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Lately in the midst of making a lot of decent bread, I've had a string of mysterious failures.   Here are the symptoms:   at best poor opening of scores which leaves the resulting bread more compact than it should be and with gummier crumb.   At worst cakey crumb and collapses along the crust which leave a skin of paperlike crust with a cavern beneath.   The second gets thrown out; the first is fine to eat but nothing great.    Over the months I've wracked my brain trying to figure out what was going on.   What made it especially difficult is that I'd tweak this or that and get fine bread, but then a few times later, back to square one.   As these breads would tend to get tacky during the proof I tended to think that they were getting over-proofed very quickly.   So I'd try a shorter proof and that would seem fine, or lower the hydration, or, or, or

What made this particularly irritating is that these failures were concentrated among my simplest breads – flour water salt starter.    How could this be?  

In the last few days, my thinking changed.   Was I under rather than over fermenting?    The other night I had some excess starter, and I decided to try an experiment.   Right before bed,  I mixed up some dough and turned the heat in the house way down.   Since we have been experiencing the coolest spring ever, I thought that I could try a longer rather than shorter bulk ferment.    Because this made me nervous I also upped the salt and lowered the hydration a bit.   When I went to sleep the temperature in the house was 70F (20C).   Ten hours later it was 64F.   The dough was fine – nice and light and expanded, and not at all tacky.   I did a short proof and then baked and sure enough – the bread came out very nicely.  

Long overnight counter ferments may be fine during a cold spring – but summer is coming.   I couldn’t rely on that for very long.   So last night I decided to rework and do a cold ferment but not to underdo it.  

This is what I did:  upped salt to 2.3%  (my standard has been 1.8%)   Lowered hydration to 65%.   Mixed all medium developed.   Left on counter for 20 minutes, then did a vigorous stretch and fold.  Then bulk retarded for 13 hours.   Then removed, left on counter for 1 hour, then shaped.   Then proofed for 2.5 hours on counter, and last ½ hour in refrigerator.   Then baked.   The dough was well behaved the whole time without a trace of tackiness.    When I took the loaves out of the couche, I would have sworn it was over-proofed, as it was very expanded and flopped around a bit.   

And yet, it wasn’t.   The loaves expanded a lot in the oven, with the scores opening very nicely.   The resulting bread did not suffer from gummy compressed crumb.  To the contrary.

What I take away from this is that the thing I've been trying to figure out since I started baking - when is the bulk ferment done - is still eluding me.   There isn't a simple poke test.   You can't use time.    You can't even use time and temperature, as it is so starter dependent.  And if you go too short, you will get the strangest set of symptoms ever which will point in all directions.   I think I've been going too short for certain types of breads, and the solution is to ferment for longer (perhaps much longer.)   Do I need to keep the salt so high and hydration low?   Not really sure yet.

Formula:

Methodology as above.  

This is a recipe I've been waiting to bake for four years, and after all that wait its definitely worth it, here is a super fast recipe - start to finish in less than two hours and a delicious loaf to enjoy

Full recipe on my blog here

It's been a while and I had a craving for some PVM.  I figured I'd do one final experiment and see the results using a stiff levain.

 I've used an 18 hour liquid wheat whole wheat levain (the original), 1/2 liquid white levain, 1/2 liquid wheat levain + 1/2 white, 1/2 white levain and 1/2 rye sour. I think the best is the 1/2 liquid white 1/2 liquid wheat. 

Might as well rule out the trusty stiff levain.  While this batch came together lovely and the dough was a bit easier to handle (i credit the added strength from the stiff levain) it really wan't as good as the previous.  It leans a bit more more heavily acetic and less lactic and that detracted for sure.  None the less its a fine loaf and baked up nicely.  

For Tuesday I went back to the drawing board and pulled my NY Rye Formula out.  I wanted a longer more slender batard so I attempted using kitchen towels as my couche and this caused some issues. The resulting loaves albeit not the look I want but the flavor was just perfect.  Time to buy some real couche for the homestead  Reminded me of childhood and home as it always does.  So good.  

