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Dana D's blog

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Dana D

and make something you are proud of.

Basic pain au levain, just posting to share in my triumphs as well as my failed attempts.
78% hydration
90% AP
10% White Whole Wheat

12 hour overnight retard

Dana D's picture
Dana D

Followed the Tartine WW formula verbatim, used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat because it's what I had on hand. Final retard in the fridge for approx. 10 hours. These passed the poke test, but my instincts were still telling me they were underproofed? Above was the last loaf baked, and I let it proof on the counter for 30-40 minutes prior to going in the oven.
It was definitely the best loaf with the most spring. Any advice for me here? Is less noticeable oven spring indicative of an underproofed loaf?

First loaf: I don't think I scored deeply enough, or at enough of an angle. Should have let it bake longer instead of just being obedient to my timer.

Working with whole wheat is completely untread terrain for me. I only cut a small butt off one loaf (I'm giving them away as gifts) but the crumb seems much denser than other white loaves I've done. I love a nice, open crumb so I'll have to research how to achieve this with whole grain flour.

All comments and criticism are welcome!! I am here to learn and improve my baking techniques.

Dana D's picture
Dana D

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.

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