a bread guy

[mondomjm]

Hello all

Just a quick introduction...I am a hardcore bread guy from Ohio.
I appreciate all of the hard work, and the wealth of knowledge that the founders and members of the FB community are willing to give.

I hope that I can contribute some myself.

Thanks

[CanuckJim]

Re: a bread guy

From one bread guy to another, welcome to the Forum.

Jim

[Xabia Jim]

Re: a bread guy

Yeah, we love bread guys.

What are some of your breads?

Jim

[Dutchoven]

Re: a bread guy

There are many "breadies" here on the forum...from one to another Welcome
Dutch

[mondomjm]

Re: a bread guy

Thanks All...

Jim: My "prime" mainstays:

a great jewish rye and "salt sticks" both of which are based on a rye sourdough culture I raised from scratch (wild yeast...Just water, rye flour and faith). These are my personal favorites, probably because my mom and I shared a love for great rye bread when I was growing up.

really good french sourdough varieties (based on a wheat culture...same deal as above) ranging from light (100% bread flour) to hearty (blends of wheat, whole wheat, and ryes).

ciabatta and crusty bubbly pizza "bread" with olive oil, seas salt, and light parmesan cheese only. More Bread than pizza as I know it. I also took that last recipe and adapted it into a base for the most incredible strombolis I have eaten.

Most of my recipes are adapted from Dan Leaders books, and ever since I read his first one, I have been a converted disciple. All of them are 100% real deal - unbleached unbromated flour (organic when available), sea salt, yeast or levain, and spring water. I would like to move past using the breadstone in my regular oven, and go all the way with an authentic WFO. I am pretty excited about stumbling onto this site (thanks Google).

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: a bread guy

Welcome!!

I got into oven building when I could not get excellent bread results from my indoor oven. If you decide to build, you will likely start wondering about a high mass barrel oven (like CanuckJim's and I think Dutchoven's) or the lower mass round Pompeii like the most users on this site.

Keep in mind while thinking about that that Jim and Dutch are professional bakers producing many many bakes from one firing. Hobbyist bakers (like myself) can still get plenty of bread out of the lower mass oven Pompeii oven. I have baked as many as 16 loaves in one firing...

I will have to check out Dan Leader's books, I have been mainly using Hamelman.

Anyway, welcome aboard!!

Drake

[Xabia Jim]

Re: a bread guy

Those sound like some tasty breads!

Thanks for the tip on the cookbook too.

[Dutchoven]

Re: a bread guy

Mine is a high mass oven and I am soon to be professional...I hope! Thanks Drake! You will enjoy Leader's work...Hamelman and Reinhart have a little more info on the techniques...Leader's is a bit more on just the formula side...great story about him and his "Bread Alone" bakery...not too far from where I grew up in NY.
All the best!
Dutch

[mondomjm]

Re: a bread guy

The pizza "slant" of this site takes me back to younger days. From age 15-21 I worked at a pizza place. The owners were from Italy, but had established their business in Cleveland about 20 years earlier. When they opened the new restaurant that I worked in, they brought a young man (about 18 I think) named Luigino Iaconianni over from Italy to teach us how to make pizza, and run the pizza side of the kitchen. He spoke no english initially, but it was surprising how he could teach a couple of suburban american kids how to make authentic hand stretched pizza without words. We had 2 massive blodgett (I think) gas fired stone ovens kept at a steady 700 degrees. It was a great experience, and one that helped form my interest in cooking...that and helping mom bake sweet stuff when I was a little kid.