Simple Multigrain with Flax Sourdough

This is the same recipe as the Olive, Sun-dried Tomato, Feta without the add-ins. We needed some simple bread for sandwiches and I tested out my base recipe to see what came out of it without all the flavour enhancements that I usually put in. It came out delicious but the crust was a bit tough as I didn't add in any yogurt. If I had any doubts that 30-50 g of yogurt made much of a difference in the tenderness of the crust, well this certainly answered it. The yogurt is definitely needed!

So here is the base recipe:

1. Autolyse 705 g of water, 550 g of unbleached flour, 200 g of multigrain flour, 202 g of freshly milled Selkirk wheat flour and 50 g of freshly ground flax. Let sit for a couple of hours.

2. Mix in 22 g salt, 266 g of 80% hydration levain and 10 g of water. Use pinching and folding to integrate well.

3. Do 3 sets of folds 30 to 45 minutes apart and let rise until double. 

4. Divide into 3 portions, pre-shape loosely into boules, let rest 10-15 minutes and shape tightly into boules. Place in rice/unbleached floured bannetons, cover and put into fridge for 10-12 hours.

5. The next morning, heat up the oven and the dutch ovens to 475 F. Load the boules into the dutch ovens lined with parchment paper rounds and bake covered at 450 F for 25 minutes. Remove lids and bake a further 22 minutes at 425 F. 

I am very happy with the look of the crumb and the flavour is delicious! Perfect for a grilled cheese sandwich at dinner time!