Raspberry bread

Low temperatures

I made this sourdough last weekend and had a problem with room temperature.  It was unseasonably cold outside - close to zero. In the kitchen it was only about 18 degrees.

As a result, the dough really wasn't rising well. I ended up adding dried yeast, as well as moving it to the warmest place in the house (the clothes drying cupboard which is 26 degrees) to give it some oomph.

One of the loaves turned out very well as a result, despite I forgot to score the loaf before putting it into the oven.

The other loaf was made in a breadform and for some reason the crust turned out too hard and tough.

I loosely followed this recipe - although the bread tasted a little too salty - so either it uses too much salt, or I added too much since I don't have a very accurate scale.

Same dough, different bread

From the same dough I made two loaves. The walnut bread was baked in a dutch oven, and the other on a baking tray.

As shown in the pictures, there wasn't really any difference in the aeration of the loaves, however the one in the dutch oven not surprisingly developed a much crispier and tastier crust. 

I loosely followed this sourdough recipe as the base for the loaves.

Wholemeal Walnut and Raisin

In commemoration of being in Ireland, Guinness Soda Bread

From this recipe.

First Baguette

White flour with about 15% wholemeal. Yeast as well as leaven. About 50% hydration.

Hard to fit into the oven so many of the ends got curled. Used steam in a tray at bottom of oven.

Crust good, crumb not airy enough.

Another Walnut Bread

Mix of white flour, rye and wholemeal.
Walnuts from the garden.
1.5 tablespoons walnut oil.

Good with Fiona's homemade cherry chia seed jam (cherries from the garden, no sugar):