February 9, 2024 - 12:55pm
(Sesame Semolina) Couronne V2.
I made several process improvements. Last week's Vermont SD version was to dip my toe in the water giving the couronne a try.
Changes:
- Replaced the Vermont SD with my standard Sesame Semolina dough
- 8 balls @125g each rather than 6 balls at 167g (thanks to Will for referencing the 8 config in his writeup)
- Moistened balls and rolled in bowl of sesame seeds, rather than sprinkled on as was last week's afterthought.
- Placed directly on parchment inside a bottomless springform pan with a round container in the center to give it shape. Both removed prior to placing the ring back in retard for another several hours.
- Scored consistently at the same level all around
Baked at the same 460 dF with steam.
Because the balls are constrained by being placed shoulder to shoulder, there isn't a lot of room for internal expansion of the crumb. But they will still make tasty accompaniments at the dinner table.
The training wheels have been removed. This was the test to decide whether a third bake will accompany us to a friend's house for dinner next week. It will.
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Comments
Alan, these are so gorgeous that I want to reach into the screen and tear off a piece. And freehand placement, too. Just Wow!
TomP
I don't know how else the individual balls would be stacked around the inside of the ring. Maybe I'm a bit of a rube at this specific aspect to understand. Yes, each ball was placed inside the springform pan and the last of them required very minor shifting of the others to squeeze in. Actually a pretty easy solution for not having a preshaped Couronne basket and liner. What was nice is that there was no need for any flour on a liner or couche to facilitate the release of the ring since it was already on the parchment paper.
Thanks, Alan
Fabulous. I make a couple of loaves of Hamelman's semolina bread every couple of weeks as the family love it. You have given me a great idea for my next bake. Nice work, Alan.
Cheers,
Gavin
at 60% semolina. But I converted it from a 125% to a 100% levain years ago. Certainly a tried and true formula for me. Also used it with the tritordeum grain to the same fine results. If there is any drawback, and looks are not one of them by any means, it is that this isn't much of a slicing type of bread and the balls are the better part of twice as heavy/large as a standard dinner roll.
Thanks, Alan
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!
be an upgrade, so yes. More capricious than plan, and I don't see this being on my bread wheel of fortune very much. And there are dozens of formulas from prior bakes in my bursting at the seams 3 ring binder that also fall into that category. It is certainly a nice go-to for dropping something different on the table every now and then.
Thanks, Alan
Headed up to WSP and Battery Park City in a week or so for my MIL's 96th BD, as we always do. She had to be born in Feb!! 😡
Looks perfect. Thanks for sharing your lessons learned.
Best,
Ian
we don't learn something or things to apply for a future run, and this was an easy set of observations/changes to check off. The beauty of time spent in the field is that we are better equipped to notice and apply them rather than when we were wet behind the ears bakers.
Thanks, Alan
Beautiful bake Alan, up to your usual high standards. I’m sure it was delicious, lots of crisp sesame coated crust which is always a bonus and semolina, yummy.
Benny
the mods often are pretty easy to employ for adjustments with sufficient time in the field. It is quite pretty and pretty good but the lack of enough room for individual balls to create a more open crumb beyond the meager, bugs me just a little.
I accept that it had behaved appropriately and for this type of bread I perhaps shouldn't expect more open crumb than I am getting. I'll take that exception in exchange for producing a lovely thing to make now and then for others' enjoyment as well.
Thanks, Alan
That would allow the balls to be smaller, with greater space to expand during final fermentation and baking. Perhaps that would allow for a more open crumb.
Visually, these are stunning.
Paul
Hmmm, food for both thought and for eating!
However with dinner at our friends' place two days from now, not the best time to experiment, but that could be a solution for a next time.
Maybe I'll mix 1.5kg of dough and do the "standard" and a litttle guy both. Thanks for thinking outside the couronne. 🤓.
Alan