alfanso's blog

An invite to a dinner party for 8 folks at our uncle's house prompted my wife to say that she would like me to bake a few Semolina batards to bring.  She, OTOH, decided on baking the above pictured rum infused and lemon zested Torta di Riso (Italian Rice Cake).

I once more relied on the now reliable Pane di Alfansomura, my whimsically named take on an earlier Pane di Altamura.  This time the twist was to change out the AP flour for bread flour.  A 60/40 mix of Durum/Bread Flour at 70% hydration using the 3 stage build of stiff rye levain. One seeded, and for those who may not appreciate them, one without seeds.  2x750g, 1x350g. 450dF, 15 minutes w/steam, 15 minutes more for the baguettes / 18 more for the batards, 2 minutes batard venting.

The alfansomura clan freshly awakened from their retard.

just after scoring and loading.

The oven spring was fabulous on the batards, but surprisingly modest on the baguette.

Two days earlier, I baked another batch of the Hamelman Pain au Levain w/WW, a batard each for our Condo manager and assistant.  Just because...  Another 2/750g, 1x350g.

alan

The slew of baguettes that I made the other day for my in-laws yielded a set of Hamelman Pain au Levain w/WW that I wasn't really thrilled with.  The crumb was too tight, the baguettes seemed to lack some standard amount of girth that I expect from them and all along the pathway from mix to bake something just didn't feel right.  A nice part about baking is that I get to do a do-over.  These seemed more "right" to me starting at mix time and beyond.

3x350g, 1x755g, baked at 460dF.  29 minutes for baguettes and 35 minutes for the batard with 2 minutes venting.

I occasionally read where someone complains about scorched bottoms when using a baking deck.  So I included a picture of the underside of this batch.  If the baking deck is not right on top of the heat source and the temperature in the oven is not too high, the bottoms should generally never scorch.  And as I'd mentioned in my "do and don't" list recently, I stay away from as much additional raw flour as possible, and the bottoms reveal very little of it.  As with many of our bottoms, not as attractive as our other side ;-) .

alan

Updated Sep 21.

Getting down the the final few slices of that lovely batard so I thought that I'd post these two pictures of the crumb.

To those about to dine, I salute you!  (okay so this isn't exactly what the gladiator generals said)

My wife is heading north to visit with her parents.  And they really like the bread I make for them.  Baguettes more so than batards, a little more plain than fancy.  In preparation I made a batch of SJSD and a batch of Hamelman Pain au Levain w/WW to freeze and take with her.  

Tag-teaming the making of these - both mixed last night, both baked this evening was a bit of a juggling act - especially because I have only one couche which needed to be scraped down and dried out before I divided and shaped the second batch.  I shaped both batches a bit too long and one baguette from each batch wound up with a bit of a Jimmy Durante nose from hanging over the edge of the baking deck.  But the simple scheduling of these was fun.  

No she won't be taking all ten of these, but she can take as many as she wants.

10x350g

We have a friend who is moving across the country this coming week.  She really liked my raisin-pecan WW batard, and my wife thought that I should bake her a goodbye R-P WW.  And while I was at it, I figured that another two would be just dandy!  Just because.

The last few times I've used dried fruit, I took the advice of some TFL "elders" and soaked the fruit first.  I also added the soaking water into the mix as part of the hydration. 

Baked extra dark because that's what my formula notes say and that's what I really like!  And yes, I just checked the batard coloration held up to my computer screen where I'm typing this - it is that dark.  

470dF, 13 minutes steam, 19 minutes additional, 3 minutes venting w/oven off.  2x710g, 1x650g.

Crumb shot from the "baby" batard added just before hitting the toaster.  Golly, it feels almost like I'm running a peep show with these crumb shots.  Cover the children's eyes and shame on you all!

Neglected to mention that the fruit and nuts are each 12% baker's percentage-wise.

alan

I had an inkling that I hadn't baked these in a while but never thought that it was as long as 8 months ago.  SJSD variations?  Yes, but the base product?  No.  

Most of my formula sheets have notes on what the dough feels like at stages: extensible, slack, tight, fluffy...  Do I need to dust the couche more or dust it less post-shaping?  But on this sheet I didn't have any guide, and as it had been a while, I didn't remember what to expect.  

This mix saw a few more grams of water added than before, and the dough remained surprising slack, and at shaping time it was a bit tacky.  Gotta record that.

This is the type of bake where I feel a little doubt - until 5 minutes into the action when I can clearly see the scores making their move to bloom.  And then the doubt is once more quelled.

3x350g baguettes, 1x590 batard.

alan

crumb shot added...

I had such a good bake with my one previous turn at David's SFBI Pain au Levain (my way!) , a mostly all AP flour dough, that I knew I'd be returning to the scene of the crime soon enough.  Again using my 75% hydration levain and adding water to make up for the difference vs. a liquid levain, I also decided to add caraway seeds to the dough.  A good slather of cornstarch glaze before and after the bake.  More caraway seeds were sprinkled on top, post-bake, between two final glazes.

