I’m going for it this weekend… I got a new mixer a couple of weeks ago, and now I have to use it, so I’m going to make my first attempt at bread!
The mixer is a Kitchenaid Professional 600 Series stand mixer in the color ‘Licorice’ (a decent black color). We got it as a refurb, which means the one year warrantee is 6 months, but it’s a LOT cheaper than the standard retail! I’ll have to figure out how to store it, as it will take up a chunk of counterspace.
Tonight, I’m going to make the poolish, which is the starter for the baquettes I want to make tomorrow.
I’m using a variety of help. I’m using King Arthur flour, which I’ve been told is really great quality. Their website has all kinds of great stuff, including tools for baking that don’t seem to be available elsewhere. Unfortunately, there’s so much stuff there that it’s confusing for someone just starting. To help with this, they have a Baker’s Hotline, which is a line directly to bakers that can answer questions! The number is 802.649.3717, and they’re very helpful, cutting through the clutter.
King Arthur Flour also offers some online training in PDF format for bread making. There’s an online forum called the ‘Baking Circle’ that offers message threads on a wide variety of baking issues, too.
I’m also using a book to kind of guide me, though I’ve read negative reviews on the book, mostly having to do with inconsistency with units of measure. Hopefully, that won’t kill my efforts, so I’m going to review the book "Dough" by Richard Bertinet.
The reason I got this book, along with another on Artisan Breads, is that it looks straightforward, and it comes with a 30 minute DVD showing techniques. Each recipe includes instruction by hand as well as using a mixer. I’m going to do baquettes, and, with one chucnk of it, try that thing on the cover… it sounds easy, but we’ll see!
Another area of help I’m using is a blog called Farmgirl Fare. Farmgirl’s Ten Tips For Better Bread is a great blog entry on what’s important in making bread at home. I hope she doesn’t mind my use of the photo on the right; I use it only to show that she’s making some great looking bread!
I don’t have everything I need to really do breads, but I have enough to give it a shot. As MaryJane at the Baker’s Hotline said, even a bad loaf of bread made at home is better than a good one bought at a store! I’ll post some more info once I try it out and see if I can get an edible baguette or two.
