The Fresh Loaf

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Forkish bake week

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

Forkish bake week

Last week decided to bake a number of breads from FWSY.

Started off the baking with 2 yeasted loaves.  White with poolish, which I have made before and enjoyed

and and as I am using up stuff in the pantry, 50% wholewheat with biga.

Then I refreshed my starter and the next morning built the levain (luckily it uses the same levain for both breads) and mid afternoon, in between other things (it was a crazy kinda day) mixed up firstly Field blend #2 (without yeast) and then Field Blend #1 as per recipe so that I could do stretch and folds basically together for next 2 1/2 hours.  Then I left them to bulk ferment on the bench at 5:30 pm

Field Blend #1 was obviously more active and by 8:30 pm I could preshape, rest then final shape and into banneton for overnight retard in the fridge.

Filed Blend #2 took another 2 hours to reach the same state. so at 10:30 pm I preshaped, rested then did the final shape and into teatowel lined & floured bread tins for overnight retard in the fridge.

Next morning, cranked the oven up to 260OC, slashed loaves before baking then steamed and baked Field Blend #1 loaves separately, reheating oven in between, followed by Field Blend #2 also separately.  With Field Blend #2 I tried a different slashing pattern with one and the other I thought I baked with the seam up (mistakenly it turned out as it split underneath).  The front 2 are field blend #2, one of which is on the peel that I convinced hubby to make for me!

Crumb shot below.  Field blend #2 shaping not quite right though. #1 on right

All in all I am quite happy.  We devoured one of the Field blend #1 straight off, it was very nice and not even cold!  I also like Field blend #2  so will be doing these again for sure. 

I had trouble shaping the yeasted loaves and used rice flour on the wholewheat loaf.  I went back and re read ken"s instructions on shaping for the SD loaves and fared a little better but still not quite right.

I enjoyed the similarities but yet differences between the hybrid #1 dough and the straight SD #2 loaves.  Made for an interesting bake.

 

 

 

WendySusan's picture
WendySusan

practice!   Lots of bread to eat!  haha I'd be driving all over town delivering breads to friends if I baked all that...as it is I'm still giving away half each time. Just dropped off two at the in-laws yesterday from my weekend bake.

The loaves look great!

Wendy

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

 as breads are all different flavourwise.  It is all in the freezer, it was my last bake for a while.  I am away for several days to visit  grandchildren and hubby needs his bread while I am away.  then it is home again to pack for our Canadian/European holiday. no more time for baking!  I will get withdrawal symptons that is for sure. but maybe I can get to try some new breads on my travels.  

kalikan's picture
kalikan

For field blend #2, did you increase the levain percentage or just let it ferment/proof for longer? It used to be one of my favorite breads out of FWSY, but last couple of times I felt it did not have as much flavor as straight sourdough breads...

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

not very scientifically though.  I had scaled the quantity a little and should have used 320 grams of 80% levain .  I checked my notes but didn't  record the exact amount but from memory I used 350 gms.  It was noticeably slower at bulk fermentation.  I liked both the field blends better than the yeasted 50% wholewheat I made.

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I think it would be about 27-28%, given that recipe says 20%.  I haven't quite got my head around calculating what per cent each ingredient is in a given quantity of levain or dough, so not sure if I am 100% accurate.

kalikan's picture
kalikan

Thanks, perhaps I'll give it another try this weekend using levain only. Have you tried yet Overnight Country Brown loaf from FWSY? Ever since I dialed in the fermentation time (short of me putting bread in the fridge, I could not get it to bulk ferment for anything close to the time specified in the book), it replaced the Field Blend #2 as my go-to recipe.

What I find fascinating with these two recipes is how Forkish handles the bulk fermentation/final proof times and amount of levain in these recipies. FB2 has a 'fairly' short bulk fermentation and long retarded proof with 20% levain in it, while OCB has a very long bulk fermentaion (I think book suggest at least 12 hours, but personally in my apartment nothing above 10 hours worked) and 'longish' final proof with only 12% levain. I always wondered how OCB would taste if I double the amount of levain to 20-24%, but half the fermentation time - would it really loose any of its flavor? Or, if it would be possible to move FB2 to OCB schedule/levain % (and no yeast) and see if it would edge ahead over modified FB2 formula similar to yours (ie slightly increased levain % and somewhat longer fermentation time, but not to the level of OCB). Unfortunately I bake once per week and facing the dilemma of trying the change(s) or to go with the bread I know works, I always end up choosing the latter...

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

I too often go with what I know so this bake series was an effort to try new things.  I have't ever done an overnight bulk ferment so I don't know.  I find that I struggle to get as big a rise in my bulk ferment as he suggests and it is usually longer than his suggested time frame.  temperature maybe?  I nearly didnt do FB2 with levain only but then said, nothing ventured nothing gained so went for it.  I am sure you will still get really nice bread with whatever you try.  have fun and give it a go. Leslie