The Fresh Loaf

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Sourdough Boule

home_mill's picture
home_mill

Sourdough Boule

Sourdough BouleSourdough Boule

 

I have been baking bread for about a year, I call myself a novice.

Although some loaves have come out looking and tasting good, they still were lacking something.

Until now. I made a few tweaks and feel this loaf is something I can say hit the mark.

What I did different:

Normally I use 100% home milled flour mix of white and red wheat. This time I used 1/3 white bread flour and 2/3 home milled red wheat.

I noticed the white flour caused the dough to feel wetter so I added more flour. After looking at some other recipes it seems most are around 65% hydration. I have been using around 75% so I am going to try for closer to 65% now.

I was pressed for time so I took the dough out of the Banneton before I thought it was really ready. I decided to slash it and it took the slash really well and opened up nicely. Usually when I slash it is difficult and sometimes results in "deflation".

I have read in the past about baking with a clouche in the oven. So this time I put the dough on the hot baking stone and covered it with an inverted Pyrex bowl to act as the clouche. Normally I look for oven spring in the first 5-10 minutes of baking, I did get some but not a lot. The complete suprise was after 30 minutes I took the pyrex bowl off and the sucker took off. I have never seen oven spring like that 30 minutes into the oven, totally unexpected. Took the finished Boule to a dinner party and it was gone before the meal started.

I am not sure exactly which tweaks account for the results or if it was just a fluke. If it was the 1/3 white flour I can certainly live with that. I am going to try and repeat this tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Home_Mill.

That's a very pretty loaf. I gather you didn't get a shot of the crumb before it was gobbled up. I hope you got a taste!

Lower hydration doughs are certainly easier to handle and more forgiving, in some ways. But don't give up on the 70+% hydration breads. Some of my favorite breads are made with pretty wet, sticky doughs.

You should also consider that whole grain flours absorb more water, so a 85% hydration dough made with whole wheat with added seeds and coarse grains may have the same subjective wetness as a 65% hydration dough made with AP flour.

If your loaves collapse when you slash them, it usually indicates over-proofing. Less proofing (within limits) also yields better oven spring. You have to find just the right amount of proofing that gives the the result you like best for each recipe.


David

home_mill's picture
home_mill

Dave,

 Thanks for the complement. Sorry no crumb shot. Just about to load the oven with another one decided to stay up late after all...

 

 

BNLeuck's picture
BNLeuck

Do you have the recipe for this? It looks soooo good.