February 13, 2010 - 12:20pm
JH Wholewheat sourdough
I have decided I like J Hammelmans Whole Wheat sourdough recipe (which is really 50/50 wholewheat and bread flour) without the use of the mixer or kneading. The bread I made this week came out much better than past tries and the main difference was a no mixer, no knead approach.
I could have let these raise a bit more but I am used to the gluten being somewhat more fragile in the usually more roughly developed dough. I used Bobs Red Mill WW and Gold Medal all purpose for this bake.
Russ
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That formula is one of my favorites. Like you, I've discovered the joy, and payoff of mixing bread entirely by hand. I've got pecan sticky buns rising as a write, their dough developed entirely by frisage in a bowl and french folding.
David G
mmm sticky buns....
I really like this bread also Dave, but for some reason it seems to get a few "ho hum" opinions on this forum. No idea why.
..it's the same thing that makes horse races, and why there are many, many bread formulae.
David G
what is this "J Hammelmans recipe" that you speak of, thanks, mike
p.s. what is frisage?
Sorry Mike...
In Jeffery Hamelmans book, Bread, there is a sourdough recipe called simply Whole Wheat Levain, which is what I used here. It is pretty close in method to his Vermont Sourdough with Whole Wheat, but with much more WW.
I was also unsure about Dave's use of the term frisage, but in context it sounds like it is reference or something akin to non-mechanical mixing.
Russ
Here is a link showing pastry dough being developed with a fraisage technique, traditionally done with the heel of the hand.
http://havekniveswillcook.com/kitchen-tips/get-flaky-with-fraisage/
I have also seen a guest chef on "Baking with Julia" (PBS) use the technique developing lean baguette dough, and we were taught a variation of the technique, using a dough scraper with baguette dough, in a King Arthur baking class I attended. Chef Berttinet also mentions it in one of his videos mixing sweet dough in a bowl, and then French folding.
When I hand mix relatively high hydration doughs I mix them in a bowl, just until incorporated, autolyse for twenty minutes, and then fraisage the gloppy dough in the bowl with a plastic bowl scraper before turning it out to finish with French folds. Although the technique owes its origins to distributing cold butter in pastry and sweet doughs, the technique helps to develop a dough's gluten before turning it out. Consequently, it's a bit less messy in the early stages of French folding.
David G