The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

(Mostly) white sourdough

Ru007's picture
Ru007

(Mostly) white sourdough

Hello friends! 

Happy monday :) This is was my bake yesterday...

I've been working on this formula for a couple of months and I've almost settled on a flour blend that I really like. 70% white, 25% whole grain and 5% rye. I'm still working on what grain the 25% is. I'm not really spoiled for choice in terms of flour, but I've tried 25% spelt, and 25% whole wheat and a few variations in between. This one is 25% whole wheat. 

The hydration has varied from 75% to 85% this week. I must say this has been my favorite version of the dough to work with. I use 2.4% salt.

Method: 

1. Levain build the night before mixing 16g 80% hydration 100% rye NMNF starter, 6g rye, 36g whole wheat, 33g water. I typically use the levain when its some where between 10 and 12 hours old (although I do want to try using it when its a bit younger, just to see what happens)

2. 2 hour autolyse on mixing day (316g water, 296 white unbleached bread flour, 67g whole wheat flour)

3. Add 10 g salt and 90g levain to flour and hand mix for a couple of minutes. Rest for 10mins and mix again. Repeat 3 -4 times. 

4. S&F 60, 120 and 180 mins after mixing. 

5. Bulk ferment for another 3 hours or until the dough is jiggly (yes, this is a very technical term!)

6. Preshape and rest for 30mins then shape. 

7. Proof at room temp for another 1 -2 hours (depending on the weather, it was cold this weekend so I let it go for 2 hours).  

8. Retard overnight, bake straight from the fridge. 250dC with steam for 20mins ,230dC without steam for another 25mins.

Result... 

I'm happy with the crumb on this one, its nice and soft.

I've tried this leafy scoring pattern before, but I think I like this version better, with the more aggressive slashes down the side... but I might change my mind next week! 

Have a great week everyone and happy baking :)

Ru

Comments

Edo Bread's picture
Edo Bread

Very pretty!

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I'm glad you think so :)

not.a.crumb.left's picture
not.a.crumb.left

They keep coming with such consistency and your scoring is so stunning, not mentioning the crumb! Happy baking Ru!  Kat

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I really appreciate the complement.

Happy baking to you too :)

hreik's picture
hreik

another beauty from Ru.  well done.  Crust and crumb look perfect and i love the scoring patterns.

 

hester

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I always appreciate how generous you are with your words! :)

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Just lovely! I love the scoring! Have you thought of mixing the 3 flours together for the 25%?

Ru007's picture
Ru007

So I've settled at 5% rye because more than that changes the feel of the dough too much (I like light and high ryes but that's not what I'm going for here :)). 

I will try a blend of whole wheat and spelt for the remaining 25% though, maybe 12.5 each? 

Thanks for the tip Danni! 

Happy baking 

Ru

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Would you mind if I popped this up on the homepage? It'd push your current recipe off.

I agree with you that around 25% whole grain + 5% rye is on the money. Enough whole grain to have a full earthy flavour but light enough to still get a decently open crumb.

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

This loaf is a front pager for sure! ?

Ru007's picture
Ru007

Absolutely, I'd be honoured! 

I'm really glad you liked it. 

I've really enjoyed playing around with this flour blend, and I agree that this ratio is just about right!

Happy baking 

Ru

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

this one:-)  3 B's and OSM for sure.  Well done and happy baking.

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I'm glad you liked it! 

Happy baking to you too. 

Ru

WatertownNewbie's picture
WatertownNewbie

You continue to produce tremendous loaves.  And what beautiful scoring.

I am curious about the series of ten-minute intervals at the beginning of your mixing process.  Did you come across this procedure in a book or recipe?  Come up with it on your own?  Determine that it results in something that other methods do not?  The only time I have ever done the 4 mix - 10 min. rest is when I baked your seeded SD recipe.

Keep posting!

Ru007's picture
Ru007

That's an interesting question. I don't think I came up with it, but I have really seen what it looks like. I watched a Trevor J Wilson video of him making a loaf (I can't remember which one) and in the text on the screen it said that he mixed using a start/stop method over 15 mins... in the video you just see him mixing for a few seconds and then it moves on to the next stage...so this is just how I interpreted it. I think this is what he meant. I just hand mix, until I feel like the dough is starting to fight back and then let it relax for a bit. The rest intervals and mixing time vary depending on how wet the dough is and how long the autolyse was.

Thank you for the complement, I really appreciate it. 

Happy baking

Ru

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Aren’t you the artist. Your scoring is beautiful. The ears are your trademark. I really like the way they are so straight. Exactly, how do you score the dough to get that “RU” ear? A straight as an arrow line? Straight down the exact middle? Do you slant the blade? How deep is the score?

inquiring minds want to know” :-) Thanks in advance.

Dan

RU, are you familar with Anna Gabur? Have you seen her scoring techniques?

