Bread, that is, bread. What did you think I meant?

Well I am back in action, the oven is hot and I have set off my fire alarm at least three times this week. Although I am just getting used to the ancient oven — the door doesn’t close all the way and the dial has no temperatures listed– I think the loaves are starting to have a good crust and crumb.

Let’s break it down: when you want a good crunchy chewy crust, you need to create steam. So as you slide the raw dough onto the hot baking stone you have to simultaneously pour a cup of water into an oven safe receptacle and slam the oven door shut. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, I promise.

The crumb is the inside of the bread. My current loaves are made from a combo of all purpose and rye flours, which yields a cakey interior, and a great depth of flavor.

Different flours mean different protein contents, a crucial concept in baking. High protein flours provide more structure and make more chewy bread, Lower protein flours, like cake flour make for a soft buttery inside. Rye flour generally hovers around 7-10 % protein content by weight whereas all purpose has about 12-14%. This all adds up to the best kind of bread, at least in my opinion.

So here is my proposal. I want to bake. I hope you want to eat. Want to barter? Want to buy some flour?