Artisan breads - making the perfect loaf

I just love those wholemeal, multi-grained breads. I've tried so many commercial types which i suspect do not use enuff of the real, good stuff!

So it's refreshing to read of bakers in Malaysia starting to make & sell artisan bread. One was in Jln Ipoh, KL...wee bit too far for me, and to day in The Star (14 Nov, Business section) is one nearer to home - Artisan Touch!

They even have an online ordering service by CookieJar
They also run bread classes

Here's a story extracted from The Star about Artisan Touch
Baker’s focus on staple food proves promising

\BY STORY AND
PHOTOS BY GRACE CHEN

WHEN Ezekiel Ananthan came home after a two-and-a-half-year work stint at a  bakery in Wellington, New Zealand, the 30-year-old also brought back the  memories of freshly baked bread with him.

Naturally, when he opened Grass Street Café this April at Mayang Plaza in Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya he also kickstarted Artisan Touch, his own brand of hand-crafted bread, all using premium, natural ingredients free from artificial flavouring and preservative.

Using US and Canadian wheat and priced between RM6.50 and RM8 per loaf, Artisan Touch breads come in four varieties.

There is “Country Wholemeal”, and “White Rustic Grains and Seeds”, which combine the goodness of seeds from sunflower, sesame, melon and flax with oat, bran and white or wholemeal flour. For those who prefer stronger flavours, there is the “Harvest Herbs and Olive Oil” with oregano and basil. Making for a wholesome breakfast entry is a fruit and nut version called “Farmhouse Muesli” made with bran, rye and wholemeal flour.

For flavour: The loaves are topped with rolled oats, bran, flax, sunflower, white and black sesame seeds.

In ensuring the PERFECT LOAF, there are five considerations.

It starts with getting the flour right. In this case, it’s bread flour, which has a different level of protein content from all-purpose or pastry flour.

Then, there is the fine art of knowing when to add flour and water when it comes to rolling the dough. Many beginners don’t realise they have to roll and knead the dough for a specified period of time to achieve the desired elasticity. They make the mistake of adding flour too early in the process, resulting in a heavy lump. By then, there is no choice but to remedy it with additional water, which can alter the original recipe’s measurements.

Nimble hands are important here. For each loaf to achieve uniform height, the placing of the dough has to be done almost altogether, or within just a few seconds of each other.

Third comes the proofing process, which requires the dough to be rested so that it can rise. In Malaysian weather, 30 to 50 minutes should be about just right.

Sales channel: Ezekiel also sells his bread from his cafe in Kelana Jaya. 

Lastly, a thorough familiarity of oven temperature is required. It needs a dedicated baker to make the correct adjustments. During the experimental stages, Ezekiel spent entire baking sessions staring at the oven, like a television buff glued to a flickering screen, waiting for either a loaf of bread or a macaroon to rise.