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If finally feels like fall here on Long Island with temps in the low 50's today.  Perfect weather for a hearty nut and cranberry bread.  If you love nuts, this one is for you.  You get nuts and cranberries in every bite.

Feel free to vary the flours and porridge ingredients and this one will still turn out a winner.  I used yellow sweet potatoes but you can use any style you have on hand.  I like to roast them until they are super soft and sweet when they are at their optimal flavor.

Followed 100% whole wheat recipe from full proof baking.

Hard white spring wheat

I decided I’d try to apply some of what I’ve learned making baguettes to my hearth loaves.  One thing that has been in the back of my mind for a while has been whether or not my use of high protein Canadian bread flours 13.3% protein could be preventing my heart loaves from having a more open crumb.  I know that achieving an open crumb is multi factorial and for many not worth the trouble, but it is something I wanted to see if I could eventually achieve.

I threw together a formula with:

50% strong bread flour

30% low protein (10%) white flour

Sardo makes this incredible Olive Bruschetta mix as well as a Sweet Pepper Bruschetta. Ever since I tasted them, I’ve been dreaming of putting them into a loaf. So here goes:

Recipe

Makes 3 loaves

Add ins:

150 g Sardo Olive Bruschetta, undrained 

100 g Sardo Sweet Pepper Bruschetta, undrained

Main dough:

700 g Strong Bakers Flour

200 g freshly milled Selkirk flour 

100 g freshly milled Einkorn flour 

700 g filtered water

The single most important discovery for me as a baker the past year has been the double-fed sourdough.  Up until this time, both Stinky (wheat) and Sourpuss (rye) received single feedings that would ripen overnight and be incorporated in the next morning's mixes. Of course there were many considerations and deliberations and decisions to be made: the changing temperature of the room overnight, the temperature of the water, the amount of lead time before the final dough mix, the mother:flour:water ratio, and so on, and so on.  Although I was generally satisfied with the p

There is an infinite number of ways to shape rounds. This particular stitching method works well with high hydration doughs. The dough in this video is 85% hydration.

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Last week Stephen (Brotkraft) posted his first blog entry.  A short video on how he recommends getting an open crumb.  Okay, after a very few back and forth Qs & As with the engaging Signore Brotkraft, I decided to take the plunge.

For years I have wanted to try making focaccia, but since I am a bit obsessive about researching new things before I try them, I kept putting it off. Finally, my wife forced my hand... she made focaccia, and halfway through her bake (After bulk ferment) wanted me to step in and finish off the bake. Well, that bake went terrible, the dough had already way over-proofed and the focaccia came out quite dense.

In reviewing a few month's worth of baguettes, I found that a batch from 9/21/20 that had a nice open crumb and an unusually long and high energy mix.  It was made with high gluten flour, 68% hydration, long mix time (5 min @speed 0 [low speed], 18 min @4 [high speed]), and 78.6°F dough temperature at end of mix.


9/21/20 (high gluten flour, 68% hydration)

Unlike many bread that are called "Whole Wheat," the one in Peter Reinhart's "Bread Baker's Apprentice" is actually 100% whole wheat. This is a delicious bread that I have made many times but not for several years.