Michael Davis's blog

I've made exciting progress on my 100% whole grain loaf (pain integral). This particular loaf is made from home-milled whole wheat (77%) and whole rye (23%), and 85% hydration (I also dusted it with some white flour). It's been my ambition since I started to bake naturally fermented bread to make whole grain loaves like this (with good oven spring, open crumb, pleasing taste, and hardy crust). I still have a lot of improvements I want to make but I know it's just a matter of time now :)

The current area that I'm trying to improve is dough structure. Even though I get decent spring, I am unable to shape the dough beforehand into a very cohesive structure, so it just spreads out in the dutch oven pan during the bake. I have a few techniques that I'm going to tweak, and I'll hopefully have an even better loaf to show you soon!

I just wanted to post this side-by-side of one of my first loaves and a more recent loaf to illustrate the importance of failing well. I believe that in endeavors such as this, there is no such thing as failure as long as you learn from it. I baked the loaf on the left on January 18th; the loaf on the right on February 5th. I baked a bunch in between, adjusting my methods, recipe, and handling techniques, all while taking a lot of notes. I also talked frequently with a friend who was further along than I was in baking this style of bread. 

I could have baked the first loaf and said "I cannot do this" and left it at that. Instead, I embraced the fact that I was new at it and that it would take time and attention to get better. This wasn't easy for me, because, like many people, I have the strange cognitive condition of thinking that I have to be really good at everything I do right away, even if I've never done that thing before. These kinds of feelings, when unaddressed, will sabotage any new endeavor you attempt. 

So take heart! Acknowledge the fact that you do not know everything and embrace self-compassion as you learn to bake great bread, one step at a time. :)

I love bread. 70% total grain, home milled flour (57% wheat, 13% rye); 30% white flour (King Arthur); 80% hydration. I'm fairly new to natural yeast fermented baking, and brand new to this site. I baked this loaf a few weeks ago, and have been experimenting with a lot things since then to gain understanding of the inner workings of this beautiful and delicious food. Suffice it to say, none of them have turned out as well as this one (yet!) :)

All the whole grain flour I use comes from my friend Benjamin Holland, who's been home-milling for almost a year now, and who has some beautiful pictures on this site of the bread he's baked. Check them out!