Blog posts

 Why yes, I am.  But this time, I had to tear myself away from my standard Baguette Crusade.  My wife wanted me to try making a batard out of the same dough so that she could slice pieces large enough to ensure that the bread would serve as more than just a bite-sized snack.  And I had just enough left over for a skinny cross-hatched baguette.

Applying what I learned when I went back to basics, I mixed up a total levain based sourdough.  Of course during the rising period I had my doubts and although I have a multitude of patience being married to Mr. A.D.D., I get impatient watching the dough rise!  

very happy with the oven spring

formula:-

70% bread flour

30% freshly milled wholewheat flour

1.8% salt

30% starter (over 3 builds)

60% hydration

dried longan rehydrated with hot water, liquid from rehydration then used to make up 60% hydration as per above

mix everything save for the salt until a shaggy mess

autolyse 30 mins

add salt, knead for 5 mins rest 5 mins knead another 5 mins

If it’s Good Friday then this is Hot Cross Bun Bake Day.   This year we did a sprouted grain, poolish version after the YW and SD versions the past 2 years.  This one really proofed well and then sprang great in the oven.

Lucy was going to do something else but came back to one of my favorites – Mediterra’s Pecan and Cranberry Sourdough.  This great bakery, located in the small AZ town of Coolidge, AZ, supplies the local Whole Foods with some of their upscale breads – including this one.  Here is there web site http://mediterrabakehouse.com/

After my less than spectacular Forkish Country Brown....good flavor, not as good oven spring as I would like, I was advised by my mentor (you know who you are) to go back to basics.

Hamelman's 5-grain Levain is one of our favorite breads.  My wife and I always have some on hand in the freezer (it freezes quite well), ready to toast a slice for breakfast or for a sandwich.  It also lends itself to all kinds of variations since it is easy to modify the ingredients and relative amounts of the soaker.  I have used cracked rye (as called for in the original recipe) and have also had success with bulghur wheat.  This time, inspired by this post earlier this year, I tried it with freek

It's not the best or holiest baguette I've seen, but I think it is a solid attempt to develop upon (it's actually my fourth attempt since last week). I used all purpose flour (or something between APF and bread flour, it says 12.78% protein), 67% hidration and 20% sourdough starter, plus about 3% of malt flour, mixed and folded a few times yesterday afternoon, retarded in the fridge overnight and shaped and baked this morning.

The crust is really nice, not too thick, the crumb is soft and almost creamy; the taste is mostly sweet.