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I was once again out of bread so needed another loaf.  I decided to work on my 50% whole wheat sourdough pan loaf again but increase the hydration to 81% which is higher than I usually go with a loaf of this composition.   I’m not sure it made any difference to the crumb, but I’m happy with the loaf nonetheless. Now I don’t know about you, but I find it challenging to score a pan loaf so I tried something a bit different.  I did the usual of brushing water on the top and applying the pansies.  I then baked it without steam for 5 mins.

Made with fresh milled spelt and whole wheat. I mashed some steamed potatoes, added olive oil, truffle cheddar cheese, and finished them on my smoker. I also added some homemade Greek yogurt for some extra softness.

For ever I have resisted getting involved with sourdough, maintaining a starter, waiting hours upon hours for a loaf of bread. I don't view commercial yeast as inferior in any way, and probably more consistently reliable. Besides, I like only sourdough that is mild, so no good reason to get dragged in.

A friend gave me some starter which I've been using for English muffins and bagels, along with a bit of ady. Time to try a 100% sourdough loaf. Pullman the first day, round top the second. They turned out fine. No epiphany, no conversion though.

I've recently had a few great bakes that had glutinous rice flour in them and it seemed that it assisted with a strong oven spring, especially if cooked first as a roux (tangzhong/yudane).

To understand it further, let's look at an experimental bake of four small breads (each with 500g of dough and each where 5% of the flour was a rice flour):

I sliced my finger good on the sharp edge of the Pullman cover.

Most excellent results. Not as perfectly squared as some I see here. Very nice just the same. 

The bake time @ 425°F 45 minutes. The same as yesterday. 

1. Lower the hydration to a more manageable percentage. While keeping a moist delicious texture.

2. The first test bake in a Pullman loaf pan 

   Note worthy attributes

   1. All of the white flour is high gluten 

   2. All of the white flour is pre fermented.

   Phase #1 The autolysis. observation 

   The dough after the initial mix looks much drier. Albeit clay like.

Today's bake:   Sour Ring Bread -  Hapanleipa (Finland)

Source:   The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg

Notes: Increased TDW From 1969g to 2000g

Substitutions: None

So, I took time to fix my previous roti gambang, both formula-wise and makeup-wise. I decided to do pain viennois approach, but at 60% hydration. I was quite surprise to know that pain viennois can be done at hydration as low as 50% (which will be a lot closer to the traditional scone-style roti gambang). But after few tests, I like the mouthfeel of 60% hydration better. This is my fifth trial batch.