I'm nuts about San Francisco Sourdough from "Crust&Crumb."
Peter Reinhart's recipe for San Francisco Sourdough Bread in "Crust&Crumb" is one I keep coming back to. I have enjoyed many French-style levains with a more subtle sourness, but I still prefer the assertively sour San Francisco-style Sourdough. Reinhart's formula in C&C is the one with which he won the James Beard Award, and it is a winner in my book too.
I generally make three 1.5 lb boules from this formula, but I had wanted to make a sourdough walnut bread again for quite a while. So, I made two of my usual boules and one batârd with walnuts. The walnuts were lightly toasted (15 minutes at 350F) and kneaded into 1.5 lbs of the mixed dough before bulk fermentation.
I think this bread has the most beautiful crust! Can't you just hear the crunch when you imagine biting into a slice?
And for the crumb aficionados ...
The crumb is not as open as usual. Maybe the white whole wheat (10%) was thirstier than I thought.
David
Comments
Beautiful. This is what I aspire to. I have -- as of this morning! -- a mother starter, so one day soon I will try this recipe myself -- knowing a photo of the result will likely belong with the outtakes! but that's okay too. I'll begin there and work my way up to boules like yours.
Karen
Sourdough baking is a great adventure. There is a lot to learn, but TFL is a great place to get help, as well as inspiration. The best part of learning about sourdough bread is that you get to eat your homework.
David
Very nice, that is one beautiful crust! I have never tried this one. He has one in his new book that I think is my very favorite, lot's of flavor. With the weather being so beautiful, I've been forcing myself to get out of the kitchen and take care of outside chores..washing windows etc. If I start with the bread, then I go to baking a dessert and then something special for dinner. I also have too much bread in the freezer that we need to eat up first! Soon though, I'm going to give this one a try.
Betty
Now you've gone and made me feel guilty about all the chores I'm neglecting! (Nothing a glass of wine and a slice of bread won't make me forget for a while longer.)
I haven't seen PR's new book, but it's hard to imagine how he could improve on this bread. That doesn't mean he doesn't have other great sourdoughs, of course, but this one will always be a favorite of mine.
David
Your signature Bake! David! Not the tv series ; ) Gorgeous loaves!
Sylvia
David
I love the bubble pattern and the closeup of the scoring. Pure food porn.
Patricia
Yeah! Those bubbles turn me on too.
David
David
There's nothing like the look of a rich caramel-brown, blistery crust! Wow is all I can say. :D
David,
I can see why this is becoming your staple bread favorite. I might have missed it but how does it toast? I have found that less "wharf twang" is preferred unless your eating a piece with a glass of wine. Sourdough is a one of the "magic" flavor enhancers and will elevate any taste experience to a new level as I suspect you already know.
+Wild-Yeast
I love sourdough toast. This one is delicious toasted and also broiled with a slice of tomato and some gruyere cheese as a tartine. Matter of fact, I just had that for lunch.
Some say that a less sour French-style pain au levain is preferable with wine, and a more sour SF-style sourdough is better with beer. I prefer the more sour flavor with either beverage.
I seldom make bread that doesn't use sourdough (or rye sour).
David
I always enjoy your discussions and your lovely pictorial essays. I think the sourdough makes wonderful toast. We have it with whatever homemade preserves are open....strawberry/lavender, tomato marmalade,fig-lemon preserves,Lemon Drop preserves...is your mouth watering yet??? Thank you David for all you contribute to this site. c
David
Oh, Lemon Drop Preserves...that sounds great! Especially since I always have to many lemons. Is it like a lemon marmalade? Could you post a recipe, pls..or the ingredients/texture...zested, diced etc with the lemon? I also have a fig tree..never tried lemon peel with the jam, recipe please, or amount and texture... or is it some zest etc... of lemon added to the fig preserves! I have several jelly palms in my yard that are always blooming with these very cherry sized fruits with a seed...have you ever tried jelly made with these...it's great..has a tutty fruity taste and is a pink rose color....the bees and ants love this big cluster of sweet sticky fruits..bit messy to harvest but makes a wonderful jelly. The palms are all full of the flowering clusters!
Sylvia
Hi David- I just saw this post... I am the same way about the Crust & Crumb sourdough. I just can't seem to pull away from it to even try other formulas. And, yes, that sourdough with walnuts tops my favorites! Hopefully soon, I'll be posting some photos of the nutty loaves...
Thanks for sharing,
Hazim