A big thank you SanFran sourdough miche

Not too long ago, my SanFran sourdough starter died (of unknown causes) and one of TFL's Bay Area stalwarts, who shall remain nameless (you know who you are!) was kind enough to send me a beautiful blob of starter, which was extraordinarily robust and flavorful.

Herewith, my first results, a rustic flour sourdough miche that weighed in at about 3 pounds post-bake.

Dough:
Starter (70%) hydration 200g (27%)
KA Sir Galahad (11.7% protein) 645g (86%)
Dark rye flour 105g (14%)
Water 525g (70%)
Brittany gray sea salt 15g (2%)

Preparation (intermediate method):
2:00 mix with the flat beater to hydrate
2:30 mix under the dough hook to bring gluten together
Ferment and fold at 1:00:00 and 2:00:00 - total ferment 3 hours
Proof in floured banneton 2:45:00

Bake:
Preheat oven to 550F/290C baking stone in middle rack position
Pre-steam w/ 1c/225ml of boiling water
Load/bake 3min at 550/290 and add another 1c/225ml of boiling water
Reduce temp to 475F/245C and bake 5 min
Add final cup of boiling water at 8min, reduce heat to 410F/210C
Bake 52min for total bake of 1 hour

I let the bread stand for about 18 hours before cutting, and here's the crumb:

Here's a close-up of the crumb:

The cut loaf had a very rich sweet-acid smell.  The crumb was very soft and moist, with slightly chewy, well-developed gluten and a lovely sweet-nutty-sour taste profile.  The rye added just a hint of extra sweetness and the salt, although it has a distinctive flavor by itself, had receded to the background and provided a barely perceptible foundation for the flavor. The crust, which had undergone some cracking and settling as the loaf cooled, was thick and very crisp and chewy.  The deep caramelization gave it a slight hint of bitterness that played off beautifully against the flavor of the bread.

All in all, I'm very happy with the result.  Thanks a million, you-know-who!

Stan Ginsberg
www.nybakers.com