The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

50% whole white wheat with biga (Forkish loaf)

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

50% whole white wheat with biga (Forkish loaf)

This bread came from Flour Water Salt Yeast, the 50% W hole Wheat with Biga formula.  I followed it pretty closely, although I do note that my scale does not match up with his measurements for the yeast. Since his measuring spoon equivalent yielded less yeast than his weight measurements, I used the measuring spoon equivalent.  The only thing I added were a few oats in the basket to reduce sticking.  It worked for one of the two loaves.

Loaves side by side

If anybody is interested in the blogged version of this loaf, with more  pictures and commentary, just click on the link.  What I found interesting here is that the loaves did not open up much along the seams. I understand why that happened with the torn loaf, but expected more of the full loaf.  Still, the crumb was nice and I am enjoying it immensely.

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

Here is the crumb on the second loaf (the one that was slightly torn).  Just had a sandwich from it today and it was quite good.  I like baking sourdough better because there is less to measure and I am inherently lazy. But this bread is really good and makes measuring the yeast worth the effort.

Crumb Shot

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

It looks good but it will it stay good long enough to finish it off.?

Happy baking

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

I am happy to say that we finished the first loaf this morning and the second loaf is what I cut into and pictured this afternoon.  And the second loaf was soft and delicious on day 1 of the cut, and I will let you know if it is eaten before it noticeably dries out.  There is tension between my waistline and not wanting to finish it, and my desire not to let great bread go to waste.  I'd rather it go to waste than waist, so need to step up my activity so I can avoid both. :)

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Nothing like having a large, separate and exclusive bread freezer:-)  Wish I had one.....

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

But I have to imagine if you filled it with frozen bread it would dry out before you ate them, no?

A loaf of bread cant last me that long because I make two sandwiches a day with it for lunch and usually toast a couple of slices for breakfast. Each sandwich has about 30 grams of bread to it, that's 300 grams for lunch alone. And forget about it if I actually cut it open while it is still a bit warm...that is why I try to wait until it is completely cooled off before slicing.

 

Kiseger's picture
Kiseger

I've had my eye on this recipe, but have been having fun with sourdough only so haven't ventured here yet!  These look great, love the crumb - aerated and regular but not gaping holes that make the topping gloop out.  Do you notice any difference in the taste between this and a pure sourdough?  I enjoyed the post on your blog, it's great to see photos of the full process! 

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

I have a hard time distinguishing between breads I've baked and am generally very happy when the crumb comes out soft, is mildly flavored, and stays soft for a few days and when the crust is not overly chewy.  I have not yet baked enough yeasted loaves to know what I prefer generally but they do seem to come out more consistent than my sourdoughs and more consistent with how I like my bread to be.

That said, I have no intention of giving up the sourdough baking, at least, not until I have a lot more bakes under my belt and developed a score card that rates the breads in a way that convinces me I like one bread over the other!

mp101's picture
mp101

Is there a receipt for this?

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

It is posted as part of the linked blog post.