noticed a large group of birds out our front window. Birds typically flock around our North Metro feeder stations, but these birds caught my attention. They were Robins - a flock of two dozen or so! Robins here in Minnesota on February 3rd with temperature at 10 degrees F (-12 degrees C) is quite odd. Robins typically return later in the spring after much of our snow has melted. Could this be a sign of an early spring? I sure hope so!

Dough is final proofed for 1.5 hours. Ready to be slashed then baked.

Finished French bread.

Pane Siciliano

The Sicilian - Sicilian No Knead Bread

Finally the Holiday blitz is over. Now I have plenty of time for baking artisan breads again. I subscribe to Breadtopia; an excellent online source for bread baking information. This is where I found the recipe and video tutorial for today's bread, Sicilian No Knead bread.
My quest was to find durum flour for this recipe. Semolina, a flour mainly used for pasta, is close, but not the desired mill of flour. All around the Minneapolis metro area I called in search for durum flour without success. My last resort was ordering online from King Arthur Flour. A bit expensive, but necessary.
This bread is simple to bake and I must say, it is quite delicious! I expect this bread will be baked many many times here in the North Metro Easy Bake Bakery.

A couple of things. The dough is more wet and sticky than I am used too, more care in handling is necessary. The aroma is enticing. I broke the cardinal rule of not slicing until cooled to room temperature. That is why the bread appears flattened, squished in this photo. But dang was it so delicious hot off the loaf!

Camera Model Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/6
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 41.0 mm
Image Quality RAW

Homemade Bread

French Rustic Wheat Boules. No, not store bought chemical sponge bread like wonder loaves. Time to start baking real bread made with real ingredients. The recipe is simple; flour, water, sea salt and yeast.
I thought I'd return the favor to Virginia for her boulangerie post.

Two Things Challenge - Product / Label

Gold Medal Flour is the flour of choice for many of us local bakers. Gold Medal Flour is a label I look for and a product I use for baking the artisan style breads I have posted here before.

If you are interested in baking, check out the links below.
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/questions_and_answers/bread_questions/ingredients/
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/

My Cardamom Braids, similar to my Grandmother's recipe, made with...you guessed it, Gold Medal flour. Almost like my Grandmother used to bake. Almost, but not quite. She had no formal recipe, it was all in her head. A few scoops of flour, a pinch of this, a dash of that. And somehow her cardamom bread was fantastic. I do need work on my braiding skills.

Another Minneapolis icon on the Mississippi River is the Gold medal Flour mill. Now it is in ruins, devastated from a fire. This is the red sign seen on the header page up top. Except shown above, this sign is off, the backside sign is illuminated and reflecting in the river.

This week's 2 Thing's Challenge is Product / Label brings us to the Hennepin Ave Bridge where this sign can be seen. Of course I have used this image from a similar shot back on January 31. This billboard has been standing here since 1940 in honor of the beer that was brewed here.

Why am I repeating this image? Three reasons;
1. I enjoy this icon of Minneapolis.
2. I really enjoy the colors.
3. After this ongoing media circus behind the real American Idol two years of un-ending hot air election campaigning nonsense, I'm going to need this product. 44 days left of this tiresome blitz, I don't think there is enough beer to ease the pain.

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For more information about 2 Things Challenge;

http://2thingsphotochallenge.blogspot.com/

French Boule

Baking artisan breads is my other wintertime hobby besides photography. It allstarted with a bread machine and a converted recipe for bread machine baked Italian Panettone. I modified this recipe to reflect a more authentic Panettone. This proved disasterous for my bread machine.

Off to William Sonoma for a shopping spree, a Kitchenaide stand mixer, Pizza peel, baking stone, and other baking essentials and books. The stand mixer is the only piece of machinery I use, other than the electric oven.

Here is my French Baguette...boule, rather. boules are easier to make, plus this makes great sandwich bread.