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Currently, I'm only baking three bread formulae (our daily breads), baguettes, and two sourdoughs: 50% each WW and Bread flours , and a mostly-white flour (equal amounts AP and Bread flours and 10% Whole Rye). I alternate the sourdough bakes week-to-week; and, for the two most recent bakes, I've retarded the fermenting dough for 17 hours @ 54°F. I'm doing this to extract maximum flavors.

This is the first mostly-white version with my new starter.(67% Hydration)

Hamelman’s Vermont Sourdough is one of my favorite recipes. It is so consistent in both flavor and texture. It’s hard to mess up this formula. It’s still pretty warm in Tallahassee, FL so paying attention to the Desired Dough Temperature (DDT) is important. Following Hamelman’s instructions I needed chilly water.

Desired Dough Temperature           76

Multiplication Factor                         4

This is an illustration of Shaping a dough into a ball (Boule). I learned this technique from San Fransisco Baking circle.

David (dmsnyder), was the first to demonstrate this shaping method here.(thanks David!). I thought of illustrating the method, and share it with all of you.

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Note : "The method"  edited on 11th Oct. '11.  Sorry I forgot to write you need to lower the temperature of the oven after 20 minutes! Sorry!!!!!!!!

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I seem to be going through a “dud” phase – two below the average sourdoughs in the row. Tried a multigrain rye, and it was a disaster, all grey inside and looks like a brink. Another rye this morning – same problem, haven’t cut it yet, but it doesn’t look promising.

To cheer myself up I’ve decided to make a pie – can’t recommend a better way to cheer you up. Wonderfully tangy and full of blueberry goodness, it was gone in less than 5 hours :)

It's funny how things come together some times. Katie, one of Andy's students in college developed this recipe that Karin (a German baker transplanted to Maine) baked and posted last week. It was a beautiful loaf. About the same time a new poster from Iceland ( Schrödinger's O...) presented a beautiful bread with a natural expansion instead of slashing.

I am still new on bread making - 4th week in now. And I am learning more and more. I thought I would give the seeded multigrain sourdough a try from wild yeast blog. I subbed in pumpkin sesame sun flour poppy and flaxseeds in the soaker. I also subbed the course rye for fine rye. The mixture was pretty wet... it was sticking to my bench and hands.

Sending this to Yeastspotting.

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Hi there,

Does anyone have any input on this:  I just started two cultures, one Bahrain and one San Francisco.  They launched just beautifully at first but after checking on them in the fridge for a few days I see that the hooch is on the bottom of the mass not on top!  Also they small a bit "stinky" as opposed to the crisp sour bite that I've experienced in the past when proofing these cultures.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

thanks, Penny