At the start of 2019 I declared “New Year, New Skill!” And to that, my new skill of choice was bread-making. And where 2019 has come and gone, my dabbling in bread successfully happened and has continued to grow into more curious territories (aka: more questions). Is this REALLY the way we should be making a sour dough starter…it seems too loose without any specifics. What sized dutch oven is really the way to the crispy crust I’m looking for? What the heck is this gorgeous Chekich bread stamp and which kinds of breads should I make first so I can use one?! …books were browsed, ideas were brewing… my oven was set to 475 and starters were covered in linen with anticipation!

So as we start another new year (decade!), I have declared “Bread Journey 2020” as an on-going interactive challenge for myself and anyone else who wants to join along. Amazingly, hundreds of you on Instagram wanted to join along! And here we are looking at the official kickoff - Where the majority of this community event is happening on instagram (I’ll be saving content in highlights and possibly even IGTV), I thought this would be the best place to start listing a few basics and update with notes as I tackle each weekly theme.

A quick note on details listed below: this journey is yours and it is mine. The types of breads I’m tackling don’t have to be the same ones that you’re excited to throw into the oven…or maybe the list will be inspiration to give it a go too! The main idea of #BreadJourney2020 is to set up a guideline and a conversation. If you’d like to join me to make pretzels, challah, french baguettes and babka please come, share and show me your results! If you’d like to tweak the recipe or go down a gluten free road…I applaud you and want you to share notes just as much! Or maybe you just really want to perfect sourdough…Fantastic! The idea of “Bread Journey 2020” is more of a mood than a curriculum…it’s a collective effort to get our hands covered in flour, try new things and share our discoveries along the way (victories and failed fallen dough alike). You do by no means need to make alllll the breads each week…unless you want to. Consider this a crash course in all things bread that you can come back to and tinker with all year long.

I’ll be trying A LOT of new things and I’m not expecting them to go without some trials - and that’s the fun of it - We’re learning together!

So I hope if you’ve found this, whether today at kickoff or several years down the road, you feel inspired try something new and share your journey with us too. SPEAKING OF! Don’t forget to tag all your content #BreadJourney2020 @dinexdesign so I can share what everyone is up to.

Ready…Set…PROOF!

- TOPICS & SCHEDULE -

WEEK ONE: “Let’s Get This Starter Started!”

SKILL TACKLE: We’re taking two approaches to making a wild yeast starter.

(1) A classic levain to get us up and running…in 1 -5 days. We’ll also look at the difference between using a “stiff” and “liquid” levain and how one might impact your loaf more than the other. Download instructions for a classic levain here and get the instructions for the 16 hour “stiff” levain here.

(2) A more technically detailed 15-20 day sourdough starter that we will tend to all month long and test out with a recipe or two towards the end of the month once it’s ready. Grab the step by step instructions here (coming soon).

THE BREADS:

Fougasse : Learning how to make a traditional recipe with ingredient variations such as rustic herb and green olive za’tar. We’ll be using a ready-made dry yeast starter since our homemade versions won’t be quite ready yet.

Classic Sourdough: Using our 5 day starter, let’s rip off that bandaid and test our goods with a good ol’ fashioned rustic loaf.

WEEK TWO: “Step Up Your Sandwich”

SKILL TACKLE: Thin crispy crusts + Continuation of 15-20 Day Sourdough Starter.

THE BREADS:

French Baguette & Smaller French Baton

Ciabatta

Bagels (Gluten-Free and Sourdough recipes)

WEEK THREE: “Kneaded & Knotted”

SKILL TACKLE: The perfect twist, working dough into specific shapes + Continuation of 15-20 Day Sourdough Starter.

THE BREADS:

Babka

Challah Bread

German Pretzel

WEEK FOUR: “Flour With Filigree”

SKILL TACKLE: Designer Dough: Lame cutting study and international bread stamping techniques using a Chekich and Concha Stamps.

THE BREADS:

Dutch Oven Sourdough Loaf

Lepeshka

Conchas, Mexican Pan Dulce

- RESOURCES, TOOLS & INGREDIENT CHECK LIST-

REFERENCE BOOKS / RECIPE RESOURCES

TOOLS & SUPPLIES

PANTRY STAPLES FOR MOST BREADS

Whole Wheat Flour
Rice Flour
Salt
Instant Dry Yeast (for recipes not calling for homemade starter)
Sunflower Oil

FOR HOMEMADE YEAST STARTER

Two 1 liter sized sealable glass jars
kitchen scale

BREAD MAKING BASICS

EXTRA CREDIT & FUN THINGS

DOWNLOADS & EXTRAS

Bread Journey 2020 PDF with an outline of content (coming soon)
5 Day Levain Starter Instructions
16 hour “Stiff” Levain Starter Instructions
15-20 Day Sourdough Starter How-To PDF (coming soon)
Animated GIFS & Logo! (coming soon)