The Fresh Loaf

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Thanksgiving Sourdough Bread for Stuffing

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Thanksgiving Sourdough Bread for Stuffing

Every year we bake up a simple bread for Thanksgiving stuffing.  Sometimes it is a poolish, sometimes it is yeast water or a YW and SD combination and sometimes, like this year, it is a simple SD near white bread.

 

The near 100% hydration levain was built in (3) 4 hour stages to 105 g from 5 g of rye 66% hydration starter that had been retarded for 12 weeks.  Each stage was progressively larger and none was tossed.  The added flour and water was 50 g each and half the flour used for the levain was whole wheat and half was whole rye - 25 g each.  The levain was then retarded for 12 hours after it had doubled.

 

The whole grains in the levain were 15% of the flour and the dough flour was half LaFama AP and half KA bread flour.  The dough hydration was 67% and the overall hydration was 71%.  The dough flour was autolysed for 1 hour with the slat sprinkled on top.

 

Yes, this is the basic 1:2, 3 recipe for sourdough and one of my favorites and fabul;ous if retarded.  This ended up being a pretty slack dough for some reason.but it did finally come together after 3 sets of slap and folds of 8, 1 and 1 minute and 3 sets of stretch and folds from the compass points only - all on 20 minute intervals.

 

After a 10 minute rest it was pre-shaped into a longish batard and then final shaped to fit into the rice floured, cloth lined basket.  Before it when in seam side up I did lightly flour the top of the dough knowing, since it was so wet, that it would stick otherwise.

 

I put the bagged basket on a heating pas and proofed it at 82 F for 6 hours.  The oven was preheated to 550 F with Mega Steam placed on the bottom rack.   Once the dough was un-molded onto parchment on a peel, It was so warm and wet it immediately started to spread. The batard was slashed 3 times and slid onto the bottom stone for 12 minutes of steam. 

 

2 minutes later the oven was turned down to 450 F for the final 10 minutes of steam.  Once the steam came out, we turned the oven down to 425 F - convection and baked the bread for another 10 minutes until it read 210 F on the inside when it was removed to a cooling rack.

 

It sprang, bloomed and browned nicely for being so spread out.  It smelled great when it came out of the oven too.  The crust came out thin and crisp but it did go soft by the next morning  The crumb was nicely open, moist, glossy and soft. The taste was lnot quite medium sour and more so the next morning.  This bread is better if retarded from a taste point of view and very close the old style SFSD of yore.

 

This bread is perfect for this year’s Thanksgiving stuffing.  After having a couple of slices toasted with butter and jam for breakfast this morning, my wife pinched half it for gifting at work.  This is her kind of bread!.  Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

 

 

Comments

mwilson's picture
mwilson

Looks very nice dabrownman. Open crumb with a good colour to the crust.

Although I don't celebrate thanksgiving being over this side of the pond, I wish you a happy one.

Michael

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

This is one tradition from the 'old colony' you guys should take up.  A real blow out fest with all the fix'ins.  Now what is left of this bread is all coarsely ground up in the food processor and dried in the mini oven getting ready to make stuffing. 

It's almost 'Panettone Time' and i already have my starter under water this year's version:-)

Happy baking Michael

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

...or croutons or sandwiches or toast. Especially nice for sharing and gifting, as long as you keep some for yourself!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cathy

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

to make breakfast sandwiches  with butter and home made blackberry jam, sausage and brie omelet toppings.  This kind of bread disappears faster than any other kind because it is so versatile and tasty.  Lucy never makes enough of it.

Happy Thanksgiving Cathy

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Nice looking "Stuffing Bread" DA.   i can see why your wife stole half of it :)

So what kind of stuffing are you preparing?  I'm sure Lucy will gain a few pound cleaning up the crumbs from your amazing Turkey Day feast!  Lexi and Max are with us in NC for the holiday.  It was Lexi's first trip and she did great I the car ride.  She is not a big fan of hotel elevators or stairs for that matter:).

Have a great Holiday.

Regards,

Ian and the Sandman clan

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

is a mix of this SD bread with corn bread and whole wheat with caramelized onions, celery, 3 mushrooms, walnuts, sultana, dried cranberry, hot Italian and hot breakfast sausage stuffing with lots of butter and stock - Whew!  

My daughter got home from PA school and the first thing she said was that Lucy has lost a few pounds so she can afford to gain a few for the Holidays and she hates any kind of a ride in a car - scares her to death:-)

Glad your apprentices could get out for a road trip and some baking in a foreign kitchen - Lucy says hi to Max and Lexi.

A great Thanksgiving wish to you and yours from the Brownman Clan