The journey continues...

After the setback, I was back at it again. This time I tried making mini sourdough vienna loaves which turn out better than the wholemeal loaf, so it was a mini success...

The loaves just out from the oven


The inside of the loaves


With this bake, I was feeling much better and started fiddling again, I converted Dan's Milk Loaf recipe into a "half and half" wholemeal loaf with much success, I refresh some starter and got under way... I must say, this was a little scary as I was doing something unknown with no reference on my part. The end result was very pleasing, the loaf was soft to the touch and tasted good with a slight "tang".

Sourdough Wholemeal loaf


The crumb and texture


The verdict from the "guinea pigs", it's better than the commercial ones on the supermarket racks. It was high praise indeed (though I was wondering if they were trying to boost my morale after the earlier flop) and it dealt my confidence a lot of good in any case...
Well, credit must go to great guys who so willingly dispense their knowledge and skills. The likes of Dan Lepard, who's book "The Handmade Loaf" gave me fantastic insights to bread making as a whole. His method of short kneads followed by the stretch and folds have brought bread making to a new dimension, gone are the times where kneading is a good couple of minutes by hand. Also, to people like Bill, Dom, Mick, Jeremy, Teresa and many more whom I have met along the way, giving me advice on the finer points of "how to bake" a better loaf. My baking journey continues and along the way, I have bake some nice ones...

Inside of the focaccia


Sourdough Bagels



and some not very nice ones...





So till my next bake, have a "holey" good time and stay safe!!!