Hybrid Dough Experiments
I've posted before about using a tiny amount of commercial organic yeast in my sourdough bread recipes, and got some good feedback and information on that post. I've continued to tweak my methods and have arrived at what I think is a happy compromise, making the most of the benefits of both sources of yeast in the same recipe. I'm just using a pinch of organic yeast in my everyday sourdough recipe, and have probably baked some of the best bread I've ever made, even with skipping an autolyze and pre-shape steps. I plan on trying this method next with a higher percentage of whole wheat and/or with additions of nuts and dried fruit, hopefully with similar results. The ears came out looking burnt in the photos, but they weren't. Super oven spring, the crumb is light, springy and airy (custard-like qualities), the taste seems to be the best of both worlds, aroma is great, and the crust is killer crunchy...all obtained in a same-day bake. I should add that we prefer bread that isn't overtly sour, so this method might not be your cup of tea if you are looking for a typical sourdough tang, but could probably be tweaked with a longer cold ferment to get there. I'm posting in case anyone else out there has been curious about utilizing some commercial yeast in their bakes.
Night before, around 8 hours before dough build: starter refresh at 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 (half whole wheat/half AP flour)...whatever needed to catch the starter at or near peak.
Day of bake:
350 g strong bread flour / 50 g whole wheat (bolted white winter) / 50 g AP...total of 450 g flour; 365 g warm water around 80F; 100 g refreshed starter; 11 g salt; pinch of organic yeast (currently using Red Star Organic, sorry that this amount isn't more precise...still haven't purchased that special scale yet).
In early AM: lightly mix all dough ingredients and let rest for 40 minutes.
S&Fs X 3 every 25-30 minutes, followed by 4 coil folds every 30-45 minutes...repeat until dough has risen approximately 30-50% and feels strong and elastic. My dough stays at around 78F during this process. The average amount of time that I'm bulk fermenting is around 5-5.5 hours. My house stays at around 70F currently.
10 minutes after the last coil fold, gently tip out the dough onto a floured surface (tipping the bowl upside down releases the dough nicely). The last coil fold essentially acts like a pre-shape. With floured hands and scraper, gently shape the dough into a batard or boule shape and place into a floured banneton.
Place in freezer for 15 minutes to arrest the fermentation, then place in a cold refrigerator (mine is 36 degrees) for 4 hours. If using the cane bannetons, make sure to cover the bottom as well as the top of the dough...these types of bannetons allow too much air circulation and the outer layer of dough will get too cold and dense. Wood pulp bannetons are fine. I typically use the shower cap type covers for both the top and bottom of the cane banneton since I prefer their shape.
3 hours into the cold proof, preheat the oven and DO to 500F.
After 4 hours of cold retard, remove from banneton (I utilize parchment paper, that I crunch up and then flatten out again...seems to help reduce the 'dimples' in the dough), and perform a deep, angled score.
Bake in a covered DO (I use clay bakers) covered for 25 minutes, uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until dough reaches approximately 210. Let cool for at least 2 hours.
Comments
It looks like you used a bicycle pump to fill it with air! Very impressive spring and lovely crumb. I’ve made some of Forkish’s hybrid loaves out of FWSY. I always feel a little guilty when I add commercial yeast - crazy, I know. I’ll work on that :)
That made me laugh! And, I definitely can relate to your 'guilt' comment. But I am enjoying the consistency of my recent bakes utilizing this method. I'm currently dabbling with upping the WW percentage, hoping to get the same loft and light crumb. We'll see how that goes!
Be sure to post your results