After discovering the delights of home baking sourdough well over a year ago there is one recipe I love to bake as it always provides consistent results and seems to be happy with whatever flour mix I have in the cupboard.  The recipe is based around the sourdough section in The River Cottage Bread Handbook by Daniel Stevens plus some tips from Dan Lepard. Hmmm a lot of bakers seem to be called Dan. 

The night before baking I mix 250grms flour, usually at least 200g strong or very strong white, the rest a mix/combo of wholemeal, spelt or rye depending on what's festering in the cupboard, along with 320-350ml of warm water and a couple of good heaped tablespoons of rye starter, mix well and leave to brew overnight.

The next morning I am greeted by a nice lively looking, bubbly bowl which always gives me confidence as it confirms all is active and lives! I then add the remaining 300grms of flour which once more is usually a mix of whatever, but with at least -200-250grms or so of the white stuff.  I always add a lug of olive oil and just a few twists of the salt mill (high BP!) then mix and knead for 5-10mins, leave in a oiled bowl for an hour or so then depress and lightly knead/stretch a further 3-4 times hourlyish (if I remember) then shape, dust with rye flour & prove in a linen lined basket for 2-3 hours in  warm spot (nr the boiler!) 

When ready to bake, I whack the oven on  full, turn the beastie onto some baking parchment (non-stick - I learnt from using the wrong stuff!!) score/slash and lift into in my large Le Cruset cast iron casserole, which is then put into the cool oven and baked for 45mins plus a further 5mins or so with the lid off to finish browning, the results are always fine.

It's great to try the recipes on The Fresh Loaf, last week I did the Dan Lepard Walnut bread - a brilliant recipe and one I am certain to do again, but it's always nice to do the one you know best and can do without even looking at the recipe. Oh and here are some pics of my last bake..........

 

I was interested to read the different recipes found for Malt Bread. On trips back to England I have always brought back loaves of this yummy sticky bread. I kept the list of ingredients from the wrapper of one of these loaves and after some trial and error have come pretty close to the real thing! At the time I had a bread machine so made it in that - but now make it like any other bread. I believe the most important ingredient is the diastatic malt flour - this is what makes it sticky. I have not been able to find caramel colouring since I recently moved to BC. (anyone know where it is available in the Okanagan Valley ? )

MALT BREAD

7/8 cup water + 1 teaspoon caramel colour

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

2 tablespoons golden corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups unbleached flour

1 generous tablespoon Diastatic Malt Flour

1 tablespoon powdered malt extract

1 tablespoon dried whey powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast

1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins

This of course is the order the ingredients would go into the bread machine. I now make it with my Kitchenaide letting the yeast rise in the warmish water with a teaspoon of sugar before adding the rest of the ingredients.                                                                                                          merlie

Hey All,

Catching up again on my blogging here and post some pics of some ciabatta and country miche from my 1/21/10 bake.  I'll post recipes if requested...

Enjoy!

Tim

Ciabatta Recipe:

Ingredients:

60% AP Flour (674g)

35% Bread Flour (674g)

3% WW Flour (34g)

2% Rye Flour (22g)

75% Water (842g)

2.2% Kosher salt (24g)

10% Firm Sourdough Starter (60% Hydration) (112g)

1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Makes 2100g dough.

Directions:

Night 1:

11:10pm - Mix all ingredients into shaggy dough with no dry bits, transfer to oiled plastic bin, cover, autolylse for 30 mins.

11:40pm - Turn dough in bin, cover.  (Do not use extra flour.  Use lightly wet hands)

12:10am - Turn dough in bin, cover.

12:40am - Turn dough in bin, cover.