Once more a slight error in rolling out a baguette caused a bludgeon-like shaping in the final result.  Plus a funny "tuck" visible on the end of the batard, also evident in the final result.  As I mentioned in my recent blog entry about my do and don't lists, any early error is magnified in the downstream results.  But I'm pretty pleased with the finished product once more.  Still waiting for the cool down before inspecting the interior, or for that matter, sinking my dentures into one.

3x350g baguettes, 1x575g batard.

Crumb shot added

Looking to shake things up just a little, I decided to change a bit from my recent Semolina with Rye Levain concoction.  Not a lot, just enough to see what would happen by altering that one thing.  And that one thing was to use 60% durum/40%AP flour in the final mix rather than 100% durum.  Otherwise all things remained the same.  Well, except that I actually did a 3 stage build this time.

Baguettes are 3x350g, Batard is 1x600g

I think that the prior batch had slightly better oven spring, this one has a more craggy look where the baguettes bloomed.  But that really isn't a complaint.  Just an observation.

alan

Crumb shot added the following AM to satisfy a few demanding bread nuts!

Not to be complete and comprehensive and certainly not to be pedantic, but I decided to list a set of my own do and don’t “baking rules”.  I expect no one to take any/some/all of these to heart or put into practice - least of all because I say I do them.  None of these are absolute, but in general, they serve as my personal list of commandments – at least around dough and baking.
  
We have, will develop and hopefully forever evolve our own individual set of rhythms and axioms for what works best for each of us.  There is probably no “one size fits all”.
I’ve been doing these long enough now that it is pretty much second nature to me and I don’t need a checklist to abide by.  Let’s start with the don’ts...

I DON’T

• I don’t do a float test.  Once I have a mature and reliable levain, it works.  I trust it.
• I don’t temp the water.  After a while the old “baby bottle drip on the wrist” is all that one needs.  Get to know what temperature your water needs to be.  Need colder water?  Add ice.  Need colder still?  Put the flour in the freezer.
• I don’t do a windowpane test.  It is not necessary to wring my hands over a failed windowpane, and to keep on mixing, especially because I almost never use a mechanical mixer.  So far I can’t be convinced that I’m wrong on this.  This rule does have a singular caveat.  There are a very few doughs that may be absolutely dependent upon a successful windowpane.  But they are few and far between.  And that is when I’ll use a mixer.  
• I don’t temp the post-mix dough.  It will be 77-78dF.  I know that from experience.  I trust it.
• I don’t watch the dough, I watch the clock.  This is the get-myself-into-hot-water-around-here rule.  My kitchen temperature is almost always 78-80dF.  Once I am comfortable with how a dough reacts to the fermentation and the room temperature, it is a reliable and repeatable activity.  I trust it.  Science!
• I don’t really care how long my retarded dough sits in the refrigerator post-bulk ferment.  As long as it is more than at least 10-12 hours and under ~24 hours.  I’m fine with that.
• I don’t care how long the dough goes without a divide/pre-shape/shape.  As long as it has been retarding for at least more than an hour or two.  Ten hours is also just as okay in my book.
• I don’t temp bread when it comes out of the oven.  I trust that experience will lead me to judge that the bread is sufficiently baked.
• I don’t use any excessive raw flour on my breads.  I’m a minimalist here.  I understand that there is a rustic look that some appreciate, and I’m okay with that – on occasion for myself too.  But in general, the least amount of flour that I can use on the dough without it sticking to a couche or other surface, the better.  For me.
• I don’t allow the loaves to be loaded too close to each other.  Insufficient room between loaves will keep the sidewalls of the dough insulated and lead to under baked and under colored/gelatinized sides.
• I don’t change a blade until it has scored a number of loaves or has had a rough time of it due to nuts, seeds and/or fruit on prior scoring.  My double edged razor blades stay sharp for a long time.  And of course I get four tips out of each blade.
  

I DO

• I do pay attention to pre-shape.  Every inconsistency that is made during a divide and pre-shape will almost always be magnified in a subsequent step.  I still make occasional mistakes here.
• I do return the couched dough to retard after shaping.
• I do bake directly out of retard – with occasional exceptions.
• I do pay attention to the depth and angle of the blade when I score.  And at times I’m still not giving the individual scores enough room for oven spring and find that the bloom will just plain burst through the scoring.
• I do place a pan with Sylvia’s Steaming Towel into the oven 15 minutes before baking.  Yes, I know that all of the steam it creates will be gone the second I open the oven door to load the dough, but the water surrounding the towel is boiling away and already prepped to go right back to work the second the oven door closes again.
• I do use parchment paper as a base for delivery of the dough to the oven deck.  I’d rather not have the dough get stuck on the peel and as stated above, I don’t like to introduce excess raw flour or corn meal, etc. to the underside of the dough to facilitate the movement between peel and baking deck.
• I do use a secondary source for steam – a 9”x13” pan filled with lava rocks for a brutal burst of pure steam. Near boiling water poured onto the lava rocks just after the dough is loaded.
• I do remove the parchment paper when the steam is released.  The paper, as thin as it is, still acts as an insulator between the deck and the dough.
• I do reuse parchment paper at least a second time.  I do it just because it is “fun” to do, but it is a money-saver, however minimal.  I can see no degradation in the finished product with a re-use.
• I do rotate the loaves from left to right and front to back halfway through baking.  I want equal opportunity for the dough to be exposed to front and back temperatures, oven side walls and hot and “cool” zones in the oven.  The baking deck immediately above the lava rock pan is consistently cooler than the remainder of the baking deck.
• I do try to vent the finished bread for 1-2 minutes before removing from the oven, thereby giving the bread its first opportunity to dry out a bit.  This can’t be done to the first loaves when there are mixed sizes baking at once – i.e. baguettes and batards.
  

