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gavinc

This is the link to my submission to the Community Bake - Semolina / Durum and similar grain bread.

Bake #1 - Semolina Bread - Hamelman

Community Bake - Semolina/Durum and similar grain breads | The Fresh Loaf

 Bake #2 - Durum Bread - Hamelman

Community Bake - Semolina/Durum and similar grain breads | The Fresh Loaf

 

Cheers,

Gavin.

 

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gavinc

This is a 10% whole-wheat sourdough that is our everyday bread. It is great in the morning with bacon and eggs and an extra slice with vegemite or a jam. I bake it once a week or sooner if we run out. I gift a loaf to the guy next door occasionally as he mows our front nature strip when he is doing his own. A great sourdough that I have been baking for years and never misses.Cheers,Gavin

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gavinc

This is Hamelman’s Five-Grain Levain. I used the same grains as per the formula; cracked rye, flaxseeds (sold here as linseed), Sunflower seeds and oats. I made the cracked rye by milling the rye very coarsely, then sifting with a 40# mesh sieve.

I recalculated for a 750-gram dough (to suit my banneton) and have included the formula below.

I mixed the final build of the levain about 5 pm the day before and made the soaker at the same time. The levain and at its peak by 7 am the next morning.

The flours are bread flour (11.5% protein) and home-milled whole-wheat. The overall hydration is 98%! I mixed and kneaded by hand and tried not to add too much extra flour, but it was a struggle not to as I had to keep flouring my hands to keep them dry. The dough was very sticky but became less so after 15 minutes of stretch and folds.

I was not intending to retard the proof, so I chose to bulk ferment for 1 ½ hour with a fold at 45 mins. Shaped into an oblong and proofed for 1 hour at 25C/76F.

I scored the dough laterally with a serrated knife and baked. The dough held up reasonably well when moved from the couche to the peel and scored.

The bake went well with a good oven spring and the loaf took on a nice rich colour. I allowed the loaf to cool before slicing.

Tasting: Hamelman states “This is one of the most delectable breads I have ever eaten”. A big statement which is why I wanted to bake this. I was not disappointed, the flavour from the overnight levain added a lovely character and combined well with the choice of grains. The small amount of IDY did not detract and helped to create a medium-light crumb. The aroma when slicing was enticing.

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gavinc

This is Hamelman's Golden Raisin Bread. The baked loaf tasted very nice. I used organic raisins and some seemed to erupt through the surface in the oven. I increase the raisins next time. The crumb was nice and light for this bread. I'll post the formula below.

Process – Golden Raisin Bread  
PrefermentsLiquid levain  
MixingType of mixerby hand  
First FermentationLength of time12-16 hrs 
  Temperature21C 
Final DoughDDT25C  
MixingType of mixerHand 
 Mix style    
 3 speed    
 Stretch & fold15 mins  
Bulk Fermentation    
 length of time1 to 2 hours 
 number of folds1 if 2 hour fermentation
 timing for folds1 hr  
 dough temp25C  
ShapingOblongDivide 680g 
  Pre-shaperound 
  Resting time20 mins 
  Shape round or oblong
  Proofing devicebanneton 
Proof & BakeFinal Proof time50-60 mins25C
  Oven typeMiele with steam
  Steam 5 mins prior 
    & first 10 minutes
  Total bake40-45 mins 
  Temperature238C15 mins
    221C25-30 mins
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gavinc

This last weekend I did a test run of a 3-stage fermentation rye sourdough. I know a little about how rye behaves, so I thought “What could go wrong?”. I chose Hamelman’s Three Stage 70 Percent Sourdough Rye. I recalculated for a 750-gram boule.

The first issue was that the recipe called for medium rye flour. I only have home-milled whole rye. Lance advised getting a 40# mesh to get something close to medium rye. I was keen to proceed anyway and went ahead using whole rye.

The 3-stage process requires various temperatures at each stage. My homemade proofer is quite hard to change the temperature, so I finished up using a 25C fermentation for stages 1 and 2. I used the inbuilt oven proof function for stage 3, which was slightly higher than the 29C required. The final proof was completed in 25C instead of 29C. While all this was happening, I read about the Brod and Taylor proofer some of you guys use. It would have taken all the anxiety away.

I was happy with the result. The baked loaf has a few cracks (apparently good) and had a good sound when I tapped the bottom of the baked loaf. I am now waiting for 24 hours for the crumb to stabilise. I will add a crumb picture tomorrow.

Action items:

Order 40# mesh – done.

Order Brod & Taylor proofer – done.

I am looking forward to repeating this after I get my new gear.

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gavinc

Pane di oliva verde – Local Breads – Daniel Leader

These are made with a biga that sits overnight in the refrigerator after one-hour bench rest. After mixing and incorporating the chopped green olive, a bulk fermentation of 2 hours at 24C.

Divided into 70-gram portions and shaped into mini baguettes of 150mm (6 inches) mini baguettes. Proofed on a covered baking tray at room temperature about 30 minutes until puffy.

Baked at 230C for 20 minutes.

These are 75% hydration with BF 11.5% protein. IDY was used for leavening. A new experience using this formula and made more interesting by adding chopped green olives. Gentle handling was essential. 

Cheers,

Gavin.

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gavinc

50% stone-milled whole-wheat flour and 50% bread flour (11.5% protein). Hydration 69%. The levain was 100% hydration with whole-wheat flour.

The final dough did not have an autolyse, just mix until all incorporated and adjust hydration to medium looseness. I hand-kneaded with stretch and folds for 15 minutes, during which I had to let the dough rest occasionally to relax as it resisted the stretch. The dough did not feel very silky at that point. Bulk fermentation for 2 ½ hours with folds every 50 minutes. The change in the feel of the dough was remarkable at each fold. The dough felt noticeably light when I pre-shaped at the intermediate proof. Shaped into an oblong and final proof for 2 hours at 24°C.

Baked in a pre-steamed oven with steam for first 10 minutes. The oven spring was better than I was expecting, that gave a light crumb as promised by Jeffrey Hamelman, and had a warm colour. The crust developed a lovely russet colour.

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gavinc

My starter is performing better than ever now I have a new regimen. Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough with 15% stone-ground whole wheat flour.

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gavinc

Today I baked Hamelman’s Deli Rye Bread with caraway seeds. I used 15% freshly milled stone-ground rye that was pre-fermented overnight in an 80% hydration stiff sourdough starter. The overall formula is 66% hydration and includes 1.75% caraway seeds. The dough had a good feel throughout the process and was proofed in a linen couche. I baked the loaf on an oven stone in a pre-steamed oven and steam for the first 10 minutes. The oven spring was particularly good and crumb nice and soft. The flavour is wonderful, slightly tangy and the caraway seeds contributed to a complex flavour profile.

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