double scoring Fig-Pecan WW Levain
First time out of the starting gate baking with figs - calmyrna figs. As a child, figs were about as close to repulsive to my nascent taste buds and sensibilities as eating bugs. My, how a half dozen decades have changed that.
Still practicing those double scores across the batards. And one little baguette, because, well, you know... It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Crumb shot added>
and the formula:
Final dough ingredients | Wt (g) | Wt (g) +25% | Wt (g) +50% |
AP Flour | 305 | 381.25 | 458 |
WW Flour | 95 | 118.75 | 143 |
Rye Flour | 25 | 31.25 | 38 |
Water | 305 | 381.25 | 458 |
Salt | 10.5 | 13.1 | 15.75 |
75% stiff levain | 140 | 175 | 210 |
Raisins | 60 | 75 | 90 |
Pecans | 60 | 75 | 90 |
Total | 1001 | 1251 | 1502 |
Total ingredients | Wt (g) | Bakers % | Wt (g) +25% | Wt (g) +50% |
AP Flour | 350 | 70 | 437.5 | 525 |
WW Flour | 125 | 25 | 156.25 | 187.5 |
Medium rye Flour | 25 | 5 | 31.25 | 38 |
Water | 363 | 72.6 | 454 | 545 |
Salt | 10.5 | 2.1 | 13.1 | 15.75 |
Starter | 5 | 1 | 6.25 | 7.5 |
Raisins | 60 | 12 | 75 | 90 |
Pecans | 60 | 12 | 75 | 90 |
Total | 998.5 | 199.7 | 1248 | 1499 |
Levain: 28 percent of total flour, levain hydration: 75%
Ad the method...
- F & W - 30 minute autolyse
- Levain & Salt. Pinch & Fold. 300 French Folds. Then into oiled, covered bowl.
- At 1st S & F add fruit and nuts.
- Bulk ferment w 4 S & Fs every 25 minutes. Final 25 minute rest. Then into retard. Caveat - my kitchen is 78-80dF.
- Any time past 2nd hour of retard - Divide, pre-shape, shape. Onto lightly floured couche. Cover couche in plastic bag.
- Back into retard. Total retard can be 18-24 hours.
- 500dF pre-heat. Load Sylvia's steaming towel 15 minutes prior to bake.
- Score and bake at 470dF directly from retard. Hot water onto lava rocks after dough is loaded.
- 12-15 minutes steam. Remove steaming towel, turn and rotate dough.
- Bake until "done". These should bake darker than you'd think.
alan
Comments
Figs are a bit of a deal breaker for me, but i like the idea of pecans.
Any chance of a crumb shot?
Jeeze no recipe, no crumb shot ...What is TFL coming to:-)
The recipe and then I figured it must be a secret or something! !
LOL :)
It's a sad sad world now, isn't it? Crumb shot and formula added exclusively to satisfy Lucy. Keep on carping, why don'cha.
I had a lifetime of disliking figs for the first 50 years or so. Try calmyrna dried figs, and it may be a new world of appreciation. Anyway, as you can see, the original was for golden raisins, but the little woman carped that she wanted figs instead. In the march toward marital harmony, I knuckled under.
The crumb is tight, but I haven't any issues. They can't all have holes big enough to drop a bowling ball through.
The fig taste is really not bad, its more of just a sweetness.
Thanks for your post Alan, i think this is a keeper! it's not a pretty as yours but I'm happy.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/45693/fig-and-almond-sd
That's all I have to say.
looks more appropriate :)
Looks good to me. I ran out and bought some dried figs, i nibbled on one, and you know what? It really wasn't as bad as i remember...This one (or some version of it) is being tried on monday!
Wish me luck :)
No criticism here, beautiful loaves; nut and fruit loaves are among my favorites.
Thanks, Michael. At least I'm not getting any hard times from you here. I don't often, in fact quite rarely, put any nuts or fruit in my bakes. If anything it is sesame or caraway that gets the spotlight.
alan
Fig and walnuts is my current favorite, although sour cherries and pecans are right up there.
A couple hints (although YMMV): Chop the figs to large raisin size. They get distributed better. And rinse and drain the dried fruit prior to mixing. It plumps the fruit up, and it stealsless water from you dough.
You may not know it, but Fresno County, where I live, produces most of the dried figs produced in the U.S. The area of town where I live is called "Figarden." At one time, it consisted of one 20, 000 acre fig orchard, all owned by one man, Mr. Forkner. In fact, where my house sits was still in figs until about 25 years ago.
