Poppyseed onion sourdough

So for Saturday's bread I decided to play with the ol' sourdough formula and to add some dried onion flake and poppy seeds. I had considered using fresh onions and caramelizing them but with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old calling the shots at home I'm often forced to juggle the kids and the cooking at the same time so the onion flakes seemed like a suitable solution and I figured they might help keep the dough manageable by absorbing some of the liquid. In this bake I kept the levain at 100% whole wheat (organic) and the dough flour at 100% central milling artesian bread flour (organic). 

Levain

80 g h20

80 g whole wheat flour

37 g starter 

The levain was left at room temperature until ripe, about 7 hours, it had nearly tripled in volume and was domed and bubbly

Dough:

400 g bread flour

321 g  + 21 g h20

200 g levain

11 g salt

20 g dried onion flake

10 g poppy seed

The ripe levain was dissolved in the 321 g h20, the bread flour was added and mixed to a shaggy state and left to autolyze for 30 minutes before the salt, additional 21 g h20' dried onion flakes and poppy seeds were added and pinched in. The dough was then transferred to a clean bowl and 4 stretch and folds at 20 minutes followed by one more at 30 minutes and then left to bulk rise at room temp until ready for shaping, about 2 1/2 hrs (though I wasn't keeping as close a track of time as I was just watching the dough and dealing with the kids) The dough was then upended onto a floured dorado and pre-shaped by turning the edges up to the center, flipping the enough over, and then using the bench scraper to push the edges under in order to round up the loaf. 20 or so minutes of bench rest and I shaped Tartine style and placed in a rice flour / AP flour coated lined basket. Into a plastic bag and into the fridge it went overnight (12 hrs). The next morning I took it out, sprinkled cornmeal on the dough and it was turned out into a cast iron dutch at 450and baked covered for 20 minutes, the uncovered for 20 more.

All-in-all I'm happy with this bake the spring was good, crumb is fairly open and the crust is thin, cracked and crispy. The flavor has a nice degree of sour without being overpowering and the onion and poppyseed add a nice sweetness. I'll definitely be doing this one again.