Whole Wheat Spelt 2 Cheese SD

23Feb

I love adding cheese to my bakes. Usually, I cut the cheese in small pieces or chunks and fold them in, but I decided I wanted to use shredded cheese and added some to the starter. I used Parmesan and smoked cherry cheddar cheese. The combination really imparted a noticeable cheese flavor and when the bread is toasted or grilled it smells amazing.

The Marquis whole wheat was milled in my MockMill 200 and sifted with a #30 drum sieve, re-milled, and then sifted with a #40 drum sieve. The spelt was only sifted once with the #30 and milled twice total.

Marquis a cross between Red Fife and Red Calcutta, developed in Canada in 1906. It’s a hard red wheat with a mild flavor and 10.5% protein.

The dough was mixed using my trusty Ankrusrum and open-baked with steam. I tried something a little different and after the first autolyse of a half hour I added half the remaining water and let it rest again for another 30 minutes before the final mix. I think this helped the flour absorb the high hydration better.

I also added some sour cream for a little extra tang and creaminess. The sour cream is 73% water which is calculated in the final overall hydration which comes in at a nice 90.66%.

This was baked as a large miche weighing a total of 1767 grams before baking.

I really like how this one turned out. The crumb is nice and open and the cheese flavor really comes through.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 100 grams. Also, add the sour cream with the water. Add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, and half the remaining water and mix on medium-low (about speed 3) for a few minutes until the water is absorbed and turn the speed up a couple of notches for a few minutes until the dough starts to come together. Let it rest for another 20-30 minutes and add the rest of the water. Mix for another 8-10 minutes and then add the grated cheeses until fully incorporated. You should now have a pretty completely developed dough.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flour but it is possible to go longer which I did with this one. I let this one go 17 hours total and the dough was nicely fermented. I also discovered my refrigerator in the garage which is old was practically freezing my dough. I took the temperature when it came out of the next day and it was 33 F. I let it sit in my proofer for an hour at 75 F to warm up a bit but it was still pretty cold when I baked it.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  I then lower the temperature of the oven to 450 F for a niche or 455 F for smaller individual loaves. Bake until they are nice and brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 – 210 F.

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist.