riverbread's blog

Really proud of the rise and crumb on this one - I had been on a quest for a light, springy whole wheat loaf as I remained stubbornly opposed to the fact that 100% whole wheat meant necessarily dense and heavy crumbs. 

Pleased to say this recipe worked out well (adapted from Full Proof Baking's wonderful blog) - she recommended doing a cold, overnight bulk fermentation and I think that really did the trick here. Very minimally handled overall. 

Recipe as follows:

50% Red Fife

50% Whole Wheat White Flour

Beginning to get more comfortable baking! Decided to experiment with Figs and Walnuts (figs freshly dehydrated)

Started with 50% Red Fife, 10% Rye, 10% Spelt, 30% All Purpose, with a 2 hour autolyse and then a 5.5 hour bulk fermentation. Laminated once 45 minutes after adding leaven and salt to get the mix-ins incorporated (maybe should’ve chopped the walnuts a bit smaller) and then did 3 coils folds separated by about 45 minutes each. Retarded overnight for ~12 hours and then baked 20 minutes at 450, then uncovered at 425 for 25 more minutes. 

Hi All - wanted to share a recent loaf in my quest for a open crumb but whole wheat loaf with decent rise... which so far is still eluding me. I’m new overall to sourdough (a classic quarantine baker if you will) but have been working with WW for health and flavor benefits mostly. 

Still struggling with a few areas, namely judging bulk fermentation, and handling during shaping though. Any feedback is always appreciated!

Recipe: 

240g Red Fife Whole Wheat Flour (Anson Mills) - 68%

40g Whole Wheat Spelt Flour - 11%

45g All Purpose - 13%