For this bake, I used Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough (10% whole rye) as my base, but I made a few modifications for flavor and dough handling. I've made this recipe before and enjoyed it, but I found the dough a little too stiff when shaping, so I increased the hydration from 65% to 75%.
I did this by making a rye soaker the night before, hydrating the rye at 100%, without reducing the water in the final mix. This particular loaf retarded overnight (around 13 hours) in the fridge.
And here's a pic from when I took the lid of the combo-cooker off. I'm still working on my stencil skills-- some of them came out better than others.
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Really nice looking loaves - the added decoration is a great touch!
Thanks Edo!
Wow, very nice. Not sure what you intend to improve regarding your stencils. They look pretty nice to me. I have made this loaf a few times and agree that Hamelman's recipe results in a stiff dough (especially compared with Tartine and Forkish dough). Your idea of upping the hydration via the use of rye sounds interesting. Might have to give that a try. In the meantime, thanks for posting, and happy baking.
These picture show the nice stencils :). For me, it's a fine line between using enough flour/cocoa powder to ensure that the entire stencil is filled, vs. using too much and having the lines be messy, or having excess flour burn.
Glad to hear that I'm not alone in my experience with the Vermont Sourdough. Please update if you tinker with it and find something that works even better for you.
Couldn't improve upon them at all. I love Hamelman's recipe.
Love your screen name. do you have E. Spitzenburg trees?
hester
hester! It is a great recipe.
I have a few different apple trees, but alas, no Spitzenburg. I grafted one two years ago, but it mysteriously died last year-- the trees are unfortunately known for being incredibly susceptible to disease. But the taste makes it worth trying to grow them. Hopefully I'll give it another shot soon.
I have been making a variation on Hamelman's recipe (w a Trevor Wilson touch) for a year now as my staple. I always use 10% rye and also a bit of whole wheat (less than the rye). My final build for the levain contains rye as well. It adds tremendous flavor. There's no way I could do those stencils. Nice job
hester