Blog posts

almost sourdough

Toast

just recently someone wrote in with a recipe that was part sourdough .. part yeast. they said they didn't have enough starter for the whole recipe. it was labeled "part sourdough" or "not quite sourdough". I thought I had printed it out but can't find it. can you please re post it or send it to me direct e mail mickicoll@msn.com ? thanks.

Tartine Loaf: The Formula

Toast

There's been some discussion about the baker's percentage formula for the Tartine Loaf in Chad Robertson's book. I thought I'd create a spreadsheet that clarified the formula. As related on page 48 of his book, he gives the baker's percentage but only in terms of the final ingredients. The formula doesn't include the flour and water in the leaven. So while he states the bread has a 75% hydration, it is actually higher, 77% The formula also makes it difficult to convert the recipe into smaller loaves.

miche pointe à callière, Tartine procedure

Profile picture for user arlo

The past few loaves I've baked since I have moved into my new apartment at the start of the new year have been variations on the Tartine Bread whole wheat dough. Out of the five or six whole wheat loaves I have baked, I have been very, very pleased with the results. More often the crumb is remarkably open for such high percentage of whole wheat, the crumb is moist, the tang, though not assertive, lies in the background for an added depth of flavor. All in all, a lovely loaf of bread I am quite proud of and have shared with friends and family with high praise.

First sourdough loaf, a la Tartine

Profile picture for user yy

After tending to my new starter for two weeks, I finally got the courage to make some bread with it. I used the Tartine basic country loaf formula, which yielded two decently sized loaves. The leaven was made at around 10 PM the night before, the dough mixed at 11 AM the following morning, and the first loaf baked at around 7 PM. To my dismay, it came out like a dense, insipid sponge with a huge cavern in the middle.