Bread and pastries

Bread and pastries
Sourdough bread is amazing!

Making it I am constantly learning something new, developing myself, moving either forward or stepping back a few steps. This is exactly how the interaction with the dough happens, because the sourdough is an alive being, the life and condition of which is influenced by many factors: air temperature and humidity, water quality, flour mixture, and of course experience. Experience becomes the most important when making bread.

Please find the most interesting selection of my works below
Sourdough bread is amazing!

Making it I am constantly learning something new, developing myself, moving either forward or stepping back a few steps. This is exactly how the interaction with the dough happens, because the sourdough is an alive being, the life and condition of which is influenced by many factors: air temperature and humidity, water quality, flour mixture, and of course experience. Experience becomes the most important when making bread.

Please find the most interesting selection of my works below
A series of three country breads, born and united by single idea of showing my own vision of country style breads. Each made using rye sourdough and various combinations on grains I could source from small producers.
Fenugreek and buckwheat
Iconic bread I can proudly call my signature bread. Its complex yet well balanced taste and aroma crushed lots of bread lovers' hearts. It has gentle buckwheat tasting notes followed by honey aroma when cut fresh baked, which later is changing towards more distinct fenugreek taste and aroma. It goes also amazing when you leave a couple of pieces to dry out naturally. Worth giving it a try!
Einkorn 53
A wholegrain bread, containing 53% fresh milled wholegrain einkorn flour. The grains were sourced from Jos Kors, a miller from Santpoort-Nord, the Netherlands. The mill name is Korenmolen de Zandhaas, and it was built in 1779.
Wholegrain croissant
Hand laminated croissant made with fresh milled wholegrain flour from spring soft white wheat sourced from Belarus. The variety is unknown, but it looks and feels very close to dinkel and Ölands wheat and has great baking properties for pastries.
Norrländsknäcke
Northern lands rye crisps made of single origin and single rye variety «Chulpan». 100% wholegrain. Smack some butter on, top with a pinch of fleur de sel and enjoy pure taste of the north.
Emmer 40%
This bread is made of mix of the coarse milled wholegrain emmer bread and T65 wheat flour. Grains were sourced from small cooperatives around Altai region, and variety name is «Runo». This bread has a little less volume due to the weaker oven spring. Emmer tasting notes run towards more earthy and grassy, and the crust always has its unique red colour. This bread should be cut not earlier than next day after it was baked. It needs to mature untouched so the flavour will develop better this way. Best tasted on the third day.
A special for Moscow bread festival
A special bread, created for the Moscow bread festival «Hlebokultura» in 2019. It was a 30% wholegrain wheat bread, made with addition of butter toasted porridge, made from 4 cereals flakes (organic dinkel, rye, oat and barley), and home smoked pumpkin seeds. Very soft and moist aromatic crumb with wonderfully balanced taste of the porridge and smokey notes from the pumpkin seeds. The crust is topped with the 4 cereal flakes, which brings some extra crunch. This bread have received a lot of positive feedback from the festival visitors, and was also baked several times as a part of Hytte bread subscription.
The Fields Blend #1
Light rye bread made with high amount of fresh milled high extraction rye flour and T80 wheat flour. A flavorful bread with a dark, tender, creamy crumb, and a deeply caramelised crust to balance the taste. The taste will change towards more distinct rye tasting notes, as the bread gets mature.
Tourte de seigle
Timeless classic from regions around Auvergne, Alpes, Switzerland and south of Germany. rye tourte or pain auvergnate is made of 100% fresh milled wholegrain winter rye flour sourced from small cooperatives around Tselinniy district in Altai region. It was not easy to adopt this rye variety for such a bread type, as it has HFN below 180.
The Fields Blend #2
