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While reading a post from Bread Kneading http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/52316/bread-always-cracks-one-side-and-gummy-centre about an adaptation to an Hokkaido Milk Bread recipe with Tang Zhong, I started wondering how I could do with that style of bake, and what it would taste like.  I had never done a loaf using ADY, or really tried an enriched version (other than some dried milk powder), and thought that this might be a great opportunity to give it a go. 

Time is flying by me again, but I'm using this blog to keep track of my bakes, so I really need to spend a few minutes catching up with myself!

beautiful oven spring can't wait fo them to cool to see crumb

One of my friends told me that the Honey Oat bread with Seeds that was derived from MutantSpace's post was the best loaf I had made so far, so I decided to repeat it but using Spelt instead. I was a bit concerned that the Spelt might make it ferment too fast but I lucked out and it behaved itself. The loaves were beautifully proofed when I took them out of the fridge this morning. And on to the recipe:

1. Toast 60 g each of sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. 

Finally - I have a loaf that looks like the ones in all the pretty pictures! LOL

The dough just starting its ferment (which occurred in the refrigerator overnight)

Have you ever had the experience of falling asleep in class, only to realize on test day, that the info presented in that class was exactly what you needed to know for the test?!?!   So.... three+ years ago, I was in Puglia... visited Altamura even.  Not only that, but I visited a BREAD BAKERY IN ALTAMURA.... And I was lucky enough to be with someone who KNEW the baker... and we were there early to watch him shape and bake loaves!  

My first bake was soft pull apart dinner rolls and they didn't turn out well. Now I have moved from a kitchen elevation of 4,420 ft above sea level to 2,600 feet. I was not getting the rise with the same amount of levain. Also moving from an electric convection to a non-convection oven gave different results.

I have a profusion of rhubarb (and other things, but that's another story) from the garden right now, so I've been canning and preserving. Yesterday I made a batch of sweet pickle relish and another of rhubarb chutney. I've been thinking of how to use rhubarb in bread, so I decided to do a test loaf of sourdough ('cause, I had, like, nothing else to do, right?) with some of the chutney ingredients.

I started with my go-to formula when I'm testing ingredients rather than technique or formula - a simple 1-2-3 country sourdough.

    |Th

This is a new version of an older formula using a starter instead of yeast.  I also removed the honey that was in the original and used fresh milled rye flour.

I added some crushed caraway seeds that I pulsed in my coffee grinder for some added flavor.