3rd batch
Same approach and this time I put the dough into the wine cooler at a warmer temp at 8C to see whether I get those nice bubbles as Joze does. No bubbles but the dough was without a doubt more bubbly and puffy. I managed to get it on my impromptu floured teatowel couche....they look a little bit like battered fish...huh.....
We are back from the holidays and needed bread...
So back to baking some Champlains and was a bit nervous as my last bake before the
holidays did not go very well.....
I like the 'square scoring' that the Italian baker Matteo Festo sometime uses and his stuff on IG is amazing! He says it helps with oven spring and I gave it a go.....
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdm9H_YAP5F/?taken-by=ca_mia_breadlab
I love the way it just opens up like a flap!
Isn't it funny how goals change depending on where you are on your journey?
Firstly, Open crumb as a keen and quite naive beginner in October was top of the list...quickly followed by 'scoring'...oh those elusive ears in my overproofed loaves in the warm fridge phase...
Then, a new oven and a new wine cooler...everything changes again!!!!!
So, now with things being a bit 'settled' I aim to have a number of formulas that I know so well that I can 'read the dough' and get a sort of reliable 'good' result... I seem to be getting there with the Champlain....
I set myself the target whether I can produce a really good example of a 'Fool's crumb' with all the
features that Trevor describes in his book.
Not really - I tried an experiment with Champlains to use extended cold bulk fermentation in my wine cooler overnight, shape in the morning and totally misjudged the 2nd proof!
But, rather than only share the good, here you also get the 'ugly' and this might be useful for someone learning. Certainly when I started off, I did not know what underproofed loaves looked in comparism to overproofed etc.
During the Champlain community bake I abandoned Trevor's premix method as it degraded my UK flours too much and I ended with soup...
Thinking a bit more about temperatures I thought what would happen if I were to do the 'premix' method but keep the dough 'cooler' rather than into fridge and then get to room temp. I used the 304g amount of water for 70% hydration as in his formula.
I am still trying to get my retarding times sorted in the new wine cooler. So yesterday evening I did a not very scientific experiment and put it in the wine cooler at 6C for 5 hours....I have found that the dough takes quite a while to 'cool' down and when I took dough temp after 5 hours it was 9C before baking...
Took the loaf to a barbecue today and thankfully people know me when they saw my reaction once someone cut the loaf! It must have been the Disco light that did it in the wine cooler!
Well, thought I give this one a go as I was visiting friends today and they so far have eaten a lot of Champlains!!
variation on breadtopia formula with changes as outlined below....ha, ha there is method to my madness or not.....
https://breadtopia.com/kamut-sourdough-bread/
40% Kamut/Khorasan loaf with :
Yep...I am still learning to bake this formula trying different stiff or wet starters and also have been a bit more
scientific in measuring the amount of rise....so on this one I really 'focused' and only let it go to 30% with that domed look as well as bubbles and activity....and then straight in to the fridge for 12 hours at 5 - 3 C....
I love to get a 'balanced' looking loaf at the moment with good oven rise, crumb, crust and ears....(but boy would I love a 'big' ear!!!
Ha, Ha....this time I created a 100% leaven from my 60% stiff starter and used it after 5 hours...didn't float and not rise that much and expected a flop but rise it did!!!
So...next experiment will be to up the hydration a bit more and to see whether my flour and my handling can cope!
