The Fresh Loaf

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Seven Porridge Sourdough

Benito's picture
Benito

Seven Porridge Sourdough

I wanted to try this recipe again but with more of the porridge and cooked a bit longer. I increased the porridge to 15% and cooked it with half milk and water. However, in order to keep the porridge moist during cooking, an unspecified about of water was added. The porridge is kept at room temperature covered until the next day.

 

I built an overnight stiff levain which was kept at 76ºF which started at a pH of 5.26.
In the morning, I mixed salt, all the water and all the whole wheat and this was allowed to hydrate for 30 mins.
At the end of this short saltolyse the levain was at 3.5-4x rise and the pH was 4.12. It was added to the wet dough and broken up and hydrated. The bread flour was then added, the pH at this point was 5.26. After a 10 min rest slap and folds x 200 were done.
An additional 16 g of water was added via bassinage bringing the hydration not including the porridge to 80%. After a 5 mins rest the porridge was added through a series of stretch and folds. pH now was 5.36. After a 30 mins rest a bench letterfold was done. Then at 30 min intervals a series of coil folds were done until the dough appeared to have good structure in this case 4 were done.
The dough was then allowed to fermented at 80ºF until it showed a rise of 35% and a pH of 4.38 at which time shaping was done. The shaped dough in banneton was then allowed to start final warm proofing on the counter until the pH reached 4.1 and the rise was 50%. Cold retard was started 3ºF overnight for next morning baking.
Pre-heat oven with cast iron skillet in the oven and set up for open steam baking.
30 mins prior to baking, pour 1 L of boiling water into metal loaf pan with Sylvia towel and place on baking steel on the lowest rack of the oven.
Once oven reaches 500ºF turn dough out of banneton, brush excess rice flour off, score and then brush with water. Transfer to oven. Pour 250 mL of boiling water into the cast iron skillet on a high shelf, high enough that the dough have fully bloom. Drop temperature to 450ºF and bake with steam for 25 mins. Then vent oven and remove all steaming gear and drop temperature to 425ºF. Bake for another 25-30 mins rotating as needed.

Comments

pmccool's picture
pmccool

I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Paul

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Paul, it was delicious and made me wonder why I don’t do porridge loaves more often.

Benny

happycat's picture
happycat

Love the whole look. Looks like rough bark, carefully etched with the delicate design, but exploding out of its centre. The insides flaring up look amazing, like flames tinged with black smoke. That's bread as art, man!

Would love to hear about the taste and texture from the porridge.

Also curious about the spreadsheet... reading left to right, the numbers go down instead of up?

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you David.  Strange how the ears didn’t really form but instead it opened elsewhere within the score.  

Regarding the spreadsheet, the first column is the complete recipe, the far right column is the weights of ingredients at the time of mix without the levain which is in the center of the spreadsheet.  I didn’t create this, the spreadsheet was kindly shared to me from Dan Ayo.

Benny

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Very nice looking loaf Benny!  Very curious to see how the crumb turns out by pushing the porridge percentage up and if you notice a difference in texture or just flavor.

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Troy, I’m just about to post the crumb photos now.

Benny

Benito's picture
Benito

The increase in the porridge really helped make the crumb very custard like, quite tender and moist but not gummy.  I like the increased complexity in the flavour brought to the otherwise simple loaf by the seven grain porridge which by the way contains steel cut organic wheat, barley, rye, oats, flax, millet and buckwheat.

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Very nice Benny!  That looks really good.  I haven't pushed porridges past about 10% for fear of the loaf getting too slack.  This looks like it held up great and has a tasty crumb!

Benito's picture
Benito

Thank you Troy it seems that 15% porridge works just fine and contributes much more texture and flavour to your loaf at this percentage.