To make a long story short, it's not over yet but the house is slowly turning into a home, so much so that we finally moved in last week and I was able to start baking again. For lack of time I didn't get to experiment with any new formula (that will come later when we come back from visiting the Man's parents in Belgium) but I was able to make a couple of batches of our staple bread, the Rustic Batard, and it was just heavenly to breathe in again the fragrance of baking bread.
I also made some whole grain crackers and before flying out to Europe (and putting Farine on hold again for a few weeks), I thought I would report on these as they are wholesome and quite easy to make. I used my new Kitchen Aid (my very first ever) and its pasta attachment to roll out the dough (what fun to create these long ribbons) but it can be done by hand with a rolling pin. Martha Rose Shulman recently wrote an article on whole grain cracker recipes for the New York Times. I tried the olive oil ones (some with grated Parmiggiano, some with za'atar, some with nigella seeds and some with sumac). They were quite good (although they could have used more salt) but our favorites were the Buckwheat Crackers. Lacking sesame seeds, I used chia seeds which I had on hand.
To Farine's readers who are familiar with the "galettes au sarrasin" (savory buckwheat crepes) made in Brittany and found in crêperies (crêpe restaurants) throughout France, I will tell this: if you try these crackers, you are in for a lovely Proustian moment...
I used buckwheat flour (bought in bulk already milled) and hard red winter wheat (which I milled just before mixing the dough). I didn't use any all-purpose flour. The crackers came out crunchy but tender.
I used buckwheat flour (bought in bulk already milled) and hard red winter wheat (which I milled just before mixing the dough). I didn't use any all-purpose flour. The crackers came out crunchy but tender.
Thanks so much for sharing this cracker recipe. I've been looking for some good cracker recipes. I'll have to try this one. Good luck with the move.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your home rennovation. When you don't post for so long I worry that something bad has happened--glad to hear it was all good.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll share any kitchen rennovations related to your baking. Pictures, please ;o)
Dear MC,
ReplyDeleteWe (your readers) have missed you!
The bucketwheat crackers look really interesting. I would like to try making it myself. So, you are still milling your own flour! Somehow I feel that I can smell the fragrance of the freshly milled flour from your kitchen! Can I ask you a question about your home mill? Does it mill the grain (wheat in particular) very evenly and finely, both the bran and the inner layers? Or, can you still see bran particles - I mean, does it grind the endosperm more finely than the bran? Don't worry about answering if you are already on the road. I will just wait until you get a chance.
Thank you.
Shiao-Ping
It's good to see you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cathy, Janknitz, Shiao-Ping and Anulka! I hope you do try these crackers, they are really good and they keep for weeks in an airtight container. Ok, Janknitz, I will try to take pictures of the space I now bake in (the laundry room converted in laundry room/bakery). Shiao-Ping, yes, I mill my own flour every time I bake. I love the taste of freshly milled grain especially in conjunction with levain. My mill has 10 different settings. I set it on 3 (if you set it on 1, the flour has the texture of face-powder). I don't sift and the bran is visible (different color) but not perceptible to the touch. In other words, yes, the mill grinds rather evenly, I suppose.
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