Camelia Swings Her Peel
Hi, I was interviewed by Minna Rhee of Global News last week as part of a series on local Toronto bakers,
Last Community Bake of 2011
Hi,
We started this blog in 2007, but had already been baking out of the backyard oven since December of 2005. We have received awesome support from our little pocket here in Cliffside, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The World. The list isn't long, you all know who you are. You followed us through our shaky first steps as bread bakers, there were some pretty flat, burnt and overly sour breads back then. A lot of trial and error but enough successes that we developed a following. CBC came along and interviewed us, that really helped to make more people aware of what we were doing. Here we are, five years later, so much the wiser? Maybe. At least the bread is better. Anyway, thanks, it's been a lot of fun and we have learned a lot in ways that would not have been possible if we hadn't built that damn oven in the first place. I have a love/hate thing going with it. It reminds me of Star Trek when Captain Kirk says in that overly dramatic way..." The Enterprise...I give...she takes"
I have run out of things to say.
Thank You Cliffside.
Elvis has left the building.
All the best to you and yours.
Fall Bread Baking
We've been baking once a week for the past month, as well as our monthly community bread bakes. It's tiring but worth it, and the 2 food banks,The Big Parrot and The Crutcher Shop, that are now doing something for our stuff don't seem to be pretty unhappy. It's been very busy, between scrounging for wood, picking up even more ingredients: flour, walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chocolate, onions... whew!
Then there's the bake itself, firing the oven, building the levains, mixing the doughs and finally baking everything off...we just keep rolling along.
Reflections on summer 2010
Yikes, what a summer. Labour strife, gushing oil and sky-rocketing wheat prices. Not to mention pestilence and locusts.
We're trying to find a location and set up shop, but it's hard. It's either too much rent or no you can't vent at this location. Enough to drink you to driving. The solution is to keep doing what you do best, in my case it's BAKE MORE BREAD.
I have wanted to expand our Rye Bread category, even if it's only for my own particular tastes.
I love the earthy, tangy flavour of a sourdough rye. With it's unique production requirements rye bread is an interesting challenge when compared to breads made exclusively with wheat flour. Mind you, a combination of whole grain rye flour and high gluten wheat flour, say, 40% rye and 60% wheat makes for a pleasant mix of hearty chewiness. Great for morning carb munching or sandwiches.
Switch the percentages around to 60% rye and only 40% wheat, or even higher, and you can see why folks in Germany and pretty much all of eastern Europe could live on it almost exclusively, back in the days of hand threshing and serfdom.
With the interest level for whole grain breads holding its own, you would think that the next big thing bread-wise would be an increased demand for rye breads. While I won't bank on that happening I am going to push it from my end and continue to pump out more varieties of the humble but tasty rye bread. Here are a few pics from recent bread bakes. (I don't know why I call them "bread bakes", it's not as if I'm doing pastries or cakes).
We're trying to find a location and set up shop, but it's hard. It's either too much rent or no you can't vent at this location. Enough to drink you to driving. The solution is to keep doing what you do best, in my case it's BAKE MORE BREAD.
I have wanted to expand our Rye Bread category, even if it's only for my own particular tastes.
I love the earthy, tangy flavour of a sourdough rye. With it's unique production requirements rye bread is an interesting challenge when compared to breads made exclusively with wheat flour. Mind you, a combination of whole grain rye flour and high gluten wheat flour, say, 40% rye and 60% wheat makes for a pleasant mix of hearty chewiness. Great for morning carb munching or sandwiches.
Switch the percentages around to 60% rye and only 40% wheat, or even higher, and you can see why folks in Germany and pretty much all of eastern Europe could live on it almost exclusively, back in the days of hand threshing and serfdom.
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| 40% Rye with Caraway Seeds |
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| 60% Rye with Sunflower Seeds |
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| Krackerkörn Levain |
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| Red Fife Levain with Pumpkin Seeds |
Bread Baking in Cliffside, June 19th and 20th
Hey Now, Been crazy busy. This will be the last bake until the fall. Enjoy the summer!
1. Red Fife Pumpkin Seed Levain- 700g Batard
Organic Red Fife wheat berries and roasted pumpkin seeds with whole wheat and whole rye flours and just enough strong bakers white flour to hold it all together. Slowly fermented using a liquid levain; time equals flavour.
2. Traditional Baguette- 400g
With just four ingredients, flour, water, salt, yeast, this classic bread is defined by the crisp crust and irregular crumb. Long, cool fermentation produces a clean and delicate flavour, aromatic with malt-like characteristics.
3. Ciabatta with wheat germ and olive oil-700g
Toasted wheat germ combines well with olive oil in a free-form loaf. No shaping or slashes, just a crispy crust and an airy crumb to make a tasty bread for dipping.
