ALL YOU KNEAD

Baking Inspriation from Honoré

Thank you for all your lovely comments following our first instalment of All You Knead featuring Shawn. This time, another one of our active home bakers, Bob, who lives in California, shares his experience of baking with Honoré flours.

“It’s fair to say that Honoré flour has changed my life—my baking life that is.

I can’t remember exactly when I started baking bread. I do remember looking up recipes and trying all sorts of things: whole wheat loaves, baguettes, scones, muffins, pizza, brioche, cinnamon rolls, etc. I even started a love affair with pasta. But one thing I  never paid much attention to the ingredient at the heart of all of this—flour.

All that changed when I attended an online baking class led by Honoré founder, Elizabeth DeRuff, where I learned that the flour I had been using all these years was stripped of nutrients and that sourdough was something I needed to look into. Not only was I missing out on the incredible nutrition that sourdough bread offers, I was missing out on its flavors, texture and digestibility.

During my exploration, I have come to appreciate characteristics of the different varieties of flour that Honoré offers, including Sonora, Red Fife, and Seashore Black Rye. Each one has unique characteristics and the results are very satisfying.

And now, there’s Hourani flour.

I’ve only used Hourani flour couple of times, but I am very impressed with it. The first time I used it to bake a loaf of bread, I couldn’t believe how it became after adding water and sourdough leavening. I felt as though I could stretch it the full extent of my reach without it tearing. It rose beautifully. And the end result had a nutty, yeasty fragrance, with a moist, chewy crumb. In short, it is a fantastic flour.

So, does that mean I am going to forsake the other Honoré flours? No way. In fact, I’m going to start experimenting, using each of the flours, one at a time—and in combination— in my favorite recipes. That way, I can compare the results, see how the different flours handle, how each one effects test and texture, and which one performs the best for that particular recipe.

This experiment could take a long time. And that’s just fine with me."

Bob Woodard