These baguettes are Forkish Field Blend #2.  At 78% hydration they are a bit too sticky to work with as baguettes, so I lower the hydration down to 75% and they are delightful to handle.
4x350g.

alan

Okay, so I'm playing fast and loose with the name.  It is actually a durum with rye levain.  Which has its roots in  TFL's whirlwind tour this past Spring of the bread within the high walls of Altamura in Apulia Italy, and David Snyder's formula.  I thought about this a few days ago when I posted my question: at what point does dough become bread? and used pictures from my completely untraditional and blasphemous shaping of the bread, used kinda as a demo of the before, during and after.

Anywho, it reminded me to try this formula again with a few more twists.  Instead of using the 3 stage build of a 60% hydration durum levain, I instead used a 60% hydration 3 stage build with rye flour and bumped the overall hydration to 70% and holding back some water until after the autolyse.  As I was due to refresh my stiff starter anyway - last refreshed in early April, I steered away from my own instructions and built each stage using the full output from prior stages.  This introduced ~11% rye to the remaining 89% durum.

Baguettes are 2x400g, Batard is 1x650g.

Semolina with Rye Levain

By alfanso, roots in David Snyder’s Pane di Altamura

Aug 4, 2016

Timing

Day 1 – Mix Rye Levain - 15 minutes x 3 (18-21 hours / overnight)

Day 2 – Autolyse, Mix, Ferment, Retard – 3 Hours (Retard overnight)

Day 3 – Divide, Shape, Retard, Bake – 2 hours total (Shape – ~20 minutes, bake including firing up oven ~1.5 hours)

 Rye Levain

Final Dough

Total Dough

Method

Day 1 (into Day 2).

1. 1st stage of build: Rye and water to rye starter.  Will not show any/much growth for majority of time (~12 hours).
2. 2nd stage of build: Rye and water to rye levain.  Will grow ~50%, (~4-5 hours).
3. 3rd stage of build: Rye and water to rye levain.  Will grow ~50%, (~3-4 hours).

Repeat twice more using 20% of the prior build as input to next build.

Day 2

1. Mix flour and most water in large bowl.  Hold back a few grams of water.  Autolyse 1 hour.
2. Add remaining water, salt and rye levain to bowl. Pinch and fold, then…
3. 200 French Folds.
4. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
5. 200 French Folds.  Dough remains quite stiff and rubbery throughout.
6. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and cover.

Bulk Ferment for total of 80 minutes (at 78-80dF) with Letter Folds at 20, 40, 60 & 80 minutes.  The dough should double in volume and feel soft and puffy.  Retard overnight.

Day 3

1. Divide, pre-shape and shape dough in morning.  Couche and retard again.
2. Pre-heat oven for ~45 minutes at 500ºF with baking stone, add Sylvia’s Steaming towel 15 minutes prior to loading dough.
3. Transfer loaves to a peel and score.
4. Turn the oven down to 450ºF, load dough, steam the oven (near boiling water in pan of lava rocks).
5. Bake with steam for 13 minutes.
6. Remove steam source from oven.  Bake for another 15-22 minutes depending on loaf size.
7. Vent for 2 minutes with oven off.
8. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Next morning crumb shot added just before toasting

A few days ago David Snyder posted his version of the San Francisco Baking Institute's pain au levain (almost) all AP flour batard.  Seeing this as the equivalent of an open invitation, I decided it was time to strike quickly.  And I'm so glad I did.

Using my 75% hydration levain starter as the base for building the liquid levain, I came up a few grams short of the water, but made up for it in the mix.  After the standard 300 French Folds, I gave the dough 2 hours of bulk rise with letter folds at 40, 80 and 120 before packing it away for an overnight nap in the refrigerator.  A morning shape and afternoon bake directly from the retard.  For a relatively low hydration dough, the crumb is modestly open. 

With an increase in formula yield of 25%, the bake was 340g x 4 demi-baguettes at 460dF, steam for 13 minutes, rotated and baked for another 17 minutes with a final 2 minutes for venting.  The dough was easy to handle and shaped nicely (except for that one slightly bludgeon-shaped critter).  And they scored and opened beautifully.  The flavor is slightly tanged with a crisp snap to the crust and fresh flavor.  Boy oh boy, I love nicking some of the stuff I see on this website.

The other day, just as David was posting, I pulled a set of Hamelman's Pain au Levain with WW out of the oven.