4. Multigrain Levain- 700g Batard
A daily shot of whole grain goodness. Loaded with sunflower and flax seeds, oats and whole rye berries. Surprisingly light in texture with mild acidity. Delicious and healthy.
5. Raisin Bread- 700g Batard
lazed like a dark jewel with a tender yeasted crumb, this bread emerges from our oven in a sweet intoxicating fog. Made with butter, eggs, plump golden raisins and the trademark ©cinnamon swirl. It's everything healthy bread isn't. 100% comfort food.
6. Roasted Red Onion and Walnut Levain- 680g Boule
A savoury bread made with carmelized roasted red onions and studded with California walnut halves. A bubbly liquid wheat levain and a portion of whole grain rye flour complete the formula. The sum of the whole is somehow greater than the parts: superb flavour and unique texture. With some good wine and cheese it makes a very enjoyable meal.
7. Krackerkorn- 700g Batard
A classic white crusty bread made with coarse cornmeal. A pre-ferment adds extra flavour and keeping quality. Rolled in sesame seeds, it's a kid's fave and is excellent toasted or grilled for bruschetta. Measures ten on the crunch-o-meter.
8. Pana Rustica-700g Batard
A Pain de Campagne-style levain bread with a sturdy crust and soft grey interior. The small addition of rye and whole wheat flour creates a robust earthy flavoured loaf that pairs well with a wide variety of foods.
9. Caraway Rye- 700g Batard
A good introduction to European-style rye breads, the rye flour is built into a satisfying, not-too-tangy loaf. The caraway seed augments but never overpowers the rye flavour. Reasonably light, agreeably hearty. The ideal accompaniment to Pilsner Urquell.
10. Decorated Whole Grain Miche- 2000g Tourte
Made with whole wheat, rye and spelt flours, this huge round loaf is a dark chestnut colour and crusty from a full one hour bake. The flavours are pronounced and assertive; full roasted grain, deep and tangy. Miche has outstanding keeping qualities, partially due to its size and will do very well if kept covered with a linen tea towel. Alternatively, it can be cut in half or quartered and stored frozen for later use. A great bread to serve with any meal.
11. Vollkornbröt- 900g Half Pullman tin loaf
Made with 100% whole rye grain. Is it a door-stopper or a brick? The embodiment of full rye taste: sweet, earthy and hearty. You must let it sit wrapped for a minimum of 48 hours (Yes, 2 days) and then slice it thinly and enjoy. Excellent accompanied with cured meats, smoked fish, aged cheese or simply cold slivers of sweet butter. An added benefit is the workout you get from the effort of slicing! This bread is for lovers of whole grain rye flavour.
Cliffside Bakery Bread List:
1. Red Fife Pumpkin Seed Levain- 700g Batard
Organic Red Fife wheat berries and roasted pumpkin seeds with whole wheat and whole rye flours and just enough strong bakers white flour to hold it all together. Slowly fermented using a liquid levain; time equals flavour.
2. Traditional Baguette- 400g
With just four ingredients, flour, water, salt, yeast, this classic bread is defined by the crisp crust and irregular crumb. Long, cool fermentation produces a clean and delicate flavour, aromatic with malt-like characteristics.
3. Ciabatta with wheat germ and olive oil-700g
Toasted wheat germ combines well with olive oil in a free-form loaf. No shaping or slashes, just a crispy crust and an airy crumb to make a tasty bread for dipping.
4. Multigrain Levain- 700g Batard
A daily shot of whole grain goodness. Loaded with sunflower and flax seeds, oats and whole rye berries. Surprisingly light in texture with mild acidity. Delicious and healthy.
5. Raisin Bread- 700g Batard
lazed like a dark jewel with a tender yeasted crumb, this bread emerges from our oven in a sweet intoxicating fog. Made with butter, eggs, plump golden raisins and the trademark ©cinnamon swirl. It's everything healthy bread isn't. 100% comfort food.
6. Roasted Red Onion and Walnut Levain- 680g Boule
A savoury bread made with carmelized roasted red onions and studded with California walnut halves. A bubbly liquid wheat levain and a portion of whole grain rye flour complete the formula. The sum of the whole is somehow greater than the parts: superb flavour and unique texture. With some good wine and cheese it makes a very enjoyable meal.
7. Krackerkorn- 700g Batard
A classic white crusty bread made with coarse cornmeal. A pre-ferment adds extra flavour and keeping quality. Rolled in sesame seeds, it's a kid's fave and is excellent toasted or grilled for bruschetta. Measures ten on the crunch-o-meter.
