A blog by Jorge Garcia.

Monday, March 22, 2010

BTW Still Baking


Today I baked my first whole wheat bread. It's great. I look forward to toasting it tomorrow. It came out of this book. I wanted to go back to baking with the starter I had created. This white baguette came from the book too.

I ended up buying this book too because I kept hearing about it.
It's a good book but I just wish the recipes included weight measurements as well, I just think weight is more accurate when it comes to flour and salt.

For me Jim Lahey's bread recipe is still my favorite.






46 comments:

Unknown said...

Whenever I see the name Jim Lahey I instantly think of Trailer Park Boys :D

Nice looking bread. Do you have a breadmaker? They're awesome and can make dough too!

Anonymous said...

Your bread is much prettier than mine. Though mine still tastes pretty good with homemade marmalade!

Lisa-Maladylis said...

what makes this last book your favorite ? I love to make bread and it's always nice to know why someone likes one book over another so I can try it out as well. I think I will make some to go with the 40 clove chicken I'm making tonight.

Unknown said...

You know what? Since I first saw your bread posting a while ago, I was really excited about bread baking again and thought, hmm.. I have to try it again (I was never lucky with bread baking by then). But I found a wonderful recipe in which you don't have to wait a single minute for the yeast to rise. Really, it works. If you like, I can translate it for you in English, because you can find it on my blog www.kitchencowboy.de BUT it is in German :-)

Your bread really looks sooo professional. I have to get the book your are recommending.. like right now.

If you like, have a look here:
http://www.kitchencowboy.de/home/2010/3/8/drei-minuten-brot.html)

Rachel Snyder said...

FYI, guys who not only know how to cook and bake but enjoy it are hot. =)

Pam said...

ooo, those look great!!!

Judy in Indiana said...

I am always thankful for the cooking/baking tips. I want one of these bread books. I hope bread is a easy to make as it seems by the covers and easy sounding titles.

I lovehomemade bread witha good crust. Mmmmm Mmmmmm Gooood.

Eugen Caitaz said...

:) Bread Pitt! :)

Margot said...

I just made some artisan bread from the 5 minutes a day book last night. DELICIOUS. My first time trying! The other books look fun too. Yay fresh bread!

Unknown said...

I don't know if you're familiar with eGullet. It's a great website for professional and nonprofessional foodies. They have some great threads going on bread baking in general and the 5-minute/no-knead versions specificially.

niku said...

Putting them on my library list.... Can't get enough fresh bread these days.

Alisha Rene' said...

looks Delicious!

korawrsully. said...

Yummi! That seems to be delicious!

snuffly said...

that bread looks tasty! (can i have one of the end pieces?)

Jorge Garcia said...

I like the last book, because the bread tasted the best to me and the technique to bake it in a dutch oven has been very successful for me.

Lisa-Maladylis said...

thanks Jorge, I appreciate the answer. I guess I will have to try that book out and some of the recipes. btw, my son has been enjoying Nunu's photos on your blog, His Chihuahua is name Jinx and he loves him to death. I always show him your blog when you post Nunu on it. He's sees me reading the blog and says oh that Lost stuff again lol thanks again.

yellowdoggranny said...

well crap if i had gone down one post i would have found you are using the artisan books..duh!..i'm copying down the titles of these books..especially the last one since you like it so much.

Troy said...

Your breads look great. I love Reinhart's books. As a matter of fact, my name is in the acknowledgement section of that one.(along with perhaps hundreds of others who were lucky enough to recipe test for Mr. Reinhart)

LauraLynn said...

I love bread, 'food of life'! Your bread looks so good, I wish you could send some to me :)

I love the cook books also and will be checking them out, thanks for posting them.

I love to read cook books in bed, before I go do sleep.

Laura

Melleah said...

Your bread is beautiful! Two other great books for bread are the Bread Bible and the King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking. The Bread Bible is great because she gives measurements in volume and weight, and her instructions are very precise.

Fletch said...

SideKick will be bummed, but they have a companion book called "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes per Day" that we've liked too!
Last year we bought a countertop grain mill and check this out...being installed next week to further feed our fresh bread habit: http://www.mugnaini.com/welcome
It is an addiction...

nollyposh said...

Fabulous!

Crunchyconmommy said...

Have you seen the follow up to Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day, entitled Healthy Breads in Five Minutes a Day? It includes all of the weight measurements (which was a quibble of mine with the first book, too!). And it's filled with tons of whole grain recipes (which was my other quibble with the original book, because I wasn't having great luck with any of their recipes that weren't mostly white flour, but everything I've done in the new book has come out wonderfully. And I'm kind of a whole grain nut.)

Tiffany Noélli said...

That delicious bread!!!! :p

Mike said...

So after lost, are you going to open a baker's store? :) if so i'd buy your bread right away because it looks very delicious ;)
once i tried to make my own bread, too but it ended up i a complete disaster :)

Zoë François said...

So glad you are baking bread! Your loaf looks great. You will be happy to know that we will be converting Artisan Bread in Five to weights. The bakers have spoken and it will be done, although it will take a while!

We do have a weight chart in our second book and are happy to help you convert if you like.

