The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Thank you for the Levain help - my first levain bread!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thank you for the Levain help - my first levain bread!

Hi Everyone, thank you for the help with developing a levain in other posts this past week. It's hard not having a reference point to know if it's all turning out properly.  

But today, after starting the levain from scratch only on Tuesday using Forkish's FWSY method (i now know too early and way too wasteful of flour - lessons learned), I made Pain du Campagne.. Arguably my best bread yet.

The crust has probably a bit more chewy than I was expecting, but he says it will be in the book. I guess this is normal of this bread. The rise was much higher than I thought it would be - or was worried it would be. The crumb visually was (I think) perfect, and the flavour was very mildly sour but very delicate. My family and I agreed it is probably the best bread I've made so far.

Thanks again for the help!

 

 

BobS's picture
BobS

Hard to believe that's your first one. Great job!

Bob

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

Your courage paid off well, and you're the proud baker of a wonderful bread. Soon, it will be only a memory (a good one) and you'll be striving to match it. You'll learn more each time, about your ingredients, how to handle the dough, the influence that local conditions have on performance, timing, baking, even storage.

Congratulations on your success, we'll look forward to seeing more from you soon!

Cathy

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thank you both, Bob and Cathy. What's truly remarkable to me is how rewarding bread baking has been to me over the years. Most of it has been a personal journey - me with some flour in a home kitchen, sharing the results with my wife and kids. But of late as I've been baking through FWSY and both sharing results and seeking advice here on TFL, it's been remarkable to find such a kind, generous and giving community of tremendously supportive people. It's truly a great gift. Many thanks! I'm grateful!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

i could just bite into my screen right now.  You said it...Perfect!   :)

Colin_Sutton's picture
Colin_Sutton

This looks great. It's a good feeling getting your levain working and then see the results in a loaf that doesn't use commercial yeast at all.  As I'm on a very similar journey, I agree that TFL has been an amazing source for learning and people giving their advice and encouragement freely. I'd also say that "Flour Water Salt Yeast" is probably one of the best reference sources to move from yeast to sourdough. Happy baking! Colin.

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Beautiful crust and crumb! 

The crust tends to be chewier in sourdough breads than commercially yeasted breads, all other things being equal. This is particularly true in higher hydration breads. However, your crust looks lighter than that on most of Forkish's breads, if you follow his baking instructions. If you want a crunchier crust, his method generally produces one.

David

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thank you David. I think I could have left it in the oven with lid-off for another 5-10 minutes to get that extra crunch in the crust. But very good bread otherwise. More to come!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

and a young entrepreneur had raised millions of dollars to start his new company that teaches those with no computer skills how to code,  The cool part is that his school takes 30 minutes a day for 30 days and at the end of that time his students are coding apps that they can sell commercially.

You prove that one can start with nothing and in a week make perfect SD bread!  Now that is well done indeed!  And so inspiring too.  You make :Lucy,  my German Baking Apprentice 2nd Class of 11 years look like a 4 legged doofuss:-)

Happy Baking 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

The truth is that it's in my blood. I remember early morning wake-ups when I was a kid, and I could smell the baked goods from my bed!! My mom and her sister (who arrived at our place probably as early as 5am) would have been baking up a storm. I'd go down to breakfast and the table would be full of baked goods. I'd get some milk and sit at a corner of the table. As I'd reach to grab a cookie or whatever, I'd be stopped as my mom would tell me to wait as she pulled out a baking sheet from the oven only to break a sweet-bread open, blow away the hot steam billowing from its middle, and be told - try this one! Even to this day in her 80s, I'll go by and she'll tell me that she was bored so she baked some bread! It may not be artisan sour-dough - but very cool just the same!

I've always loved bread baking, but had always been intimidated by levain. I tried once twenty years ago, and the starter was a total flop so I never baked with it.  But with TFL its been a great experience through the generous support of people like you! (I feel like a PBS commercial!)..

Many thanks!