I made it again, as the 1st bake of 2023, this time as a batard.
My timings were all off (levains left languishing too long plus a slimmed-down refrigerator stint) and I wasn't consistent enough with the stretch & folds & shaping (I'll blame the champagne for that.)
…and i am VERY pleased and impressed with the method and the results! Im still pretty new to sourdough, artisan style baking at home, and this was my best whole grain loaf yet!!
Also this is my first post on tfl after lurking all fall/winter, I just had to report my results with this recipe!
i have a cold kitchen and I love baking with high percentages of whole grains, but haven’t felt confident in attempting a 100% whole grain, no bread flour, loaf until now! I got my hands on some Oak Manor whole grain spelt (i live in Ontario, Canada for the grainheads out there) and I had to try this! I knew things would progress slower than you observed, my kitchen rarely topped 71F thru this project. Still, I think I overproofed a bit as my oven spring is nowhere like yours (my shaping was probably more to blame, getting tension in this spelt was difficult, Im not a shaping expert at all)
The triple levain build and your rationale for it fascinated me so I followed the recipe very closely - and then I had a dental emergency so Levain B sat in the fridge one whole extra day!! I compensated by adding a little more (just 10g) of the levain to the final mix, and I also swapped honey for dark grade maple syrup.
I baked this on a stone (which im still figuring out), and it did see some okay spring in the oven - but nothing like yours or some others here - my preheating isn’t hot enough yet, I think. And maybe I over proofed it, or my levain delay burnt out some yeast
Regardless, it’s beautiful and delicious and the crumb is so soft, I can’t wait to make this loaf again and try for bigger rise with a tighter levain schedule and a steamier oven. thank you!
Wow that is amazing for your first bake of a 100% whole spelt loaf. George’s formula really seems to work. I haven’t tried Oak Manor flours but I have seen them at Whole Foods. Where in Ontario are you? I’m in Toronto. Nice to see another Canadian baker on TFL.
thank you!! Yeah I’m in Toronto as well - so nice to find other local bakers here!
I grab my nice flours from Fiesta Farms mostly. And I wish Oak Manor sold in higher volumes than 1kg bags, but that’s all I’ve seen at any store. But I definitely recommend it, their spelt and rye have both been fresh and delish for me
Your bread looks wonderful! As you rebake this recipe a few times, you'll automatically tweak the recipe for your flours. It will be better and better. It is the flavor that matter the most .
My starter -- fresh from the fridge after 6 weeks of inactivity -- was over acidic & under yeasted. And, due to weird scheduling, the 1st stage sat on the counter for 20 hours.
I made it again, as the 1st bake of 2023, this time as a batard.
My timings were all off (levains left languishing too long plus a slimmed-down refrigerator stint) and I wasn't consistent enough with the stretch & folds & shaping (I'll blame the champagne for that.)
Still, I'm not complaining:
Image
Image
Thanks again & Happy New Year!
Rob
Happy New Year Rob! The crumb is still quite good and it is true that it is what is inside that matters most .Enjoy the New Year!
Excellent again Rob, you have conquered challenging spelt!
Benny
Also this is my first post on tfl after lurking all fall/winter, I just had to report my results with this recipe!
i have a cold kitchen and I love baking with high percentages of whole grains, but haven’t felt confident in attempting a 100% whole grain, no bread flour, loaf until now! I got my hands on some Oak Manor whole grain spelt (i live in Ontario, Canada for the grainheads out there) and I had to try this! I knew things would progress slower than you observed, my kitchen rarely topped 71F thru this project. Still, I think I overproofed a bit as my oven spring is nowhere like yours (my shaping was probably more to blame, getting tension in this spelt was difficult, Im not a shaping expert at all)
The triple levain build and your rationale for it fascinated me so I followed the recipe very closely - and then I had a dental emergency so Levain B sat in the fridge one whole extra day!! I compensated by adding a little more (just 10g) of the levain to the final mix, and I also swapped honey for dark grade maple syrup.
I baked this on a stone (which im still figuring out), and it did see some okay spring in the oven - but nothing like yours or some others here - my preheating isn’t hot enough yet, I think. And maybe I over proofed it, or my levain delay burnt out some yeast
Regardless, it’s beautiful and delicious and the crumb is so soft, I can’t wait to make this loaf again and try for bigger rise with a tighter levain schedule and a steamier oven. thank you!
Congrats! That looks beautiful and delicious.
Rob
Wow that is amazing for your first bake of a 100% whole spelt loaf. George’s formula really seems to work. I haven’t tried Oak Manor flours but I have seen them at Whole Foods. Where in Ontario are you? I’m in Toronto. Nice to see another Canadian baker on TFL.
Benny
thank you!! Yeah I’m in Toronto as well - so nice to find other local bakers here!
I grab my nice flours from Fiesta Farms mostly. And I wish Oak Manor sold in higher volumes than 1kg bags, but that’s all I’ve seen at any store. But I definitely recommend it, their spelt and rye have both been fresh and delish for me
I love Fiesta Farms and wander over there on occasion. Mostly I pick up my flours in Kensington Market.
Your bread looks wonderful! As you rebake this recipe a few times, you'll automatically tweak the recipe for your flours. It will be better and better. It is the flavor that matter the most .
this time with toasted cashews & chopped dates.
My starter -- fresh from the fridge after 6 weeks of inactivity -- was over acidic & under yeasted. And, due to weird scheduling, the 1st stage sat on the counter for 20 hours.
But, mmmmmm!
Rob