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PVM Formula

Prefermented Flour: 12% (I used all Whole Wheat @ 66% hydration but suggest a liquid levain)

Flour: 60% CM Baker's Craft (11.5% proetin) (AP or bread flour will work here)

          23% Stone Ground Hard Red Winter Wheat

          17%  Stone Ground Whole Rye 

          87% H20

          2.1%  Sea Salt

DDT   78F

Autolyse with levains 30 minutes

Mix to medium gluten development.  

Bulk 3 hours with 3 folds @ 30, 80, 130 minutes 

Shape and Retard 12-15 hours

Bake Cold @ 500 with steam for 17 minutes and vented for 30 more. (bold bake recommended)

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NY Rye

Pre Fermented Flour (16% Rye Sour @ 100% hydration)  This is decreased from 20% because I am hand mixing and it takes a bit longer to develop the dough.  If using a mixer you can increase and decrease the bulk slightly.  

Overall Flour:  60% Bread Flour 40% Stone Ground Whole Rye

Over Hydration:  76% 

Caraway 2.5%

Sea Salt: 2 %

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Autolyse 20 minutes

Hand Mix for about 15 minutes to get good gluten development  DDT 76-78F

Bulk 2 1/2 hours with 2 folds @ 50 and 100 minutes

Shape and retard 8-12 hours

Bake with steam for 15 minutes/ vented for 25-30 more

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I liked Davids score on a round PVM and decided I'd do half round and half oval and play with this.  Accidentally got some angle on the cut when I wanted it straight but I think this will be the PVM round score.  

And the NY Rye

Didn't take any bounty pics.  Got some lovely zucchini(which is being pickled), beautiful greens, local tuna, some nice organic table wine, a few herb starts, broccoli, asparagus, and a couple little monetary donations.  The fresh veggies are comin back strong and it's just a matter of time before it's in full stride.  Love it.  

Cheers

Josh

  This is a big one...and a tasty one, great with some barbeque.  If you are on a diet the butter and yogurt in this one is not going to do you any favors, but both added to the overall moistness in the final dough.

I love the way the roasted red peppers compliment the corn and the combination of Semolina flour along with the other flours really gives this bread a unique flavor worth trying.

Since this was such a big bread it took almost 1.5 hours to bake and the corn sticking through on the crust was charred beyond recognition, but the crust is nice and crunching with a moderately open and moist crumb.

You can download the BreadStorm files here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.   (Note: I used my AP 66% starter for the seed.) Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours with the main dough water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, Greek Yogurt, butter (softened) and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.   Next add the roasted corn and peppers and mix for another 1-2 minutes until they are both incorporated.  You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but very manageable.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees and bake for an hour.  If the crust is getting too dark, lower the temperature to 425 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until the inner temperature is 205 - 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

After seeing Phyllis’s fine baguettes based on David Snyder’s San Joaquin recipe this week, we decided that we would do some baguettes to practice slashing - it’s been at least a year.  Plus the he date of Lucy’s Mom’s untimely death is approaching and that requires some kind slashing, no matter what, in her honor – lighting a candle just won’t do.

We had left over 15% extraction of a 10 grain mix that we sifted out for last week’s bake and used most of that to feed this small levain.  The seed was no 3 weeks old in the fridge so the sour should really start coming though.   The small amount of 15% extraction in the dough was autolysed for 4 hours and the rest f the dough flour was autolysed for 2 hours.

By the time the mix came together we figured we were at an equivalent of 67% whole grains.  Here is how we got there.   Millers consider 72% extraction ‘straight flour’, the least white of all the white flours and this is the flour that with further sifting produces all the other patent flours that are more and more white – and less whole grain.

Since 85% extraction is roughly half way to straight flour’s 72% extraction, the calculation of the 15% extraction to the rest of the flour gets you to 67% whole grain if your math is a poor as mine and why the 80% hydration for this recipe really isn’t that wet at all - it could have taken more water easily.

Lucy loves the pattern that the towels left in the baguette skin that carried over even after baking.