Ru007's picture
Ru007

That's an amazing compliment, i'm flattered! Growing up, I always thought I was the least creative person in the world, so to have someone say I'm an artist is really nice. Thanks!

Here's a picture of the dough right before I put it in the oven (sorry for the bad quality!). I try to get the long slash done in one clean, off center line, using just the tip of razor. I hold the razor at a shallow angle too. The score isn't too deep i'm not sure how to describe the depth, the but its not like the whole blade sinks into the dough, just the tip. 

 

 

No, I'm not familiar with Anna Gabur. Where can I see her techniques, does she have a bool or something? 

Happy baking 

Ru

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Here is a link to get you started. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUKBC_G4Ns  She has lots more.  Took her online course, her method is very simple.

If you would like to investigate her course, it is here. 

https://tbn.zenler.com/courses/advanced-decorative-bread-scoring

Dan

stantonfinley's picture
stantonfinley

You are an artist.

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I really appreciate your kind words!

Yippee's picture
Yippee

so artistic! Wow!

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I'm glad you liked it! 

Happy baking

Ru

Solano's picture
Solano

Your breads have been inspiring to me, thanks for sharing!

 

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I'm so glad, I love to share and to know that someone is inspired is just amazing! 

Happy baking! 

Ru

alfanso's picture
alfanso

I'm a mostly white flour type of guy, so this appeal to me.  What a great crumb, and a beautiful crust to match (or exceed!).

alan

Ru007's picture
Ru007

I really appreciate the complement :) IMHO a simple, no add ins, mostly white loaf is the best way to appreciate the amazing flavour of the bread! 

Happy Baking

Ru

 

Jay's picture
Jay

That scoring is gorgeous, and the crumb looks great too. I hope someday to make a loaf half as beautiful as that one. 

Ru007's picture
Ru007

That's so kind of you! I've been practicing a lot and I've still got a a long way ahead of me. Just keep baking, that's my moto! 

Happy baking 

Ru

bennetbreads's picture
bennetbreads

Hi there, I'm new here :-) and amazed by all your creations. Really, so much WOWS I made roaming here around.

Since I'm very new in the block:-) most of what I read is in unknown language for me, so I started to pass word by word and

term by term to know what they mean.... I understood what NMNF means but I have no idea how to do it.

Please someone can provide me with a link or recipe?

Thank you so much and I hope that one day, soon. I will be able to share some pics :-)

have a beautiful day all

Ru007's picture
Ru007

You're very kind. So NMNF means no muss no fuss. It's a method for starter maintenance shared by one our TFLers. Here's the link https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/40918/no-muss-no-fuss-starter

This method minimizes waste and how often you refresh your starter.

Hope to see some posts from you soon!

Ru

leftcoastloaf's picture
leftcoastloaf

Nice bake! Great scoring and color.

Alan.H's picture
Alan.H

That is such a beautiful loaf and it must be as good to eat as it is to look at. Congratulations.

Alan

Theory's picture
Theory

Can you taste the rye in this loaf? It sure is lovely.

FrancisK7's picture
FrancisK7

Looks absolutely amazing. Something I aspire to! 

Patti Y's picture
Patti Y

I am so impressed! My bread will never look like yours. I gave up on my KAF liquid starter because I think I got the wrong kind of bacteria going. Stomach problems!

Now I need to create a new starter. Do you have a starter recipe suggestion?

Do you use a mixer or do you mix by hand?  Do you use a banneton or a bowl to let rise in? Do you bake on a stone by itself or do you bake the loaf in a pot? Covered or uncovered? I saw how long you used steam.

Have you decided on your perfect flour combination yet?

Again, it is a beautiful loaf of bread. Just beautiful!

Grevillea Bakers's picture
Grevillea Bakers

I joined this forum a week ago, and I must say I am amazed by the wealth of knowledge and experience.  I am learning something new everytime I read a thread!!  I am so happy I found this forum.

Ru, I love the ear, scoring and crumb (well, everything) about this loaf!  I have baked sourdough before when Tartine book first came out but I gave up after a few attempts and disappointing results.  This time round, I'm more focused to learn, and I have baked for two months now, a few times a week.  I must be on my 20th bake now :)  I also made my own starter (mostly  white flour) it's now 2 months old, still a baby I call Souri.

My bake is very inconsistent and I'm still learning.

Thank you for the link to the NMNF starter, I will definitely will do a rye starter.

I hope to bake a loaf very similar or as close as possible to yours - I will use your recipe and technique.

Sophiadiana's picture
Sophiadiana

Love the color and the scoring is gorgeous! I may need to try. 

chocoberrie's picture
chocoberrie

Wow, Ru!! This loaf is so beautiful! I'll have to give this scoring a try. Such a lovely crumb as well! What are some key things you do to help achieve it? I've been baking sourdough for a bit over a year now, and I'm slowly getting closer to a fluffy interior...