As I mentioned the first time I made this bread, I thought it would be a good idea, given the current cold conditions in my kitchen, to reduce the amount of liquid a little. These are the results. The bread recipe remains fundamentally the same but with 50g less water, Click here for recipe
Friends who bake agree with me that the joy of producing a loaf of bread is always partnered with an element of analytical observation, "how would I change things next time?" This isn't in itself a bad thing, after all it's how we all become better bakers, however I found with this bread that the twin responses of joy and critical observation were replaced by unbridled appreciation for what came out of the oven. If I have to choose a single bread recipe to eat for the rest of my life, it will be this one and I will be content. The leathery savoury crust with its slight warm sweetness keeps on delivering the more you chew. The crumb, rich and creamy in colour is moist and at the same time light, it is full of flavour and partners most things in a well mannered way.
I have decided to dissinter "Herman" next year and spend a few months wrangling to get him to behave with the effect of producing edible loaves rather than vinegar bricks. I have saved the original recipe and this update and will be attempting it with some local brewed ale (barley is a locally grown crop along with hops). I have decided to keep working on Herman because perfection (although completely unattainable) is a very good reason for trying. Cheers for this update...I can see our own cold kitchen in June next year echoing with the sounds of early morning loaf pan greasing :)
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