8. Pana Rustica-700g Batard
A Pain de Campagne-style levain bread with a sturdy crust and soft grey interior. The small addition of rye and whole wheat flour creates a robust earthy flavoured loaf that pairs well with a wide variety of foods.
9. Caraway Rye- 700g Batard
A good introduction to European-style rye breads, the rye flour is built into a satisfying, not-too-tangy loaf. The caraway seed augments but never overpowers the rye flavour. Reasonably light, agreeably hearty. The ideal accompaniment to Pilsner Urquell.
10. Decorated Whole Grain Miche- 2000g Tourte
11. Vollkornbröt- 900g Half Pullman tin loaf
Made with 100% whole rye grain. Is it a door-stopper or a brick? The embodiment of full rye taste: sweet, earthy and hearty. You must let it sit wrapped for a minimum of 48 hours (Yes, 2 days) and then slice it thinly and enjoy. Excellent accompanied with cured meats, smoked fish, aged cheese or simply cold slivers of sweet butter. An added benefit is the workout you get from the effort of slicing! This bread is for lovers of whole grain rye flavour.
New Fall Season Baking Schedule
Hi, Had a good summer? Good. We canoe tripped, visited the family cottage in Muskoka and went to Ottawa to see an amazing bakery called "True Loaf Bread Company" where the couple that run it (Patrick and Yael) are living the dream. Their breads are amazing, crafted with care using the finest ingredients and sold with an obvious passion. We were very inspired by what we saw at their bakery. It's with that inspiration that we return to our own neighbourhood scene here in Cliffside. We've been told recently that some people are in need of bread...so...
On Saturday September 26th and Sunday 27th, we'll fire the oven again and bake as many loaves as we can.
On Saturday September 26th and Sunday 27th, we'll fire the oven again and bake as many loaves as we can.
Madawaska River White Water
So, what does white water canoeing have to do with a bread blog?
Absolutely nothing. I post at my peril.
We recently canoed the Madawaska River northeast of Toronto, here are my brothers taking a leisurely paddle downstream. We were supplied a canoe by Clarence from Madawaska River Rentals, and it was a good boat...we never dumped once! Thanks to Clarence for all the good advice for our trip, we'll be back again. Visit him at
www.madriverrentals.ca, or click on the link to the right > > >
Absolutely nothing. I post at my peril.
We recently canoed the Madawaska River northeast of Toronto, here are my brothers taking a leisurely paddle downstream. We were supplied a canoe by Clarence from Madawaska River Rentals, and it was a good boat...we never dumped once! Thanks to Clarence for all the good advice for our trip, we'll be back again. Visit him at
www.madriverrentals.ca, or click on the link to the right > > >
Last bread bake of the season
Hi, We will take a break for the summer so this Sunday, June 21st will be our last bed break until Sept. I am hoping to post more video and pics of us doing everything bread. I am also going to continue with the testing of the Red Fife wheat. My initial formula was WAY off, must improve.
Hope you have a great summer, drop by again soon.
Up close and personal
Hi, Some people like their dogs or cats. Me, I like to keep a nice liquid levain or a friendly stiff textured spelt levain. I have even been known to maintain a deep and satisfying relationship with a whole rye sourdough. These are my pets, and for the minimal attention I give them; water and flour on a regular basis- they, in return, help me to leaven the bread I bake. Imagine, millions- no billions of tiny wild yeast fungi, "eukaryotic microorganisms" milling around in a small container of flour and water, kept at room temperature, sometimes a little cooler. They live, reproduce, consume delicious meals of starch from the flour I have fed them, they belch up carbon dioxide and finally die. While they do all of this the bread slowly rises...
1. A mature liquid levain made of all purpose flour
Note the large bubbles and the wispy tiny bubbles- a good sign
of a healthy levain.
2. A stiff textured levain made of 100% whole grain spelt flour
This levain is both responsive and flavourful, what more
could you ask for in a "pet"?
3. Liquid Rye Sourdough
Ready to build into healthy, delicious rye bread-naturally.
All of these levains have a very nice earthy, not too sour smell.
When I'm arrive home after work I remove the lids off their respective containers, take a deep whiff, smile and mutter a few endearments to them and revel in the wonderment of nature.
1. A mature liquid levain made of all purpose flour
Note the large bubbles and the wispy tiny bubbles- a good sign
of a healthy levain.
2. A stiff textured levain made of 100% whole grain spelt flour
This levain is both responsive and flavourful, what more
could you ask for in a "pet"?
3. Liquid Rye Sourdough
Ready to build into healthy, delicious rye bread-naturally.
All of these levains have a very nice earthy, not too sour smell.
When I'm arrive home after work I remove the lids off their respective containers, take a deep whiff, smile and mutter a few endearments to them and revel in the wonderment of nature.
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
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