Likewise all the bread in this series, Fields #2 is also made with rye sourdough. It is a wholegrain bread made of mixed fresh milled flours from soft winter wheat, rye and emmer. This bread has dark and aromatic, soft crumb, with slightly grainy mouthfeel, which is cause by winter wheat. This bread matures incredibly, so this is a must to leave some pieces and taste them on second and third days, and maybe further.
Altai wheat
A good everyday bread, made of single variety spring soft white wheat grown at Altai region. Crispy crust with hint of toffee notes is followed by soft and juicy wheat crumb. 40% wholegrain.
The Fields Blend #3
Last of the series, and the most complex bread – a rye porridge bread. It is packed with rye, so it tastes most rye among the others. Rye porridge is made of homemade rye flakes, which were butter toasted before cooked. It has feather-like airy crumb, with intense rye aromas. Tasting notes are rye, nuts and toffee, with rye porridge in the aftertaste.
Suomusjärvin Dinkel 50%
Dinkel bread, made of 50% fresh milled wholegrain dinkel flour. The grains were sourced from Finnish organic farmer Simo Larmo. Farm is located in Suomusjärvi, Varsinais Suomi, Finland. It is really tricky to make a good shaped bread when it comes to high amounts of dinkel in the dough. But it should not be a problem for a baker, who knows how to manage such doughs. Dinkel has its own, unique tasting notes you never miss, as well as dinkel breads always have nicely caramelised thick and very crispy crusts.
Toasted walnuts + fennel seeds
Based on the fields no.2 formula, this bread not only has beautiful crumb colour. It is loaded with toasted walnuts from Uzbekistan and topped with fennel seeds. I have found fennel perfectly matches walnuts and together they nicely accompany wholegrain bread, which is still airy and light, just more packed with taste and aromas. Goes perfect itself, but I personally prefer it with Swedish Västerbotten cheese on top.
Scandinavian buns
Classical Swedish cinnamon or cardamom buns, made wholegrain. Soft as heaven, juicy and tasteful. Made using best organic ingredients I could only source. The dough is usually made with mix of fresh milled wheat and dinkel flours. There are also various seasonal versions of buns.
Haus Brot
Haus Brot was born by literally taking out all the grain leftovers. A 60% wholegrain bread, made of fresh milled soft spring white wheat, dinkel and winter rye. Delicate and tasty bread, still goes perfect as everyday bread even since it is high in wholegrain flour content. Thin and crispy crust, soft and creamy crumb and tasting notes of every type of grains used. Tastes great with lightly salted cultured butter.
Canelé
Coming originally from Bordeaux, true canelés are baked in copper moulds seasoned with beeswax. Deeply caramelised and crispy crust is followed with custard-like crumb, tasting notes are vanilla, rum and tiny hint of citrus. It is best to cut in half lengthwise or crosswise, enjoying the aroma and appearance. Hytte's canelé is made using fresh milled sifted spring soft white wheat flour. Grains are sourced from Belarussian farmer and father of a good friend of mine.
Fukamushicha canelé
Made in a collaboration with Oh! My Tea café, this is a variation of canelé made with Japanese Fukamushicha. It has beautiful green coloured crumb and unique delicate tasting notes together with soft floral aroma.
古树红茶
Another bright tea experiment with Oh! My Tea. Wild grown Gu Shu Hongcha tea leaves from Chinese Fujian province were milled together with Altai wheat grains. Bread is only 30% wholegrain in order to bring the tea taste and aromas to the front. Gu Shu Hongcha has extremely bright tasting notes and they had fully bloomed and opened up in the final bread. The tea also affects dough fermentation process, so it becomes more tricky to handle the dough and needs more attention.
100% wholegrain bread
Single variety wheat bread made of 100% fresh milled wholegrain flour (unsifted). The best way to taste the wheat terroir, or to find the difference between winter or spring wheats, or just different wheat varieties. The bread has less volume and very soft and juicy dark coloured crumb. The flavour varies depending on the grain.
Wholegrain scones
Made of 100% fresh milled high extraction dinkel flour. I make my scones not in a regular way. They are shaped free-form, with feather like, airy, soft, buttery crumb. I add a pinch of coarse unrefined sea salt to the dough, so the scones have tiny salty sparks, which play a big role in the overall flavour. Hytte scones go perfectly for the breakfast.