White Sourdough (63% hydration)
As a "no knead" graduate, I'm used to making high hydration, slack doughs, slumped into loaves which are only vaguely "boule" shaped. Tasty enough, full of "rustic charm", but definitely not pretty.
I want pretty. So I've picked up some banneton, and am training myself to use more flour than seems right, on the understanding that stiffer dough will be easier for a beginner to shape.
And so, this is a slightly stiffer version of Saus' "San Francisco Sourdough Bread". The formula calls for 69% hydration; this is 63%.
I started with .75 ounces of liquid rye starter (100% hydration), and built it up to a 7 ounce stiff white starter (approximately 50% hydration) in 2 feedings over 24 hours. The levain accounts for 20% of the total flour in the final dough.
The final dough I let proof overnight on the counter. First lesson: last week was cool enough to do that; this week is not! Behold the slashed tire:
Also, I'm not as clever as one might wish, at dumping dough into a pot. More practice is required. (Oh, the pain!)
A bit of oven spring helped to re-inflate that tire, sort of, but it still came out a slumpy, wrinkly thing that only a mother could love. And slightly overbaked. And tasty.
So tasty.
Learning lessons should always be so good!
Comments
What you have there is a brotform. A banneton is this:
New brotforms are notoriously sticky, so you have to flour them more than you think you should, else "slashed tire". If you can, buy them used. They're cheaper (although the shouldn't be, because they're better).
-
It would have to be really chilly to proof overnight. Most overnight proofing, even slower sourdough, would ruin a loaf, but it looks like you managed to pull it off. Nice job.
Was it sour?
So a banneton is a woven basket with a linen lining, and a brotform is unlined, yes? Thanks for correcting that! I was suspecting this thing would improve with eventual "seasoning". More flour in the meantime, is definitely doable. My heart did stop a moment, when I turned the basket over, and the dough clung for dear life.
We're still dipping below freezing most nights, and its pretty drafty at the back of the house, so I thought maybe. Alas.
It wasn't *overtly* sour; just tangy enough to make one think "sourdough". I've received a request for "more sour", so I guess that's the next research project.
But you can buy liners for them, like you see here.
Also, it's made of coiled cane, whereas the banneton is made of all sorts of woven things, like wicker.
We can help you here with sour. Just ask. (I'm about to publish a loaf formula that's rather sour. It takes 12 hours to ferment just the starter, 24 hours to retard (in the refrigerator), and 3 hours to proof, but it's tangy sour. Goes well with the other ingredients.)
Your sour loaf sounds really good; I'll be keeping an eye out for that formula!
Personally I think you loaf has character and I love the color of the crust!
Sounds like you already know that 'taste rules' ! That gets said around here a lot.
It is interesting in that all the loaves I have baked that I would consider 'flops' have always been favorites of someone so now, despite the fact that some of the loaves I bake don't turn out as I imagined they would, I now longer call them flops....
Case in point: Today I gave a loaf to a friend. I had 2 loaves from the same recipe but they had been baked differently. One in a DO and the other straight on my baking stone with steam...DO loaf had a thin crispy crust. THe one baked on the stone had a thick and very hard rust - about 1/2 inch thick !!!!! To my utter surprise he chose the one with the thick crust to take home with him!!
Have fun with your next attempt.
Janet
Thanks, Janet!
At this point, my only real measure of failure is how often do I *have* to buy a loaf of bread. As long as its tasty, it really is all good! And if I can understand *why* to didn't turn out as I expected, then its a learning opportunity, which is far more interesting than success anyway =P
I love your story about your friend choosing the thicker crust! Its good to remember that preference is subjective, and just because something isn't what we wanted, that doesn't mean its not good :)