Miche Shapiro

Hi, I baked just two of these large 2 Kg. Miches on Saturday night. To be totally honest no one had ordered a Miche but I felt like doing a least a couple of test loaves. At any rate they ended up serving as sacrificial offerings to the oven beast; the heat was up around 550 F and with other more numerous loaves waiting I needed to bring the temperature down somewhat. The two loaves baked for over an hour and came out a deep chocolate brown, too dark perhaps for most peoples taste but perfect for mine. The temperature did decline to a more acceptable 500 F, I got the temperature I wanted and the Miches were shoved onto a side table and forgotten...until today.
I decided to cut into one just to take a peek before reluctantly tossing them out and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw and tasted. The crust is highly carmelized almost to the point of being bitter, it maintains an almost sugary crunch into the crumb, a hint of earthy rye, strong baked whole wheat and a mild but long lasting tang. The formula is courtesy of my very good internet friend and fellow baker/chef/foodie, Jeremy Shapiro, a man on a mission to expand the role of the humble but tasty rye grain. Jeremy maintains a passionate and wide ranging food blog called stirthepots.com, I highly recommend it for those who are avid to read, look and listen to everything about good food. When I am seeking knowledge, general or specific or simply browsing, Jeremy never fails to entertain me and I'm grateful that he has continued to post, update and generally document his unending search for all that is tasty. I will be hitting a deli tomorrow for some decent cheese and good sausage, this is bread that will stand strong beside you through the storms of life...arrrggg. Put a lid on the psycho-babble yer a baker not an analyst.

5 Grain Levain

My 10 year old son chomps his way through a half a loaf of this bread every morning. It's loaded with sunflower and flax seeds, oats and whole rye berries yet it's a very light bread. Usually when I finish the mix I often wonder how on earth is this puddle of porridgy soup ever going round up into a cohesive dough, but a fold or two later and maybe an overnight retard and it springs forth with a nice bloom. Who says whole grain breads are stodgy and boring? These are high quality carbs baby! Munch, slather, crunch!

Cliffside in 1953

Hi, Lou Cincelle, a former longtime Cliffside resident was kind enough to give me a photocopy of a picture from an event from long ago. In the picture you will see a sign that says "Bakery". There was a business in that location called "Patisserie Parisienne" that Lou's parents ran from 1958 to 1976. At the time of this photo it was called "Sorensen's Bakery". If you have any old clippings from this era that are pertinent to Cliffside Toronto, please scan and send them over, I will post. I'm interested in anything of historical value that`s connected with our neighbourhood.

Semolina Levain

Hello, I continue to mine the fertile terroir of Jeffrey Hamelman's fantastic book, "Bread, A Bakers Book of Techniques and Recipes". This book is a bible for myself and many others. Jeffrey's commitment to the details of making good bread help make the attentive reader focus on developing the skills of manipulating time and temperature for optimal results. This latest bread, Semolina Levain is another of the "liquid levain" style formulas. 60% Durum Semolina flour, a mere 15% pre-ferment and long cool fermentation yields a very scrumptious blond crust with a tangy translucent crumb, studded with added roasted sesame seeds. A bona fide winnah. Go out and buy this book, your bread baking will rise ('~') to the next level. Enjoy the photos...

Pana Rustika- The Inside Story

Hi, This bread began as an adaptation of "Rustic Bread" from Jeffrey Hamelman's book, "Bread". I began using a liquid levain instead of the yeasted preferment in the original formula and increased the hydration from 68% to 72%. The results have been pleasing, the loaf is well flavoured with whole grain rye and whole wheat flours, and the levain provides a mild tang. I needed a new name, one that paid homage to the original and that had some fake european nomenclanture (like Corinthian Leather), and Pana Rustika was born.