I really love eating,making, eating, shaping, eating and baking bread.
I’ve been playing with it for years- making pretzels, braids, wreaths, loaves, bowls, rolls, turkeys, bunnies, bears, cats, turtles, alligators, otters, babies,stars, sunny faces, cottage loaves, batards, baguettes, and today, I made a horse.
A pony, really
.
Not really very realistic, but recognizable.
It’s a Chincoteague pony- they are rounder in the belly and shorter in the leg.
I made him for my grandson, who loves the Chincoteague ponies.
He really looks much better on the other side.
Don’t you agree?
Anyway- I made 3 kinds of bread today-
French, in baguettes and an epi loaf.
Sourdough rye with caraway seeds.
And whole wheat with sesame – into stars and horses- 
And Bunnies and bears and loaves.
BREAD!!!!
I’m getting hungry reading your post! Everything looks wonderful. I drove by your road today. Had I known you were baking bread, I would have stopped. My grandson loves horses too and would certainly enjoy the bread pony. My daughter made some horses out of rice krispie treats that she decorated and put on his birthday cake. He loved them!
I love your breads.They all taste so yummy and look to good to eat. Your first line is interesting.
Heidi, they’re completely fantastic! What a great job! My bread always rises and bursts unpredictably – I admire your control!
I love that fat pony!
Thank you, Cynthia.
Celia-
I build a gluten cloak by stretching and securing the dough to keep the forms under control. I have a tutorial on it here- http://heidiannie.livejournal.com/16508.html
on my old blog site.
I love making bread behave! LOL!
Sorry we didn’t get to taste your bread this week. Hopefully it will keep so we can have some if you come down next week. Aidan will love devouring the pony.
That’s alright- I froze the pony! I’m hoping the tail doesn’t break off- he hates when they come apart before he tears them to pieces!
Heidi, the gluten cloak sounds very interesting – so you basically stretch the outside of the dough into a tight ball a few times over to force it to keep its shape? What hydration dough do you use? I tend to only bake 75% hydration sourdoughs, which are so fluid they tend to lose slashes and definition once they’re baked. Thank you!
I’m in awe too! And am going to dash over to the gluten cloak post as well, Celia said scoot over here. My friend Joe made a lovely tortoise the other day based on the one on le petit boulanger. Do you do the decorative salt dough work as well? I’ve only ever read about that in my bread books. Amazing stuff !
One year my sister and I made a whole slew of the salt dough ornaments- it was fun- but I would rather work in edible materials.
I do a lot of decorated cutouts- I used to do them for a bake shop- but they wanted thousands and I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and had to cut back.
The breads are more like sculpting- the cookies like painting.
This is honey whole wheat dough- the recipe is either before or after the tutorial on the live journal spot. Sourdough is a little wild to get it to stay within the bounds- but the dough needs to be on the drier side- I add enough flour in the kneading stage so that it isn’t very sticky.
Yes, I stretch the outside tightly around it – when it starts to show a white edge it is getting too tight.
I have also used the technique on french bread dough and sweet roll dough- but again , they can’t be too wet/moist/sticky.
Oh my boys would love these! They look like lots of fun. Much more exciting than “rustic” sourdough for their lunches.
My boys used to take them in their lunch to school- sometimes halved with peanut butter and jelly- sometimes just like they were with a dip packed along side. On their birthdays, when we could send it a treat I would make up one for all the kids in their classroom. They loved them. Until their tenth birthdays- then it wasn’t cool anymore.
Wow those teddy breads look so cute! My son would love them.
Thanksfor an amazing idea and for sharing,
Tes
here is a link to the turtle that my friend Joe made with his neice http://www.danlepard.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2910