The Bread Bible and I

So, I have been on the search for as many yeasts as I can find.  It has been difficult, but I have about six different brands of yeast.  I am hoping to gather a couple more before running the experiment, but I think it is time to start thinking about how I am going to test this yeast.

First, I think I am going to make a slurry of 1 cup of warm (80* F) water and 1 cup of flour. After mixing it well, I will let it sit for an hour just to make sure all the flour is hydrated completely. After that, I will add 1 teaspoon of yeast to each mixture. Again, I will mix fully and let set. I will then check every half an hour to see how the mixture is progressing. I think the winner will be the one that doubles the mixture first. Sound like a good experiments? Anyone have any other ideas to test the different kinds of yeast?

Last night I took my first in depth look at The Bread Bible.  I have to say that I am more excited than ever to delve into this book!  It seems, however, that my kitchen is a little barren when it comes to baking supplies.  This is funny since I love to cook and thought I had every gadget I would need to move into baking.

The first real big purchase that I am going to make after reviewing The Bread Bible is a digital scale.  I have been told before that baking is really all about weight and not volume, and I have never really taken it to heart.  Though, after reading a few recipes I can see what they mean!  Everything is broken out by weight!  This purchase is not going to be an easy one.  I wasn’t looking into spending hundreds of dollars to get this project off the ground, but it might just be necessary.

The digital scale needs to have a 0.1 gram resolution to be useful in the baking world.  This increases the price of the scale tremendously.  The one that I recommend is the Escali L600 Scale.

The next major investment that could be purchased, however I do not think I am going to just yet, is a stand mixer.  Everyone has seen these at people’s houses, but who ever seen one used?  I feel that if you are going to get one do it right!  Do not buy the Artisan one, but the Professional Stand Mixer.  You will not be disappointed!

Another thing that you will need is a proofing box.  I think I am going to attempt to make one of these myself and will definitely be sharing how that goes later on.

Other things you might want to pick up, but I will discuss later:

• La Cloche Brick Oven
• Bread Rising Basket
• Baguette Pan