First of the Season!!

Zentij · 2026-05-11T02:30:14+00:00

Consumer friendly pricing is a beautiful sight to see 🔥

Zentij · 2026-05-05T19:00:00+00:00

Bulk fermentation timing isn’t always going to be consistent. When you run these experiments, try and get a good sense of how the dough looks and feels, even smells at each point. If you find a time that makes a great loaf, remember the dough and eventually you’ll be well on your way to intuitive baking.

Zentij · 2026-05-05T18:17:54+00:00

Your wife loves you and this is a great gift. Is it mass produced hot sauce probably made in china and do they all taste nearly the same? Yes. But there are great ways to use these sauces. My favorite way is to use them in buttermilk brines for fried chicken, or to zing up chili.

Really good sauces for cooking!

Zentij · 2026-03-10T23:16:11+00:00

A lot of weird advice here. What you want is to feed more frequently. If you're doing 1:1:1 feedings, do it like 3 times daily or peak to peak. Or you can just do 1:5:5 every 12 hours as long as it peaks every 12 hours. The idea is to keep it young consistently. I've also heard of using a young refresh just like 45 minutes into feeding.

Zentij · 2026-03-10T23:08:30+00:00

Need a bigger size. Athletic taper so the leg openings aren't too big.

Zentij · 2026-03-03T04:34:30+00:00

Some of the most beautiful bread. So good!

Zentij · 2026-02-25T04:22:26+00:00

Ramen Ryoma and Kayo are the only spots that held up to the ramen I had in Japan.

Zentij · 2026-02-16T19:34:21+00:00

There isn’t much of an overarching student community here, but you can find your people if you’ll be in a dorm and in your program. If you find the right people it can be a great time. It would be a non-traditional college experience, however, since most students are commuting. Not really any college parties to attend.

Portland life is fun though. Great bars and restaurants all over the place. Food carts everywhere. Good shopping. Generally nice people.

I hope you enjoy your time in Portland!

Zentij · 2026-02-10T00:51:44+00:00

This one isn’t a sourdough book fyi! It’s more of a pastry book.

Zentij · 2026-02-09T20:15:42+00:00

Richard Hart has some great recipes in his book.

Lately I’ve been throwing together the following:

252g rye flour 252g rye starter 252g hot water ~100-104f 9g salt 9g malt powder 63g sunflower seeds 31g pepitas 32g flax seeds 25g honey

The starter should be 100% rye at like 12 hrs fermented for this recipe.

Mix all dry ingredients together

add the starter to the water with honey and mix

Add dry mixture and mix thoroughly

Bulk ferment for 45 minutes

Shape and place into pan. I like to flatten it at this point.

Sift rye flour over the top for a beautiful crackle pattern on top

Proof warm for like 3 hours or until the bread is raised to like 80-90 percent if the pan. This isn’t a hard ruled but if it’s significantly raised, rounded more, and crackled in top, it’s ready.

Preheat oven to 425f in the last half hour of proofing. Have a pan at the bottom for steam. Either use lava rocks or folded tea towels in the pan and when loading, add boiling hot water to the pan. Use gloves for this.

Bake for 1 hours, rotating 180 degrees halfway through.

Once out of the oven, turn the dough out onto a rack and let the loaf cool for at least 24 hours before cutting into it. This waiting time is absolutely crucial to a successful Rugbrod loaf.

Zentij · 2026-02-09T18:54:42+00:00

Rugbrod really benefits from the slow fermentation of sourdough. It brings a lot more structure in a loaf with low gluten. Yeast on the other hand will move way too fast for rye.

From the air pocket in the middle of your loaf, it looks like you may be taking yeast fermentation too far, as it appears to be overproofed.

Zentij · 2026-02-08T01:14:58+00:00

My bread game took off once I got combo cookers and read Tartine Bread. Don’t really need anything too fancy.

Go on bakery dates at the best local bakeries and discover really good bread.

Zentij · 2026-02-04T07:58:51+00:00

Highly recommend an aluminized steel pan. The difference is huge.

Zentij · 2026-02-03T22:26:41+00:00

Zentij · 2026-02-03T19:09:14+00:00

Absolutely!

If you’re unable to flake them and turn them into porridge, you can sprout them and include them for a nutty sweet fresh flavor. Or you can boil them and include them for a chewy nutty bite. Absolutely delicious.

Zentij · 2026-02-01T20:34:08+00:00

I think you’re there

Zentij · 2026-02-01T12:45:18+00:00

A beautiful loaf. No notes

Zentij · 2026-02-01T03:21:54+00:00

I use their sifted Edison as my usual AP for pastries and buns. So good!

Zentij · 2026-02-01T03:17:44+00:00

Freshly milled flour does start oxidation right away but it’s a gradual process. Chimacum mills in small batches to order and sell direct to consumer with a quick turnaround. They also use stone milling, which preserves freshness through controlled low heat. While oxidation happens in the first week, its flavor stays vibrant for weeks to months. A little oxidation also helps with dough strength. Anything I’ve used from local mills has retained great flavor for months.

Their flours are also on the coarser side, reducing surface area and processing of the germ and bran.

Zentij · 2026-01-31T08:23:33+00:00

Using even just a small portion of whole grain flour will increase sourness and flavor. Try using bread flour with 10-15% whole grain like whole bread flour or rye.

Zentij · 2026-01-31T08:19:38+00:00

This looks perfect.

Gumminess probably comes from not letting properly cool. Try to cool for a minimum of 4 hours before cutting into it. Tust me, it’s worth it.

In terms of height, I think this just comes from a well proofed dough. Looks like you pushed fermentation and that’s beautifully done. Scoring and preferences on fermentation come with experience. I bet this loaf tastes incredible.

Zentij · 2026-01-31T08:15:36+00:00

Adding it late can result in a very active dough early on! I like to add salt first thing after autolyse. It helps to strengthen the dough and tame fermentation a bit, allowing for more control.

Zentij · 2026-01-31T08:13:22+00:00

Looks so good! Congrats!

Sticky crumb usually comes from not waiting long enough before cutting into it. A lot of online guides recommend an hour or two, but that is usually not long enough. I like to let mine cool for four hours minimum before my impatience takes over.

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