I forgot to mention that I made another loaf of bread the other day. I posted pictures on flickr, but never made it this far. I used the same recipe as last time, including the same seed mixture for rolling.
Last time, I was completely amazed by how high the loaf rose in the oven. Not so, this time. There were a few reasons, but I mostly blame the yeast. The dough didn’t bulk up pre-oven the way it did before, and the only difference between the two times was the brand of yeast I used. It seemed alright when it proofed, but not quite as vigorous as before.
I also think I chickened out on the initial oven temperature. I forgot to write down how hot I got the oven going last time, but I think I maxed it out (550F) for ten minutes before turning it back down to about 390. As I was setting the temperature this time, I thought there was no way I had it going that hot and so only went up to 500. Ah well, live and learn. It’s still a handsome loaf, if I do say so myself.
You can see from that slice how dense and gluten-y it is. It actually makes it about a million times easier to slice — the other loaf was so big and light that it was tricky to get an even piece off it.
It’s definitely time to go to the co-op soon — now that the party leftovers have run out, I’m realizing there’s not much in the fridge. I’ve been doing a lot of wandering around at mealtimes, unable to decide what I want from what I’ve got on hand. But going to the co-op means I can get some interesting flours for my next loaf.
Although, so long as it toasts and goes well with peanut butter, any sort of bread is fine by me, no matter how flat or white it is.