We did our usual 3 sets of slap and folds but cut them back to 5, 1 and 1 minute and we did 3 sets of stretch and folds from the compass points.  All the iterations were done on 20 minute intervals.  After a 20 minute rest the dough was divided in half for 2 baguettes and they were pre-shaped and then shaped. 

The of the shaped baguettes was placed into a rice floured kitchen towel couche that was molded into the double barreled bamboo thingamajig doohickey that is perfect for this kind of strange bread making that we try to do as little of as possible.

Into a trash bag and into the fridge it went for a planned 14 hour retard.  If it needs more time to fully proof in the fridge, no worries, since Lucy and I have all of the thingamajig doohickey stuff to clean and put so away so that hopefully we won’t be able to find it ever again.

Finally got around to the GMA's home made tomato soup made with home grown tomatoes.  Just delicious even when 104 F outside and no baguettes to dunk in it!

 Once Lucy though the dough was properly proofed, we dumped it out of its proofing contraption onto parchment on a peel and slashed them before putting them into preheated 550 F oven, billowing with Mega Steam on the bottom stone.  After 2 minutes we turned the oven down to 475 F.

A nice lunch with this baguette and home smoked chicken .  Delicious!

After 8 minutes of steam we took it out and turned the oven down to 425 F, convection this time.  In another 12 minutes, the bread was done reading 212 F on the inside and it was removed to the cooling rack.  It was crisp, sprang, bloomed and browned well with the small blisters associated with a high whole grain bread but, no ears since I held the blade at 90 degrees to the top of the bread to see if it really made a difference rather than at 30 degrees - and you can see it does.  Will have to wait on the crumb till after lunch.

We love sandwiches made with a baguette style bread because the crust stays crispy after it cools and the crunch is so tasty. The crumb was moderately open for a bread of higher whole grains.   It was also soft, moist and  glossy.  The taste was the best part though.  Deeply grain flavored with a medium sour too.   Not mush else to say except we do like this bread very much and you would too! 

Formula

  And Lucy says never forget the salad!

This is a 60% hydration dough, for some reason that is , for me, the best hydration to work with.

Recipe:

250g Mature Wheat Sourdough 

450g Bread Flour

  50g Wholemeal * Only small amount as my Daughter does not like to much Wholemeal in the bread *

300g Water

  10g Sea Salt

A good handful of Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds

Mixed it all up, gave it 6 S&F every 30 Minutes for a period of 3 hours.

Bulk fermentation in the Fridge for 18 hours, let the dough come to room temperature , Shaping, final proofing in Banneton for 2 hours.

Baked in a Dutch Oven for 30 Minutes with the Lid on  at 250C and a further 20 Minutes with the Lid off at 200C.

Family agrees that this is the best SD  Bread so far.

Sorry for the missing Slice of bread, the shape was nicer and I should have taken the Images before I had a slice, one has to taste the bread;) 

I've seen a few posts showcasing polenta sourdough breads lately, so here's my take on it.

I cooked more porridge than I needed for the dough because it's hard to cook less using my smallest pot. I added 30 g Bob's Red Mill polenta (corn grits) to 120 g boiling water and cooked it over low heat until the water was just absorbed. I let the porridge cool overnight in the refrigerator.

My polenta sourdough formula is loosely based on Hamelman's Vermont sourdough. Overall hydration was 70%. I included the levain in the calculation, but didn't include the cooked polenta.

Polenta Sourdough

Grams (Baker's Pct)

AP Flour 410g (88.17%)

Whole rye flour 55g (11.83%)

Water 305g (65.59%)

Salt 10g (2.15%)

Cooked polenta 80g (17.2%)

Levain 168g (36.13%)

Total 1018g

I made one batard and one boule. Final proof on the batard was 2.5 hrs at room temperature. Here's the batard's crumb:

The shaped boule was retarded in the refrigerator for 19 hours. Here's the boule's crumb:

The batard's crumb was definitely better than the boule's crumb. The boule was most likely overproofed, but it still tasted great. Live and learn!