1:10am - Turn dough in bin, cover /refrigerate overnight (40F)

Morning 2:

6:45am - Remove from fridge, turn out on to floured surface, divide into 4 and stretch out to approx 15”-16”, proof on to well floured linen couche, cover with cloth towels and plastic, proof for 1 hr.  Arrange baking 2 stones on separate levels (1 one space from bottom, 1 two spaces down from top, and the long side of the stone should be front to back) and steam pan in oven, preheat to 550F with convection. (I use an aluminum loaf pan filled with lava rocks for my steam pan)

7:55am – Gently and quickly transfer loaves to a peel or flipping board, place directly onto stone in oven.  When all the loaves are in, Add 1 cup of water to steam pan, close oven.  Turn down to 450F with convection and bake for 12 minutes.  Rotate, turn down to 425F with convection and bake for another 13 minutes or until internal temp reaches 210F.  Cool completely for about 2-3 hours before cutting and eating...

 

Country Miche Recipe:

Ingredients:

70% AP Flour (504g)

25% WW Flour (180g)

5% Rye Flour (36g)

5% Wheat Germ (36g) 

85% Water (612g)

2% Kosher salt (14g)

25% Firm Sourdough Starter (60% Hydration) (180g)

1/8 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Makes 1562g dough.

Directions:

Night 1:

11:15pm - Mix all ingredients into shaggy dough with no dry bits, transfer to oiled plastic bin, cover, autolylse for 30 mins.

11:45pm - Turn dough.

12:15am - Turn dough.

12:45am - Turn dough.

1:15am - Turn dough/refrigerate overnight

Morning 2:

6:40am - Remove from fridge, divide into 2, preshape, rest 20 minutes.

7:00am - Final shape, proof in linen lined baskets, place basket inside plastic bag for 2 hours.

8:40am - Arrange baking stone and steam pan in oven, preheat to 550F with convection. (I use an aluminum loaf pan filled with lava rocks for my steam pan)

9:00am - Turn boules onto peel, slash as desired, place directly onto stone in oven.  Add 1 cup of water to steam pan, close oven.  Turn down to 450F with convection and bake for 22 minutes.  Rotate, turn down to 425F with convection and bake for another 28 minutes or until internal temp reaches 210F.  Cool completely for about 3-4 hours before cutting and eating...

 

Hey All,

Just wanted to catch up on my blogging here and post some pics of some 80% WW bread and ciabatta from my 1/19/10 bake.  I'll post recipes if requested...

Enjoy!

Tim

Ciabatta Recipe: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/16361/12210-ciabatta-and-country-miche

80% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe:

Ingredients:

80% WW Flour (1014g)

20% Bread Flour (254g)

85% Water (1078g)

2.2% Kosher salt (30g)

8% Firm Sourdough Starter (60% Hydration) (100g)

1 1/8 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Makes 2500g dough.

Directions:

7:30pm - Mix all ingredients into shaggy dough with no dry bits, transfer to oiled plastic bin, cover, autolylse for 30 mins.

8:05pm – Knead dough using French fold method 8x, cover, rest.  (Do not use extra flour.  Use lightly wet hands)

8:35pm - Turn dough in bin, cover.

9:05pm - Turn dough in bin, cover.

9:35pm - Turn dough in bin, cover.

10:15pm – Divide into 4, preshape.

10:30pm – Divide into 4, final shape, place into linen lined baskets, proof 45-60 minutes.  Arrange baking 2 stones on separate levels (1 one space from bottom, 1 two spaces down from top, and the long side of the stone should be front to back) and steam pan in oven, preheat to 550F with convection. (I use an aluminum loaf pan filled with lava rocks for my steam pan)

11:30pm – Gently and quickly transfer loaves to a peel, slash as desired, place directly onto stone in oven.  When all the loaves are in, Add 1 cup of water to steam pan, close oven.  Turn down to 450F with convection and bake for 20 minutes.  Rotate, turn down to 425F with convection and bake for another 18 minutes or until internal temp reaches 210F.  Cool completely for about 3-4 hours or overnight before cutting and eating...

 

 

I'm new to baking bread and have a question about density. I have baked the bread from the recipe provided in lesson 2. This has turned our great several times, but, I'm wondering what the trick is to making it less dense. I'm looking for a good bread to use for Sub's.

 

Thanks,

Darren