You might notice that I used an extremely high percentage of prefermented flour for this bake. At 40% it is much much higher than I would usually use for a lean dough. I typically use about 9% pff. I wanted to see how much faster it would ferment (obviously much faster) and see if it would affect the flavour and texture. I’ve seen some bakers comment that they use very high pff because it results in a more open crumb for them. I wanted to see if that would be the case here.
I haven’t sliced this loaf but I am more than happy with how this loaf looks on the outside. The oven spring was spectacular. I probably could have reduced the total weight of the dough for my pullman pan down to 800 g or so next time.
Recipe is for 1 loaf in a 9x4x4” Pullman pan.
Overnight levain build
In the morning add salt to water and dissolve. Add levain and mix.
Add flours and knead until good gluten development, I will use my Ankarsrum Assistent and mix until a good windowpane is achieved.
Remove dough from the bowl and do some slap and folds. Next set up aliquot jar.
Bulk fermentation at 82ºF.
Coil Folds every 30 mins during bulk until good dough structure developed.
End bulk when aliquot jar reaches 40% rise.
Shape the dough into a batard and place in Pullman pan.
Shape and allow an initial final proof warm until 100% rise in aliquot jar then cold retard overnight or…..
allow the dough to rise until within 1 cm of the rim of the pan or 130-140% rise in the aliquot jar and then bake immediately.
Pre-heat oven at 425°F and prepare for steam bake.
Once oven reaches 425ºF score top of dough and then brush with water. Optional sprinkle with seeds and then score. Transfer to oven and bake with steam for 25 mins. Vent the oven (remove steaming gear) rotate the pan and drop temperature to 350ºF. Bake for another 25-30 mins rotating as needed until browned. Remove from the pan and place directly on the rack baking for another 5-10 mins to firm up the crust if desired.
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Super pleased with how this turned out. The sour tang is mild, I’m not a big fan of super sour bread although I love sour things in general. There is great flavor in the crust from the poppy seeds and there is a nice chew to the crumb which turned out nicely open. Other than reducing the dough weight I’m not sure I need to change a thing.
Wow, Benny, you surely have got the hang of producing incredible-looking Pullman loaves! No to mention the crumb, which is second to none.
TomP
Thank you Tom for your kind comments. I'll need to bake a batard soonish along with baguettes. It's been too long since I've done either and probably long overdue.
Benny
I just have to say - and maybe I'm a little particular - smaller would be better for a sandwich loaf. Everything is great - but those holes. Popular - yes. Functional - no. And hey - you did ask ---- didn't you? Enjoy!
Yes I think the amount of dough for the Pullman was too high, some of the slices in the middle will likely be too large to fit in my toaster. I'll reduce the dough to 750-800 g next time. I think this bake suggests that higher pff might contribute to more open crumb, maybe. However, I'll need to repeat bakes with a high pff to confirm this.
Benny
Don't forget proofing - and it's easy to keep an eye on. Enjoy!
Such neat work and beautiful interior Benny. You're right I wouldn't change a thing. Although part of the fun of baking is the endless tinkering!
-Jon
Thank you always for your comments Jon. It is nice to be able to produce an open crumb by making some changes to formulas, I'll need to try again to see if the results are repeatable. I agree with you though, some of the fun of baking is making things just a bit differently each time.
Benny
The loaf looks very good! Wonderfull crumb! Nice fermentation.
Thanks sparkfan, I'm very very pleased with this bake and I'll have to repeat it at some point.
Benny
That the larger amount of ppf would result in a more open crumb. I am trying to figure out why that would be the case given my limited knowledge about the science of sourdough. I can only speculate that the faster fermentation gives the dough more momentum. Hammelman’s Bread uses a higher than the normal %of ppf and ferments quickly but I had trouble with them over proofing during the cold retard. Was the levain you used fully mature or at a younger stage? Is dissolving the salt in the water first before the rest of the mix part of the same process?
That’s a beautiful looking open crumb capable of holding even more condiments without allowing them to pass through and end up on the plate or lap or whatever perceived faux pas happens when bread is sliced too thin.
D
Thank you Don for your comments. I don’t really know why using a higher pff would give an more open crumb and I guess one bake doesn’t exactly prove it. However, I know of more than one baker on IG that swears that it works.
The levain had just reached about 3x rise when I used it, so not particularly young or old. Dissolving the salt in the water was simply being lazy and also wanting to not forget to put it in. This bread is really one of my laziest formulas with the least amount of work and fastest results without using any IDY.
I’m happy with the crumb and will be making sandwiches for dinner and I’m sure the bread will hold enough of the condiments without dripping too much.
Benny
Duplicate
I never think about pff but with that gorgeous crumb and your flavor profile I am going to have to start ! That's definitely a wonderful pan loaf and you are on to something I am thinking. c
Thank you Caroline. I seldom think of pff except to just speed things up, for example with slow highly enriched doughs. This is the first time thinking about it possibly for opening up the crumb of a bread.
Benny
I sat down and reworked my large pullman formula and increased the levain from 113g to 300g and added a Tangzhong made out of 8% of the flour 5:1 ratio. I went over the figures until I had was sure everything was accounted for . I still wanted a 1400g loaf overall with the Trinity. So we shall see. I have a lot on my plate, so to speak, these next weeks but I will get to it. Thank you for providing such helpful ideas.
The TFL has suddenly blossomed forth again. It's so nice to read so many interesting threads. c
Good luck with your bake when you get to it, I’ll be very curious how it turns out for you. I agree though, it is wonderful that TFL is so busy again, lovely to see so many lovely bakes with new ideas in them.
Benny
Nice bake Benny!
Do you notice the the taste from the spelt?
Tony
Tony, thank you very much. The whole spelt is only 5% of the total flour so I can’t say that I can taste it specifically.
Benny
A wonderful result. I like it "as is".
Cheers,
Gavin.
Thank you Gavin, I appreciate your comments.
Benny
Love that crumb. Interesting about the premise of using a higher amount of preferment opening the crumb. I usually use a pretty high amount and have tried lowering it to prevent over fermentation in the summer. I also use a high amount of fresh milled flour so that does change things. I have not noticed any increase in the crumb openness in my bakes. Yours is definitely a nice open and well fermented crumb.
Happy baking!
Ian
Thanks as always Ian for your comments. I’ll have to do more baking to see if I can convince myself that higher pff leading to more open crumb is a thing or not.
Benny
Spectacular crumb, Benny.
Poppy seeds are firm favourite, to the point, where I wonder if I have an opioid addiction, haha!
There's been a flurry of pan loaves here on TFL and this one is iconic!
Really great accomplishment.
Certainly, there are some benefits with using a higher %PFF. As a rule, more pre-ferment, more strength. Although this is offset by how proteolytic ones starter is...
Michael
Thank you kindly Michael your comments are always appreciated. Yes I gave my starter a feed the same day that I built the levain, I’m sure that didn’t hurt. So far I like this high pff idea.
Benny