I made my first gluten-free sourdough loaf, adapted from a recipe by Nicole Hunn in her book, Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread. (I've attached a link to her blog site below.)  I made a sourdough starter that was gluten-free, per her instructions in the book.  It doesn't work that well (probably my fault), so I may try and redo it, as I froze the liquid starter before I made the Mother starter.  Gluten-free bread is always such a disappointment compared to my regular sourdough, but this was the best I've made so far.  It's always heavy and has a real gluten-free taste to me, but it was OK. It does have a bit of the sourdough taste. I actually added a little yeast during the process because I didn't believe the starter was going to perform well.

The crumb was less dense than I have had with other gluten-free loaves I have made in the past.

I actually used King Arthur Ancient Grains and whole wheat gluten-free flours to make the bread (which deviated from her recipe), combined with the starter I made earlier. I'll have to try it again to see if I can improve each time.

http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/

After a long break I am back in my search for perfection - this time is a recipe for a perfect white loaf, and I have found it!! I have tried it in its true form and have tried to play around with the recipe, and it still stands - this IS perception in a loaf.

Full recipe on my blog here

Excuse the poor slicing photo - more photos coming on the blog soon

Susan and I have just returned from two weeks in Italy. We spent a week in Venice, a couple days in Lucca and 4 days in Liguria. We broke up our return trip with an overnight stay in Milan. I am happy to report that the bread we had was much superior to that of our last visit to Amelia-Romagna and Tuscany  three years ago. 

The bread we were served in restaurants was almost always made wholly with white flour.

Once, we had some bread that, from its color, I think had some durum flour in the mix. I did see a loaf called “Pane Altamura” in a bakery we walked into in Milan, and I saw “Pane Integrale” on another bakery’s list of its breads in Levanto (Liguria), but we didn’t taste any of those.  

 Industrially-produced bread was displayed in supermarkets, but so was a wider variety of flours for both bread and pizza-making. This was what I found in the largest grocery in Venice.

 There was a profusion of small, artisinal bakeries in all the towns we visited, as well as small produce markets, fish mongers, butchers and gelaterias.

My sense is that this was typical of small towns in Italy. I suspect it is less true in big cities, but even there, the neighborhood bakery is commonly encountered, at least everywhere I have been. 

 Pizza was originally associated with Naples and was unheard of in Northern Italy. Them days is gone forever. It is seen now on the menus of most restaurants except perhaps the spiffiest, but we didn’t go to any of those. Interestingly, in many restaurants, pizza is only served at dinner time. I wonder if this is related to a culture in which, at one time, the big meal of the day was served mid-day, not in the evening. I had low expectations of the pizza in the North, but was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good in Lucca, although it was much, much better in Liguria. The typical local pizza was thin crusted. Most was baked in wood-fired ovens, but not all.

We most enjoyed what was most often called “Pizza vegetariana.”

This had some tomato sauce, cheese and slices of zucchini and eggplant. Some also had bell pepper. So, pizza was pretty ubiquitous.

I was not happy to find American fast food restaurants in the larger cities (Venice, Milan). I was a bit happier to see hamburgers on the menus of some restaurants and a bit happier yet to see “Pane da hamburger” displayed in a bakery window in Lucca. They looked pretty good, too.

 The specialties of the Ligurian coast are fish - especially anchovies -, pasta with shellfish and pasta or gnocchi with pesto. We ate very well. In the USA, when you say “anchovy,” people think of the salted anchovies most often used on pizza. In Liguria, the anchovy is called “The princess of the sea” and is prepared numerous ways - fried, “pickled” in lemon juice like ceviche, in a pasta sauce … I know I’ve forgotten some of the ways we saw anchovies prepared, and I’m certain there are others we didn’t encounter at all. 

Anchovies with potatoes, tomatoes and olives

Fried Anchovies

Taglierini verde with crab

We had a terrific time! I’ve focused here on the food, particularly bread and its “relatives,” but the areas we visited in Italy this trip were visually stunning. The art we saw was fabulous. And the people we encountered were delightful. I’m eager to return.

Manarola

David