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Hello TFLers! I haven't posted for a long time because I was very busy. I just made it through my first year of practicing the noble profession of teaching so to celebrate it, I made a sourdough brioche. 100% sourdough, made with whole eggs and about 70% butter then baked in ensaymada style in ensaymada tins. I wish I have made a brioche à tête shape too given shape of the tins.Though simpler to make, it was still a labor of love; it took 36 hours from start to finish!

I’m sorry about posting another Beginner’s Sourdough loaf but I wanted to repeat it a few more times to see if I am getting any more consistent results.  I reduced the hydration by 20 gms when mixing to try to account for water added while doing coil folds etc.  I found that the dough was quite stiff despite a several hour autolyze, I think this was the reduced hydration unless I actually reduced by even more than I thought.  The lower hydration made slap and folds very hard.

This was inspired by Rushuyama's beautiful Fig & Walnut multigrain posted a few years ago here. I scaled the ingredients to 70% of the original to make one larger loaf. I didn't have any spelt on hand (we love spelt and it disappears) so subbed in some Kamut, used freshly and finely ground durum instead of semolina, and I added chopped date along with the chopped figs, since I didn't have enough of the latter.

I post on rare occasions and mainly follow everyone's great work on this site. I need help achieving the last 5% of the tartine country loaf-- a good interior crumb. Or maybe it's more like 50% of the importance haha.

Currently, my crumb is very uneven where some areas are chewy, some are light and airy, and other areas have too much bubbly airholes. 

 Bread with bold flavours wanted this week.

25% Germinated Red Rice 15% Sprouted Rye Sourdough

I had a reliable, easy starter in Pittsburgh. I have been baking sourdough bread every weekend for the past year.

I just moved to Charleston SC and started a new starter with 100% fresh milled rye flour and water, the flour was purchased 1 year ago and kept in a sealed Tupperware container in a dark cabinet. The temperature in my house is 78F. 

After what seems like forever, I finally baked yesterday.  This is a Hamelman-based 50% whole grain bread with a soaker.  Hard wheat, rye, spelt, and kamut comprised the whole grain.  I attempted to sift for a bran levain, but the sifter stopped working.  Therefore the levain was all whole grain, which at least helped somewhat.

Here's another Egg Harbor white bread from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Bread. It always turns out dynamite.  Sorry about the measurement in cups.  Haven't converted it yet.  

1.5 tbl sugar

7g salt

3 cups bread flour

1 tbl butter

1/2 tbl salt

50g starter 

Glaze: 1 tbl milk + egg white

1 1/4 cups water [120-130f)

1. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water. Toss the butter in. 

2. Mix half the flour and yeast.  Stir in the water mixture.  

We sent a picture of the last focaccia to the daughter and she said that she wanted on when she was here this weekend.  This one was a bit different because Lucy is so old she can’t remember from one minute to the next and never liked doing the same bread twice anyway when she could remember.

To the random person on the internet that clicked on my blog,

Its midnight and I start my new job in 8 hours.