Week 1 - We start with Anadama

I’m starting over again and approaching this whole bread baking thing a little more methodically. I have had a couple of books on bread baking and have read many websites dedicated to the art of doing so, but I never really tackled it like I would a new subject in school.

I have to break this down, read, research, practice and plan. It should be treated much like my 5 credit lab science, Consumer Chemistry, without the Friday morning hang over preferably. This strategy will give me the background on the subject I need, while also allowing me to put the ideas into practice in my lab, the kitchen.

My inspiration behind this is indeed the concept from the move “Julie & Julia.” Snicker if you want my male friends, but this movie is entertaining and once in a while I like to watch these kinds. I will dedicate one week to a bread recipe until I have completed every single recipe and most every single variation.

Variants may be left up to interpretation and ultimately not completed, depending on if they are worthy. The reason for this is that I’m not sure I need to try all of the dried fruit options available to me in a stolen. I’m pretty sure there’s not much of a difference between raisins and craisins, other than a C. However, if there is a different technique or flour type, with a recipe I will try that in order to get the full experience of this experiment. It’s possible that on a given weekend I will try many variations, as long as my time and ingredients permit. I actually know already that two weekends will not permit me to bake (Aaron’s bachelor party, and a Green Bay Marathon.)

The textbook of choice for this endeavor is none other than the encyclopedia of bread making, “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread”, by Peter Reinhart. Since this isn’t a Capstone (shout out to my Stritch Alum) I won’t be documenting proper APA style. A sturdy book with both instructions, theories, stories, formulas and recipes. It’s a virtual cornucopia of everything that you need to know about bread baking. In this book there are approximately 44 recipes (which he calls formulas), not including the pre-ferments. Pre-ferments are just the starters that are sometimes used to extend fermentation, tease out flavours (look I’m so cool I use an ‘ou) from the different grains. I would say most of you know the Sourdough starter as the classic pre-ferment.

As you may recall I haven’t had that much luck with sourdough starters, but I will trudge on. Yo Joe!

Here are the ground rules for my experiment

1. Only the book can be used for the formulas
   
2. No “weight watchering it up.” Some of you know that I lost 45lbs on Weight Watchers and I currently am a WW leader. It’s hard to not want to make things “healthier” or try and substitute another ingredient to add less fat, or more fiber. However, like my loving wife indicated, “follow the formula, no substitutions, no weight watchering it up.”
   
3. I will weigh out the ingredients rather than measure. The book makes it clear that the best way to bake, is to weigh ingredients because 8oz is 8oz, but someone’s 1 cup scooping is different from another one’s scooping method.
   
4. I will definitely have to plan things out if I am going to get this right. I will make a calendar to plan out any preferments, or soakings that have to take place before hand (especially them starters.)

That’s it. I will post most of my adventure on Sunday nights so that any one at work or Andi’s work can anticipate some goodies the next day. I will try and do a couple of batches whenever possible.

This first week, Andama Bread. Needs a soaker of cornmeal started the day before. Coarse ground if possible. Oh yeah, it’s possible. Sendiks FTW.