David
Figs were chopped to raisin size for that reason. But I didn't soak them, a valuable thought for the next time. I do, however, roll the fruit around in raw flour and then sift excess four. This way they don't stick together when trying to distribute across the rectangle of dough at 1st S&F.
The one time that I tried walnuts their taste was gone post-bake. I think that I'll have to toast them first before adding to dough.
And yes, MMDV. Mike's purple Dodge Challenger eats up fuel with its muscle car engine of a bygone era. My Prius cruises along at > 50 MPG ;-)
alan
Rinsing the chopped figs also keeps them from sticking together.
I'm off to bake Pane tipo di Altamura and Pugliese Capriccioso in a WFO. Probably half the pot luck guests hail from Apulia, so I'm kinda sticking my neck out. One of them, last year, told me he remembers helping his grandmother bake bread in a WFO back in Calabria. Hope to get some helpful feedback.
David
You now have a few WFO bakes under your belt as I recall. Just let them think that any profuse sweating over the anxiety is oven-heat induced. Nothing like feedback from folks that know, and hopefully remember, what the real thing tastes like.
alan
But alas, I'm another one here who doesn't like figs. Well, I like the *flavour* but I really can't be doing with all those seeds...
Cranberry, raisin and cashew is a favourite of mine when I am doing bakes with add-ins. I avoid using walnuts as my bread always ends up being purple :-p
What the heck, my wife did when she dropped her old boyfriend for me!
Thanks, alan
Nothing personal, of course.
David
walnut oil with a mortar and pestle on top of the add in walnuts to get a super duper, purple design in the crumb since purple is the best color for a Silo Tech'er like me! Phil (PiPs) even got me to do it with his famous Sage and Walnut Super Hero Bread too Nothing like little, green, savory things swimming freely in a purple stained pool:-)
I doubled the formula and used 250 g total diced Turkish figs and local pecans. I shaped two boules and placed in bannetons. I did add about 200 g apple yeast water to the liquid. They rose like champs during the rest periods and the s and f were a pleasure. Such an extensible dough. Will post pics tomorrow after baking. They sure look lovely tonight all cool and calm in the fridge.
It is a really nice dough to work with. Very pliable and willing, so to speak. Looking forward to your pics. I've never used the ol' yeast water that dabrownman has been beating the drums about with folks hopping onto his bandwagon. Not yet curious enough myself, but I guess one day I'll get there too. It is a fun hobby! And a tasty one to boot.
Thanks, alan
dark fruit and nut secrets, she wants to see a really weird one........one that she is particularly fond of.....a variation of Andy's Prune and Brazil Nut Bread with maybe a few different seed variants...... and a sprouted, red malt and dark beer scald. Lucy wants to get your creative juices flowing for the Little Woman and Global Marital Harmony Day that is coming up before you know it. She figures you are up to a really good challenge now and again or possibly easy to fool.......:-)
Lucy really likes this one though but she always re-hydrates her dried fruits, usually in bourbon or q=water so they don't steal water like the little liquid thieves they are. If she uses water she drains off the excess and uses that for part of the dough liquid too - nothing goes to waste around here. Yoa re going to want to chop those Brazil nuts in half or 3rds too if they are gargantuan!
Happy Baking Alan
oh yeah? Well, Lucy ain't no Lola. As a follower of the esteemed Herman Cain, apparently Lucy has all this stuff twirling around in her head. Just keep her away from 9 9 9.
And just because I finally accepted some types of figs into my life, does not mean that I yet allow prunes to pass my lips. Plums? Sure. Prunes? maybe in the coming decades.
Although I like the idea of soaking the fruit in something or other before folding it into the dough.
alan
In tea; English Breakfast if you want a more robust flavour, Earl Grey if you want something more perfumed. And then use the tea in the bread.
Prunes are uncommonly good with slow-cooked duck btw, or stuffed with ganache or marzipan and then covered in chocolate... ;-)
Up until you TFL loons burst my bubble I was quite happy with my method of fruit prep. Still not quite up to qualifying as a minor revolt in the ranks about soaking the fruit first. My rebellious days are mostly behind me, so I'll give that a try the next time out of the starting gate.
So far the list runs from plain water to teas to bourbon. What? No prune juice or Dutch hot chocolate suggestions?