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10/5/10 - Pain Au Levain with Alaea Sea Salt (Hawaiian Red Salt)

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

10/5/10 - Pain Au Levain with Alaea Sea Salt (Hawaiian Red Salt)


There was a period of time where my brother and I were buying each other different salts for fun…  He went to Hawaii one time and brought me back a small bag of  Alaea Sea Salt (Hawaiian Red Salt).  Time passes, I buy him some other salt…  Then he goes to Hawaii again to visit a friend of his, and she sends him back to the mainland with 3 more bags of the stuff, which he gives me…  So now, after a few years, I still have tons of the stuff, so what better idea to get rid of some of it by trying some in bread… 

Interesting stuff.  It contains a small amount of harvested reddish Hawaiian clay.  You can reference this website: http://www.saltworks.us/alaea.html for more info.  The salt has an interesting clay/mineral taste to it.

I decided to make a simple pain au levain and try the stuff out… 

Ingredients:
900g AP (King Arthur)
50g WW (King Arthur)
50g Rye Flour (Mix of Hodgson Mill and Arrowhead Mills Organic)
250g Liquid Levain @ 100% Hydration
660g Water
26g Alaea Sea Salt
1936g Approx Dough Yield

Method:
10/4/10
7:00pm - Feed storage starter 100g AP and 100g water.  Starter should double in 2-3 hrs.
10:00pm - Weigh out all ingredients, grind the salt with a mortar and pestle.
10:15pm - In a large mixing bowl, add in the following order, liquid levain,  water, flours, salt.  Mix with rubber spatula until a rough dough forms, then with wet hands squish dough until there are no dry lumps.  This should take about 3 minutes.  Place bowl in large plastic bag, rest.
11:00pm - Turn dough, cover and let rest.
11:30pm - Lightly oil a large plastic container (4L).  Turn dough (stretch and fold in bowl), place in plastic tub, place in refrigerator.  Go to bed.

10/5/10
8:45am - Take dough out of refrigerator, turn dough in container, cover, return to refrigerator.  Go to work.

6:15pm - Divide dough into 2 equal pieces (975g), preshape into boule.  Let rest 15 minutes seam side down.
6:30pm - Final shape, let proof in floured linen lined bannetons seam side up.  Place bannetons in plastic bag to prevent drying.
8:45pm - Arrange baking stone and steam pan (loaf pan with lava rocks.  Fill halfway with water).  Preheat oven to 500F with convection.
9:30pm - Turn off convection.  Turn boules out onto a lightly floured peel, slash as desired, place into oven directly onto stone.  When last loaf is in the oven, close door.  Turn down to 450F.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Remove steam pan 15 minutes into bake.  Rotate loaves halfway through bake.  At end of bake, check internal temperature and weight.  Should be between 205F to 210F, and weight approx 15% less.  Return loaves to off oven for another 10 minutes.  Let loaves cool overnight before cutting and eating…

Notes:  I should have let the boules proof for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

10/6/10
8:45am - Cut, take picture of crumb, eat...

Sent to Susan @ Yeastspotting on 10/6/10

Comments

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Hey Tim! Nice work.

I love how you explain the whole process, and then say: go to bed, or go to work.

Much better than: wake up at 4:00, turn the dough!

I'll have to try turning the dough in a refrigerator someday, it fits my schedule.

Thanks

khalid

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

Thanks so much Khalid...  I've figured out how do bake regularly without losing too much sleep these days...  My process from start to finish is usually between 28-36 hours to complete a bake, so broken up over 2-3 days, it's not so bad.  I probably put in about 30 to 60 minutes of actual work...

The refrigerator is very helpful when it holds a consistent temperature.  I used to have refrigerators that either were too warm, or too cold to be of any help, but since I replaced my refrigerators last year, it's been pretty smooth sailing...

I just posted crumb shots.  This bread tastes really good.  The crust is relatively thin and crackly.  The crumb is moist and slightly chewy like a San Francisco sourdough, with a slight tang.  The crumb has a slight pink tinge to it due to the red salt.  I may have over salted slightly using 2.3%.  I may go back down to 2.0% the next time I bake this, or up the hydration a little...

Tim

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Good for you, Tim! and hopefully will be good for me someday..

Beautiful crumb structure!!!! 

 

what an inspiration Tim 

BTW, i like your ciabatta slugs blog, ur nose shot is hillarious!

khalid

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

Thanks again...  I'm trying to have more fun with my food these days...

wally's picture
wally

That's some nice crumb and impressive oven spring you got with those loaves!

Larry

GSnyde's picture
GSnyde

Did the special salt come through in the flavor?

 

Glenn

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

Thanks, and yes...  Sort of...  I usually use Kosher salt, and that makes for a very clean tasting bread...  This time, using the Hawaiian salt, it gave the crumb a slightly orange/pink color, and there was something different about the taste.  It reminded me of a slightly sour SF sourdough...

Tim

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

Thanks Larry!

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I copied your recipe, Tim, changing it to a schedule that meets my no-night-owl needs better (12 hours earlier), and have a few questions.

What kind of flour is in your liquid levain? How many stretch & folds are in one turn? Do you leave your oven door slightly ajar during the last 10 minutes?

Thanks,

Karin

 

 

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

I use primarily all-purpose flour to feed my sourdough starter.  Sometimes I'll add some rye or whole wheat if it's a little slow...  Also, I don't like bread flour at all...  I've never gotten good results with it.

As for the folds, do the letter folds (1/3, and 1/3), turn 90 degrees, and do again.  Then turn dough over and stretch it taught as you are forming a boule...  Not sure if this is clear...  Let me know.

I just leave the oven door closed for the last 10 minutes with the oven off...

Tim

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I thought as much. It's the S & F method I use, too.

I will try your bread at the next opportunity - even without the Hawaiian salt. A really good pain au levain I haven't made, yet.

Karin

 

breadbakingbassplayer's picture
breadbakingbass...

Lemme know how it turns out...

Tim