September 20, 2015 - 1:14pm
Pain au Levain
I made the pain au levain formula from p.158 in Bread by J. Hamelman.
I really like the texture and flavor. I used a rye based culture for the sourdough.
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I made the pain au levain formula from p.158 in Bread by J. Hamelman.
I really like the texture and flavor. I used a rye based culture for the sourdough.
Great oven spring and nice crumb. Love the crust.
Bet it tastes delicious!
Bon Appetite.
well done indeed!
Happy Baking
My panless loaves are still a work in progress. I try to note what works and where I can improve something. I really like this bread.
It's worked perfectly! My original comment was a typical British understatement.
I love this recipe - it just seems to work every time. It was my first sucessful sourdough loaf.
Hamelman's whole series of pain au levain variations is wonderful. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to try the others.
Out of curiosity, what would you want to improve on that loaf?
Happy baking!
David
I keep both an AP flour based culture and a Rye flour culture on hand. That sounds interesting.
Mike
Most of the bread I make is in loaf pans. Shaping the rounds, oblongs, baguettes and such is not an area I get much practice in. Perhaps a bit longer and just a bit narrower. It's fine as is but since I just bake for me I experiment. I did like the oven rise and the way the slashes spread. BTW, I am currently using an organic all purpose flour that was given to me. I received 20 lbs so I am using it instead of bread flour for the time being.
I also find that I cannot bake at the recommended temperature for the stated time. I am adjusting my rack up one notch in the oven. Where I had it is a bit low and now it seems just a bit high. But if I bake the same recipe I'll be able to see the difference. The bottom rack is the lowest setting in the oven.
The flavor is wonderful, I would not change that.
I need to find something other than a plastic bag to put it in. The crispy crust softens and changes the character.
I looked at other recipes and many had a bit of commercial yeast in the final build. Currently when I make sourdough I use no commercial yeast.
Mike
Hi, Mike.
In most, if not all, of Hamelman's sourdough formulas that call for commercial yeast, its role is to achieve more predictable timing. If you are able to adjust your schedule to fit the dough, the addition of yeast is unnecessary. Just leave it out and watch the dough, not the clock.
Shaping will come with practice, if you start with a good model. If you are baking from Hamelman, his instructions are clear and authoritative. Watching the videos he made for KAF (available in the professional section of the KAF web site) in conjunction can be very helpful. Best is taking a class, but that is not possible for most home bakers.
It sounds like your oven heats unevenly. Experimenting with rack placement may be the best you can do, along with rotating loaves. Do you have an oven thermometer with which you can test different areas and adjust oven temp. and loaf placement accordingly?
nybakers dot com sells a plastic bag with micro-perforations. That's the best I know at the moment for keeping bread from staling a little longer while the crust remains crisper.
Happy baking!
David