1 cup = 5 ounces for the unbleached AP flour.

Happy Baking! Zoë

James Hernandez said...

Jorge,

Don't do what I did when I was young, I threw in some yeast to my mom's homemade bread. We certainly didn't have unleavened bread. :-)

M. said...

Just wondering if anyone's suggested Richard Bertinet's 'Dough' book here? His technique for kneading is amazing - traps air in the dough, really changed the way my bread comes out. There are some video demos online you might enjoy. Happy baking!

Katy said...

in "Artisan Breads" you NEED to make the wild rice and onion bread. Great for sandwiches!

GuinGuin said...

Looks very tasty and it's always satisfying knowing you baked it yourself.

Anonymous said...

I sent away for carl's Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter a few months ago. I made my first sourdough from that starter the other day and it was possibly the best bread I've ever seen. If you send a self addressed stamped envelope to the address, they'll send you a teaspoon of dried sourdough. You have to re-start it but it is totally worth it! It was started in 1847 and has the best taste! YUMMMMMM YUMMMM!

Unknown said...

I bought Peter Reinhart's book after you posted about it a few months ago and I LOVE everything in it! And it is all so simple to make. Just a little tip though, don't use a pyrex baking dish as an evaporating pan. Mine didn't just crack, it EXPLODED! Literally. About 4 feet from the oven when I poured in the water. And I thought Pyrex wasn't suppose to break....

keyboard samurai said...

been making variations of the no-knead bread recipe that Lahey gave Mark Bittman in NYT for almost 2 years now, great stuff. Family loves it. I've been able to double the recipe successfully to make whopping big delicious loaves. Didn't know there were books out there on it. Have to check Lahey's out.

SplendidlyImperfect said...

Jorge - the internet is your FRIEND! 1 cup AP flour is 125g. (I like to bake using weight for the same reason. Drives the non-bakers I know INSANE) :)

http://convert-to.com/all-purpose-flour.html

OHN said...

There is nothing like warm bread. You just made my day :)

Unknown said...

You should check out the book "Bread" by Jeffrey Hammelman. Great "formulas" excellent results.
http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes/dp/0471168572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269656035&sr=1-1-spell

marta said...

An easy Spanish recipe for your bread: cut it in slice; toast it (optional); put aceite de oliva on it; then cut a mature tomatoe and rub it on the bread; finally add any sausage you have (the best, jamón serrano...but if you don´t have it...any is good) ;)

groovyghosthunter said...

I bought that book on your recommendation and I must tell you ... WOO!!!

I made the basic recipe and then the next day I made the Stecca. I am so glad I can finally make bread that tastes GOOD! And it's so freakin' easy too!

Wow, who woulda thunk it?

I think I'm going to try Olive Bread next ...

Pacific Motion Picture Catering said...

I like it although you would have much better looking bread if you stretch that dough a little tighter when you roll. and spray a lot of water when you first put in the oven. Don't forget to remove your oven light bulb, they tend to blow up. I know that for a fact. Moumen

Jorge Garcia said...

Yeah. I've been doing the broiler pan with water. My biggest problem is losing the tight skin when I'm trying to shimmy it onto the stone.

Therapeutic Ramblings said...

That white baguette looks great! Baking and desserts are my last cooking hurdles....though bread will win, as Carbs > Sweets.

J.Harris said...

Awesome! I'm glad to hear that you are still baking. My husband got that book 'make Artisan Bread in 5min a day' for me for Christmas and I still haven't made it yet. I am not much of a bread maker yet, but really want to start. I just need to get a container for my starter and then I can get my bread on.

Let us know how the bread ends up turning out from that book.

BTW - My hubby and I are big Lost fans and you are one of our favorite Characters. Thanks for being the "real" guy on Lost that we can relate to.

Unknown said...

Having the same problem with the transfer to the stone. Thinking I need to buy that Lahey book...I have a beautiful Dutch oven that is obviously waiting for it. :)

Jenny said...

My husband is huge into bread baking and LOVES the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" one. I think he may have the "Every Day" one as well. :)

Ville said...

Those are some of our favorite bread books, too! My wife mostly uses the shorter recipe (from Jeff Hertzberg's book) where bread is baked on a pizza stone in the oven. Makes absolutely delicious bread!

I thought you might enjoy trying out my aunt's graham bun recipe.. I've been baking them now for half a year, about a batch a week.

There's a reason for why my aunt's family in Northern Finland calls them "addiction buns" as one can rarely stop at one, or two at a time; they've been baking them since the early 70's, but my aunt couldn't remember where the recipe originally came from. They're wonderful for breakfast, snack, etc. Allrecipes.com is so slow approving new recipes so I put it up at http://grahambuns.info (it's a no-frills website for now :D .. but the recipe is there).

Amy Darsie said...

Wonderful bread! It made me think of this amazing book called "The Bread Baker's Apprentice." I've got a copy and some of the recipes are amazing! The bagels and pizza dough my husband has made - both were wonderful!

BTW - congrats on the season finale. I just have to find another TV addiction now. Thank the gods for Doctor Who. :-)