Sourdough Boule With Goat Milk (REVISED)

NOTE: This post is superseded by http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/16314/goat-milk-sourdough-final-word

What I really like about Peter Reinhart's books is that he understands the urge to experiment. The following is his Basic Sourdough from the Bread Baker's apprentice, with a couple of minor adjustments. I got the idea from a loaf produced by a Twin Cities grocery store (Byerly's). I've had difficulty making this size of loaf (10.5" banneton) without burning the bottom crust, but moving the stone up a notchseems to have solved this.

The crust was tender yet chewy with a nice crunch, the crumb dense, but looser than my previous experience with the Reinhart recipe. The flavor was rich, almost creamy, but the milk does seem to subdue the sourness. Perhaps an extra 24 hours in the fridge would help this.

This revision includes scalding the goat milk, increasing the proportion of goat milk in the liquid mix, and increasing the percentage of liquid overall (to 75%). 

I've tried this loaf using only water, as well as substituting whole milk or half & half for the goat milk. Nothing works better than goat. Why, I couldn't say. 

Firm Starter

• 2/3 cup wild yeast starter (75% hydration) [180g]


• 1 cup bread flour (Dakota Maid) [150g]


• 1/3 cup water [80g]

Final Dough

• 4 cups bread flour [600g]


• 1/2 cup whole white wheat flour [68g]


• 1 Tbsp sea salt [15g]


• 1 cup scalded goat milk at room temp [233]


• 1-1/4 cup + 1/2 tsp water at room temp [298]

Steps

1. Mix up firm starter, mist with spray oil, cover bowl with plastic wrap, let rise for approximately 4 hours until doubled.


2. Refrigerate overnight (12 – 18 hours).


3. Remove starter from fridge and set on oil-misted countertop. Cut into multiple small pieces, separate, mist with spray oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to warm to room temperature (a couple hours).


4. Mix final dough.


5. Knead 10-15 minutes. Rest 5 minutes. Knead additional 2 minutes. Dough is super sticky, difficult to manage.


6. Allow to rise for 3-4 hours until doubled.


7. Gently punch down, cover tightly (I have a covered Rubbermaid container I use for this), and refrigerate overnight.


8. Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm up a couple hours. 


9. Gently remove dough from bowl, shape into two boules, place in floured bannetons, lightly mist bottom with spray oil, cover and proof for at least four hours.


10. Preheat oven containing bread stone and steam pan to 500 degrees at least one hour before proofing is complete.


11. Sprinkle semolina on bottom of loaf, then flip over onto semolina-dusted peel. Score loaf as desired.


12. Pour one cup of water into steam pan (I use a small cast iron skillet)


13. Slide onto baking stone.


14. Spray sides of oven with water three times in first three minutes (I've quit doing this as it cools the oven too much). 


15. Bake until internal temp is nearing 205 degrees, 20-25 minutes.