Ciabatta

Poolish mixed with dry ingredients...

A big sticky mess...

Prepping for the stretch & fold method...

Stretch & fold...

After the 30 minute rest - Stretched & folded for the 2nd time - Covered dough with plastic & fermented for 2 hours...wow...its huge!

Prepped the couche...shaped the dough into three sections - misted with spray oil - covered with a towel & proofed for 60 minutes...

Prepped a pan with cornmeal to make the dough slide more easily onto the preheated stone in the 500 degree oven...The dough has swelled from the proof...

Followed the directions in the book for the "steam oven" & baked for 20 minutes...I probably could have let the loaves bake a bit longer...bit I didn't want to risk burning them after such an intensive recipe...

The ciabatta did not have the "big, shiny holes" as typical ciabatta does...& the flavor was a bit bland...but it was still a nice bread to try to create...& very attractive right out of the oven...

The sliced Ciabatta at a friends house - the menu? Italian of course...

Ciabatta french toast the next morning - very chewy on the outside & soft in the middle...

The look of this bread has a definate "wow" factor - I'm not sure why the taste was a bit bland...still - very fun to try to recreate what you drool over in the gourmet bakeries - my first artisan bread!

Challah

Mixing the dry & liquid ingredients...

first ferment - 1 hour

Knead 2 minutes to de-gas & then 2nd ferment for 1 hour...

1 & 1/2 times orignial size...

Divided into 3 pieces & shaped into boules - & then a 10-minute rest covered with a towel...

Pieces rolled into three strands - slightly thicker in the middle...

Braid starting from the middle - braid both sides & pinching off both ends

Parchment paper on sheet pan - loaf brushed with egg wash...misted with spray oil & covered with plastic - 60-75 minute proof at room temperature - dough 1 1/2 size original - & then brushed again with egg wash & sprinkled with poppy seeds...

Baked 20 minutes at 350 degrees - rotated pan & then baked for another 20 minutes.

Registered at 205 degrees after 40 minutes so I removed the bread from the oven... Smelled heavenly!

Probably one of our favorite so far...fantastic with butter & jam...

Tried the Challah again a few days later - the braids did not hold their shape & broke during proofing...

Not as pretty as the first attempt...

But still tasted great!

Casatiello with Brie & Carmelized Onions

Casatiello - whole milk between 90-100' ...

Bubbly starter...

Vegetarian version with brie...

& carmelized onions....

Smooshing the brie in with fingers...

First proof.

Doubled...

Second Proof...

Out of the oven...

Not a good rise at all...

The Casatiello tasted Ok...I guess I was just disappointed that it didn't rise as mush as it should have...the house was a bit on the cool side this day...so maybe that's it...probably my least favorite so far...still...fun to try...