February 2, 2014 - 6:52pm
Sunday Loaf
Sunday loaf using mostly Tartine techniques though did use only 68% hydration and 40% levain per Tartine Bread Experiment. This let me get more oven spring than I have to date with higher hydration. Used 20% white whole wheat and 10% whole wheat. My daughter called it "best batch yet!"
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Shame you've had no other comments since you posted this. I haven't looked into Tartine at all yet, and 68% hydration seems low so it means I don't know what the difference might be with my 75% hydration goals in my early experiments. 40% levain is higher than I've been told, but I'm leaning on the idea of trying 100% levain just to see the difference.
Can you describe the taste difference at all between the lower hydration higher levain levels?
I love the crumb you created, its my idea of sandwich bread. I've been working on baguettes, ciabattas, and French loaves so a much more open crumb, but that's only because I had no success getting them originally. Your crumb will hold whatever goes on it well, and that's a goal of mine too.
Russ
The Tartine book "starts" at 75% and encourages you to go higher so that is where I started and I did try to go higher though I've struggled with spring. I too had been using much lower levain percentages but I think this can be problematic when you have a newer starter. This loaf had a milder taste (i.e. not as sour but also not as complex) as some of my other loaves but I believe this may be due to higher levain percentage allowing for shorter proofing as opposed to hydration level. I think retarding the the bulk or proof would have made up for this but I need to experiment more. Higher hydration levels has led to a more "custardy" texture in my experience and it seems to gelatinize more.
Thanks for the note!
levain would up the tang on the normally less tangy Tartine - bet it is delicious. You could probably worlk this up to 72- 75% hydration and improve the crumb even more. Well done and happy baking
Thanks! The Tartine method encourages what I would call a milder flavored starter and because the higher level allows for faster fermentation times this loaf was actually one of my mildest loaves.