I am an avid home baker. You name it, I bake it. There is really nothing I love more than giving people baked goods from scratch.
I received a KitchenAid Professional HD mixer (it's a Costco exclusive with 425 watts of mixing power, which means it stands up to stiff yeast doughs) for a wedding present, and so in recent months, I have turned my baking attention back to bread. I've baked so many different kinds of bread lately, but one recipe/method combo I am working on perfecting is ciabatta bread. Right now I have my third batch of ciabatta dough fermenting in the refrigerator. You can read more about my quest here:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/s...-ciabatta.html
It got me to wondering: does anyone else out there in TFP-land really enjoy baking a good loaf of bread? Are there any tips or pointers you have to share about bread baking? What's your favorite part of baking a loaf of bread?
Personally, my favorite part is shaping the loaves. This is one of the things I truly love about baking an artisanal-style bread like ciabatta or French.
My no. 1 tip: ferment in the fridge. Obviously, a home baker does not have a retarder like a professional does, but the fridge accomplishes much the same thing. I do 3 rises in total for the ciabatta, and 2 of them happen in the fridge. It makes for a slower rise, but a better crumb and flavor in the bread.