Bonus: Levainity
Sep. 5th, 2023 11:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's bonus Resolution Recipe: Yet Another Sourdough Bread Recipe. (Title given by me)
This may seem like a lot of work, but it's mostly planning and scheduling.
767 g strong bread flour
85 g whole wheat flour
580 g water, divided
15 g salt (I used about 5 g)
153 g ripe sourdough starter
To a large mixing bowl, add the flours, 537 g water, and starter. Mix with wet hands until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes in autolyse.
Add the salt to the top of the dough. Pour on the remaining 43 g water to help dissolve. (Or, as I did, dissolve the salt in 43 g water and then pour over. Seems more sensible.) Mix by hand until the salt is incorporated and the dough comes together in a single (wet) mass. Transfer to a bulk fermentation container and cover. (I left it in the bread bowl, covered.)
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold the dough vigorously. Repeat the rest/fold cycle three more times, then let the dough rest covered 90 minutes. Gently scrape out the dough and divide in two. Using wet hands, shape each piece into a loose round and let rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Shape each piece into a round boule, then place in proofing baskets. Cover with plastic and proof in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, heat the oven to 450° with two covered Dutch ovens inside. Remove the dough from the fridge and score. Carefully transfer them to the hot Dutch ovens. Re-cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lids and bake for 30 minutes longer.
What worked: This... came out brilliantly. The loaves rose, looked beautiful (at least the second did, see below), and had a chewy crust while keeping an open crumb and light, airy texture. I toasted a slice for breakfast alongside a pain au levain For Science! from Acme Bakery, and the two were identical in airy appearance, crunch, and toastability. All 'round it could have passed for a professional yeast loaf.
What didn't: The dough being super-hydrated, I had some doubts about it when adding the salt water (it was much wetter than my normal doughs). That didn't cause any issues, but when I transferred the first boule from the wicker brotform to my baker's peel for baking, it stuck and flipped onto the nicely-slashed top in the Dutch oven - so it undid all my efforts there. The second boule I used parchment and that worked much better. Cornmeal or cream of wheat might have "greased" the peel enough to prevent that, but parchment is pretty easy. It did stick a little to the second loaf (again, super-hydrated) so I had to peel it off when removing to cool. It may be worth trying the cornmeal.
Sadly, there was no sour flavor. That was the only down note, so we rated this a solid 8/10. Maybe the second loaf will develop it a bit in the fridge. A suggestion is to reduce the sourdough starter substantially, from the current ~1 cup to 1-2 Tbsp. The theory is that less culture will mean more fermentation, and thus more flavor. Worth a try.
Will I make it again? This will be one of my standard loaves from now on as it really approached a commercial loaf. I nearly sprained a shoulder patting myself on the back.
This may seem like a lot of work, but it's mostly planning and scheduling.
767 g strong bread flour
85 g whole wheat flour
580 g water, divided
15 g salt (I used about 5 g)
153 g ripe sourdough starter
To a large mixing bowl, add the flours, 537 g water, and starter. Mix with wet hands until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes in autolyse.
Add the salt to the top of the dough. Pour on the remaining 43 g water to help dissolve. (Or, as I did, dissolve the salt in 43 g water and then pour over. Seems more sensible.) Mix by hand until the salt is incorporated and the dough comes together in a single (wet) mass. Transfer to a bulk fermentation container and cover. (I left it in the bread bowl, covered.)
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold the dough vigorously. Repeat the rest/fold cycle three more times, then let the dough rest covered 90 minutes. Gently scrape out the dough and divide in two. Using wet hands, shape each piece into a loose round and let rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Shape each piece into a round boule, then place in proofing baskets. Cover with plastic and proof in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, heat the oven to 450° with two covered Dutch ovens inside. Remove the dough from the fridge and score. Carefully transfer them to the hot Dutch ovens. Re-cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lids and bake for 30 minutes longer.
What worked: This... came out brilliantly. The loaves rose, looked beautiful (at least the second did, see below), and had a chewy crust while keeping an open crumb and light, airy texture. I toasted a slice for breakfast alongside a pain au levain For Science! from Acme Bakery, and the two were identical in airy appearance, crunch, and toastability. All 'round it could have passed for a professional yeast loaf.
What didn't: The dough being super-hydrated, I had some doubts about it when adding the salt water (it was much wetter than my normal doughs). That didn't cause any issues, but when I transferred the first boule from the wicker brotform to my baker's peel for baking, it stuck and flipped onto the nicely-slashed top in the Dutch oven - so it undid all my efforts there. The second boule I used parchment and that worked much better. Cornmeal or cream of wheat might have "greased" the peel enough to prevent that, but parchment is pretty easy. It did stick a little to the second loaf (again, super-hydrated) so I had to peel it off when removing to cool. It may be worth trying the cornmeal.
Sadly, there was no sour flavor. That was the only down note, so we rated this a solid 8/10. Maybe the second loaf will develop it a bit in the fridge. A suggestion is to reduce the sourdough starter substantially, from the current ~1 cup to 1-2 Tbsp. The theory is that less culture will mean more fermentation, and thus more flavor. Worth a try.
Will I make it again? This will be one of my standard loaves from now on as it really approached a commercial loaf. I nearly sprained a shoulder patting myself on the back.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-06 04:46 am (UTC)It took me several tries to process this sentence, and finally decided you must have a source for commercial bread that is better than anything I remember eating. I switched to never buying bread and only eating homemade many, many years ago, because I didn't like the stuff one could buy. (also because, at least at the time, it was cheaper to buy flour and yeast than to buy bread, but I haven't re-done the math on that in decades, so I have no idea if it still applies)
no subject
Date: 2023-09-06 02:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-06 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-06 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-12 04:36 pm (UTC)