Just posting to catalog photos and thoughts as my baking progresses.
This first batch:
-Outer crumb was light and airy, but when I cut into the middle of the loaf, it was much more dense.
-I got impatient during the final rise and was feeling antsy, so I baked after only 2.5 hours.
-I still felt pure joy when I took the steam lid off and saw that my all day project had been successful!
-Not much sour flavor to the bread, but I got the starter from an old place of employment and I think it was not being fed regularly. Also, plan to retard future loaves in the fridge to allow for more flavor development.
-I have a sneaking suspicion that my whole wheat flour is starting to go off. The raw flour doesn't taste or smell rancid, but there's an odd, lingering smell to the levain that is not the "milky sweet" I've heard described. Hoping to get my hands on some locally milled flours in the near future.
-My improvement priority is scoring. I'm still figuring out angles and depth of cuts, but I think building confidence will be the most crucial obstacle.
- Dana D's Blog
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Great crust and crumb! Congratulations!
you ask me. Once you feed the starter regularly and get some new flour you will be all set. Well done and happy baking.
That's a really nice looking loaf! And the crumb is much nicer than my early efforts, so my hat's off to you.
Don't be afraid to proof it longer. IME, you'll get better flavor (and more sourness) with longer proofs. You don't even necessarily need to retard it -- In my kitchen, with my starter, I can easily proof for 8 hours overnight. Your mileage, of course, will vary.