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I've been craving a little burger action this week and thought why don't I try my hand at baking some buns.  After all, everyone knows that you can't have a good burger with out a good bun.

These were done with just bread flour and 75% hydration.  I used the Ken Forkish method- autolyse, pinch and fold salt and yeast into the dough and several rounds of stretching and folding.  I bulk fermented in the fridge over night and shaped and proofed in the morning.  I think the cold ferment is why I got some good blistering.  The crumb was a bit dense in places, but over all they weren't bad.  My wife and I both prefer softer buns, so I ended up going in a different direction today.  

I used eggs and milk with the next batch.

Here's the recipe I used:

500g bread flour

100g water

200g whole milk

1 egg, plus 2 egg yolks

10g salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

20 min autolyse with flour, milk and eggs.

Add salt and yeast, use pinch and fold to incorporate.

30 minute rest followed by stretch and fold.

30 minute rest followed by stretch and fold.

1 hr bulk rise.

shape in to rolls, 1 hr proof with dimple test.

Baked in wider dutch oven at 450 degrees.  20 min with lid on, 20 with lid off.

It was interesting baking them in the dutch oven, I just loaded them in there like rolls.  They got a pretty big oven spring and developed crack on the top as you can see.  I was surprised how crisp the crust was considering the eggs and milk in the recipe.  The flavor was great and the crumb was really tender.  I ended up using more yeast in the recipe just to move things along so we could eat them for dinner.  All in all I was pleased with the result, especially for winging it on the recipe.

I do have a question for the community.  Do I need to be cautious with using eggs and milk in a longer proof if I wanted to dial the yeast down?

After the last bake of this bread, I wondered if I could get a more open crust by doing all the mixing by hand, rather than some by machine. So, that's what I did. The formula was the same as that used in Pane Valle Maggia, ver. 2 3/7/2014, except I did not take the time to grind fresh whole wheat flour. I used Giusto's Organic Fine Whole Wheat flour instead.

My procedure was as follows:

1. The two levains - rye sour and whole wheat - were mixed the night before mixing the final dough and fermented at room temperature for 13 hours.

2. Around 11 AM, I mixed the levains with 500g of water and the AP and WW flour. This was left on the counter for a 3 hr. "autolyse" while I raced to the hospital and taught a class for pediatric residents. (How you spend your autolyse time is your choice.)

3. The salt was added and mixed into the dough with a spatula. Then about 60g of additional water was added. This was mixed in by hand, using the pinching maneuver recommended by Ken Forkish in FWSY.

4. Bulk Fermentation was done at room temperature for about 3 hours with stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours.

5. The dough was then divided into two equal pieces and pre-shaped as rounds. These were allowed to rest while I washed the container I had used for bulk fermentation and floured my linen-lined bannetons.

6. The pieces were shaped as boules and placed, seam-side up, in the bannetons which were then placed in food safe plastic bags and refrigerated. 

Note: This was one of the stickiest doughs I have ever worked with. Not surprising given the combination of lots of rye and lots of water. Shaping was a real challenge!

7. After about 12 hours, the oven was preheated to 500 dF with a baking stone and my usual steaming apparatus in place. 

8. The loaves were transferred to a peel and scored. 

9. The oven was steamed and the loaves were transferred to the baking stone.

10. The loaves were baked for 13 minutes with steam and then another 20 minutes. Note: Inadvertently, the whole bake was done with the convection fan on.

The loaves sang loudly as they cooled, and nice crust crackles developed.

I sliced the loaves after 3 hours. The crust was crunchy. The crumb was somewhat more open and, overall, less dense-seeming than the last 2 bakes. It was tender and chewy. The flavor of the bread was mildly tangy with a nice wheaty flavor. I really can't say it was noticeably different than the bake using fresh-milled whole wheat flour.

Bottom line: This is a delicious bread. It is similar to several of the breads I have been making from FWSY since last Summer with mixed flours, except that this bread has the highest percentage of whole grain flours. It is a type of bread that has become our favorite.

My next variations may be to add mixed seeds and cracked or flaked grains and to try a version with added dried fruit and nuts. I have also though about baking this bread in the Lodge Combo Cookers, as I bake Forkish's breads and the Tartine Basic Country Bread.

David

I haven't posted recently and would like to wish everyone a very "Happy St. Patrick's Day"!  

Family has kept me busy lately and in a few days my youngest grandson is having some very extensive corrective overbite surgery done.  It's going to be a long recovery.  He's taking it very well and wants to have it done.

To keep things on a cheerier note.  A little St. Pat's Day feast.  Along with the traditional dinner of Corn beef with all the trimmings.  

I make this soda bread a lot.  Everyone loves it and you will find it here on my blog along with some other versions.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/11028/sylvia039s-irish-soda-bread 

Just out of the oven and warm sliced with some Kerry Gold butter.

A family tradition now for 4 generations no that would be 5.  My 22 yr. old grand daughter loves to bake.

And a little added note of fun for today!  I haven't quite been together the past few days with worry.  Can't believe I did this..but here it is.

Too late now...guess you missed it : )

Watch out for the Leprechauns!  They can be real pranksters.

Have a great green day!

Sylvia