Rustic Sour & Dreams of sand
Country Sour
We had occasion to visit relatives yesterday who live in an old 1848 vintage farm house in rural Wisconsin. I made a rustic sourdough loaf for dinner that turned out pretty well and had a great crust. I used a clay La Cloche bell top on the stone all preheated to 500 degrees F with lower temps following the first 15 minutes. Just before laying the boule on the stone, I misted the dough with water and sprinkled wheat germ on the top for a more rustic effect.
I started with 100 grams of active starter in what turned out to be a 1000 g dough ball and let the starter inoculate the preferment of 350 g of flour all night. I added my usual 50 grams of white rye for flavor to the remaining 350 g of AP the next day. Usual 2 % salt and 1 T sugar plus 1-1/2 teaspoons of SAF-Gold.
The hostess loved the mild sour and I promised to help get her started with sourdough after the holidays. So maybe we will have another baker in the extended family. When it came time to drive home, it was snowing hard and freezing on the roads and I was wishing we had gone to visit my son in the Caribbean this winter. As I drove, my mind started to wander to a strong ale I had recently tried with some pita breads and Hummus. Ahhh I can see it now----
Eric
Double Bastard Ale
A friend is trying to introduce me to the finer points of hand crafted brews. There are so many similarities to bread and beer brewing that I feel obligated to learn as fast as I can:>)
I missed it on the board when you first posted it. But thats a very nice looking loaf of sd. I like the addition of wheat germ on top, nice touch.
TT
is coming from... great looking loaf! Got my SS bowl and testing it out. The loaf with the powdered sourdough scraps came out mild and with great flavor but embarrassing enough, it's not a "looker" like yours. Dolly follows me around ever so intently, determined to beg me out of a bite, if I cut off a slice or come anywhere near the loaf. She hasn't done that for a while!
Mini O
Very nice looking bread and what a great beer. I would drink Arrogant Bastard for breakfast if it wasn't so expensive.
Thanks Jack, It is good beer. To be truthful I'm just learning to enjoy West coast craft beers. Susan from San Diego's husband has been holding my hand showing me the best out there. It's funny really, my being in Milwaukee where just about everybody has at least one family member in the brewing industry some where along the line.
Eric