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Lucy was going to do something else but came back to one of my favorites – Mediterra’s Pecan and Cranberry Sourdough.  This great bakery, located in the small AZ town of Coolidge, AZ, supplies the local Whole Foods with some of their upscale breads – including this one.  Here is there web site http://mediterrabakehouse.com/

After my less than spectacular Forkish Country Brown....good flavor, not as good oven spring as I would like, I was advised by my mentor (you know who you are) to go back to basics.

Hamelman's 5-grain Levain is one of our favorite breads.  My wife and I always have some on hand in the freezer (it freezes quite well), ready to toast a slice for breakfast or for a sandwich.  It also lends itself to all kinds of variations since it is easy to modify the ingredients and relative amounts of the soaker.  I have used cracked rye (as called for in the original recipe) and have also had success with bulghur wheat.  This time, inspired by this post earlier this year, I tried it with freek

It's not the best or holiest baguette I've seen, but I think it is a solid attempt to develop upon (it's actually my fourth attempt since last week). I used all purpose flour (or something between APF and bread flour, it says 12.78% protein), 67% hidration and 20% sourdough starter, plus about 3% of malt flour, mixed and folded a few times yesterday afternoon, retarded in the fridge overnight and shaped and baked this morning.

The crust is really nice, not too thick, the crumb is soft and almost creamy; the taste is mostly sweet.

To me it was new to do the finall rise of the bread in the fridge, I usualy do it the other way round, I knead the dough

and put it in the fridge for 12 - 18 hours and then shape the cold dough and put it in the baneton, proof and bake.

These were commissions! 20% whole wheat, long cold bulk fermentation (24 hours) and long cold proof (18 hours). 300 g levain for 800 g flour, so about 38% levain by baker's percentage. Produced two medium-sized loaves. I can't stop experimenting with levain percentage!