There are many ways to shape an oval. This method is versatile and works well for both low and high hydration doughs. The final cinch and tuck round out the ends.
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Beware: this video scores high on the geek-o-meter! So grab your favorite pilsner, get comfortable on the sofa, and prepare yourself to watch a long video outlining the science and mathematics behind the Detmolder Two-Stage Rye Sourdough Feeding Method (aka Detmolder Zweistufenfuehrung).
This method is practiced widely throughout Germany and Austria. I have a preference for this method as it has wonderful complexity in flavor and a lot of leavening power. There is no necessity to use commercial yeast in conjunction with this sourdough.
A second run at Danni's semolina cranberry/wild rice levain. With some obvious changes afoot compared to my first attempt. The wild rice didn't float my boat so I 86'ed it. The quick and dirty on this version's mods:
Recently there have been many excellent posts and information on The Fresh Loaf about baguettes. Here is a small contribution focused on shaping.
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I usually make bread that is around 40% whole grain. This time, I wanted to make a simple mostly white sourdough. So this one has just a touch of wholegrain in it.
Makes 3 loaves
850 g strong baker’s unbleached flour
100 g freshly milled Selkirk flour
50 g freshly milled rye flour
22 g pink Himalayan salt
700 g filtered water
30 g yogurt
250 g sourdough starter (procedure in recipe)
Two afternoons before:
I have finally managed bread with a significant content of spelt flour that didn't turn into a near-puddle before/during baking! I was really struggling with the elasticity it brings to the dough. But this time, while the bread is not super tall and did flatten out a little bit, it still has a decent shape. I was worried about scoring it too deeply which could cause more flattening, so I think I didn't score it deep enough... So the batard actually got some cracks on top.
I love the effect that sweet potatoes have on tenderizing the crumb and the sweet flavour of sweet potatoes and thought I should make another sweet potato sourdough but instead of pecans, this time adding black sesame seeds. Those who know me know I love the flavour of sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in particular.
This formula makes a 900 g dough.
I built both the levain and saltolyse dough in the evening starting both with fridge cold water and some fridge time.
Levain 1:4:4 10 g starter 40 g 2ºC water and 40 g whole wheat
The sourdough fridge ferment method doesn't seem to get enough love on the internet, so I thought it might be of interest to everyone to describe a fridge ferment bread that I've just made. Additonally, there are two things that make today's bread further unique - the use of 'almond milk', and the main flour is a white bread flour that also contains some bran and wheat germ.
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, "How do I get an open crumb in my bread?" This video shares some processes I employ that hopefully will be helpful to you.
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I'm trying to up my whole grain percentage and think this is a pretty successful attempt, using mostly white whole wheat flour. I calculated the whole grain percentage figuring the Type 85 is equivalent to 50% whole wheat, 50% white.
Nice (though fairly mild) flavor, a decent crumb though could be more open. Not sure if I over-fermented. I may want to try adding a little rye and/or spelt next time for a richer flavor. And it's a bit too salty. But mostly happy with this! Comments and advice welcome....
(Sorry I'm not using baker's percentages, I know I should!)
