Overnight 50% whole wheat sourdough
A French bread formula is mostly the process. By designing this process my goal was to make an overnight 50% whole wheat sourdough that is not too sour, that is easy to deal with at all stages and that produce a nice oven spring. I am baking at my basement, at an ambient temperature of about 21C and went through several trials until settling into this process. It takes about 24 hours, from refresh of the starter to baking.
The dough is bulk fermented for 12 hours overnight at room temperature. In order to have it firm enough and less sour by the end of the bulk, I am using a young starter that totals 5% in flour weight of the total formula. The dough is easy to pre-shape, shape and score and requires about 3 hours of proofing at room temperature.
Ingredients are given in the Excel format I use, and repeated for readability later:
Formula.PNG
Day 1, 16:00 (about 5 hours before mixing) - refresh Starter
Prepare a 80gr starter from all purpose flour at 100% hydration. In my opinion, there is no need to aim to have it “doubled in size” or “bubbly” before bulk. If your mother starter is in good shape, it will work, just the bulk may be a little shorter or longer.
Day 1, 22:00 – Mixing
1. mix well 376gr all purpose flour, 416gr whole wheat flour and 17gr salt.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve the 80gr starter in 565gr water at room temperature.
3. Combine all together
4. Mix with a fork then knead a bit until all the flour is wet. The dough is a bit hard and it is more convenient to work it on the counter instead of in a bowl at this stage.
5. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then knead a little more on the counter
6. Let the dough rest for additional 30 minutes, then knead a little more inside the bowl. The dough should now feel fully kneaded and form a nice domed shape
Day 2, 10:00 – Dividing, pre-shaping, shaping and proofing
1. Take a note of the condition of the dough. If it appears weak and is very vinegary, the bulk went too far. Next time, reduce the amount of starter or bulk for a shorter time. Continue to make the assessment when shaping and scoring. If the bulk did not go too far, the dough should be very easy to handle and will not feel too wet or sticky.
2. For 4 small batards, divide into 363gr units.
3. Gently round and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Shape – I am folding the dough inward (see markcsinclair demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUeS2PSXtP8&feature=youtu.be [1] )
5. Proof for about 3 hours
Day 2, 13:30 - Scoring and baking
1. Dust the dough with some flour and then score
2. Bake enclosed for 20 minutes @ 480F (I am using a double roaster and spray the inside with water)
3. Bake in the open for additional 20 minutes @ 450F