The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baking Bold

gmagmabaking2's picture
gmagmabaking2

Baking Bold

I am submitting this for my sister Barb, (gmabaking) And I quote: "Well, okay baking bold-er. It may take a few experiments to be able to leave it alone long enough to get that really carmelized crust. Here is my first attempt at Ken Forkish's Overnight Country Blonde from his book "Flour, Water, Salt and Yeast. Made with no added commercial yeast, it is similar to Tartine bread in both formula and procedure.

There is a bit of rye and a bit of whole wheat flours in this one, giving the bread a real depth of flavor. After (of course) carefully following the directions, with the usual amount of concerns, I thought to search for a video. Have to admit this was at 3 AM when I came to the kitchen to see if the bulk ferment was really bulking up. After 4 hours it was just under the 2 qt mark, a few hours later it had reached the lid of the 6 qt container.  

                                                 

This web site has links to one for every step of the way, plus one of the recipes from the book: http://www.therecipeclub.net/2012/10/10/video-series-bread-making-with-ken-forkish-author-of-flour-water-salt-yeast/

    Beautiful crumb shots!      

I found the book an interesting read and am looking forward to trying the next recipe in the book, Overnight Country Brown. Thank you Diane for posting this for your technology challenged big sister"  ~~ ;-) You're Welcome!

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

really got bold and it shows!  What a great loaf of bread and with the WW and Rye it has to taste great.  Put some spelt in there and you have the Holy Grail :-)

That crust is stunning and the crumb is very good too!  Nice baking!

gmabaking2's picture
gmabaking2

I would just like to go on record and say that my sister makes some beautiful breads!!!!!!

Helen

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Beautiful loaf!  Love the color and the way you scored it - or did it open by itself?  Looks very nice. 

I second Mr. D's suggestion for more whole grains - I am biased in that department.  Crank it up :-)  Lovely flavor and healthy to boot and not that difficult to work with once you get the hang of it.  The new book Home Baked that Floyd recently reviewed has some wonderful recipes using whole grains.  Nice simple breads from N. Europe.  Kinda like Dan Leopard's The Home Made Loaf.  Both books a delight to work from due to their absolute simplicity.  Dan has gathered breads from England to Russia all from the the people in the communities that still create the breads as simply as it was done prior to the industrialization of bread.

Just click on the titles and you can review yourself :-)  Better yet, check copies out at your local library and give a few of the recipes a go to see what you think....Might not be flavors that you enjoy at all but one never knows :-)

Take Care and thanks for posting this beauty!

Janet

gmabaking's picture
gmabaking

increasing whole grains is a definitely in the direction I'm heading- I have some white spelt but will pick up some whole grain today since I'm guessing that is the type you would use DA.

One of the reasons that I bought this book (besides the fact that I couldn't resist the cover shot) is there is a whole section on "Making a Bread (or Pizza) Dough You Can Call Your Own"

The interesting slashing really isn't slashing, but a result of his manner of putting the dough smooth side up when you put it into the proofing baskets so the smooth side is down when you put it into the DO. Then it opens where it will and I love the result of the craggy look. The dough is so wet that the bottom seemed to seal up smoothly on the other loaf so I ran a razor blade along some of the lines so it would open up. I'll give the Home Baked book a look too, thank you for mentioning it. Someone earlier wrote here about using the Chad Robertson recipe that is in Forkish's book and that is what led me there, thank you to the person who did that.

Thank you all for your kind words. I am hoping to learn more with each bake-and am having great fun in the process.

 

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Davis Snyder upside down proof - no slash - Pugliesi Capriosso method!!  One of my  favorites breads and methods.

Another great way to get a beautifully rustic cracks on the top is to use the Chacon method where you put a knotted roll in the center of the basket upside down, take a twisted rope and put that around the roll, then make a really big bialy shape with the rest, the majority of the dough and put the indent over the rope and roll.   Then let it proof just like always.  When you turn it out of the basket it will have all stuck together nicely and a beautiful and unusual look will emerge.  When baked cracks along the fault lines you created with the rope and knotted roll will come out.  Each loaf is unique and beautiful.

Here is an example  http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/29172/twisted-sisters-chacon-67-whole-rye-wheat-sprouts-seeds

I'm pretty sure I see some nice big blisters on that boule of yours that I didnlt see before.  White spelt would be fine in your recipe adding to the great flavor you already have and not taking away any of the holes :-)

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

The design possibilities are truly endless .....  Have bread will shape :-)

Janet

gmabaking's picture
gmabaking

looks really complicated but I've got to try it! When you say to shape the rest of the dough into a bialy shape it goes indent side down, correct? Now to find some unspecting soul to give this second loaf to so I can set up levain tomorrow to bake again on Monday..... an "Overnight Country Brown" with whole wheat, spelt and rye added to the white wheat flour.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

the indent goes down and fits over the roll and rope you previously placed into the basket.  Its not relly complicated.  Rollinto basket center at the bottom, put twisted rope around roll, put big bialy over rope and roll.  Doesnlt have to be perfect.  As the dough rises it will fill everytoing in nicely.  And, no slashing required in that hot or cold DO as the case my be.

Sounds like a tasty bake you are lining up for Monday.   I got my 32 hour whole grain and 36 hour white flour counter top levains in the fridge for their 24 - 30 hour hour retard to bake 2 of something off on Monday.   One will be some kind of star shaped chacon and maybe some bagels.  They were started together as one levain with 1 teeny tiny gram of starter and fermented for 24 hours and it tripled in volume.

Then I split it in two, added more flours and water to each and let them both go till they doubled and then in the fridge they went.  Now we have 2 levains of 218 g each.  If we can't get sour out of these then my apprentice will have to retire :-)  Looks like I don't have to keep 50 - 80 g of starter in the fridge - all we really need is 8 grams and couple of days.

gmabaking's picture
gmabaking

Thanks for the details, my apprentice votes to try it next week for sure