Farmer's Market Week 34 (Sourdough w/ Fresh Milled Wheat)
I'm on some sort of "white bread" kick lately. You delve deeper into whole grain and every now and again need to come back to white flour just to remember how incredibly different it is. But I'll have to get back to the grains here very soon. But since a simple sourdough is on my list of breads to fine tune I embrace it. This one is made with three builds of a stiff levain @ 66% hydration all with freshly milled Hard Red Winter Wheat. It turned out quite nice from flavor profile but it's time for me to by some new proofing bowls and some couche to get the longer and less fat loaf I seek. None the less they are just looks.
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Formula: 15% Stiff Whole Wheat Levain (3 builds 12hour, 8 hour, and well about 5 hours on the last one)
84% Baker's Craft
14.5% Hard Red Winter Wheat (MIlled Fresh for the levain builds and dough)
1% Whole Rye
80% H20 (roughly)
2.16% Sea Salt
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Fermentation: 3:30 hours with 4 soft folds @ 40,80, 120, 160
Final Ferment: Cold 8-12 hours (I was on the short side so they needed an hour or so to warm up before baking)
Bake 480 with steam for 17 minutes 460 Vented for 20-30 more.
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Forgot to take the bounty pics but I got a couple cans of local tuna, some local shitakes, strawberries, zukes, snap peas, greens and more greens. a couple donation loaves, and a bottle of wine owed to me.
Cheers All
Josh
Comments
No new gadgets needed. This bread is about as good as it gets inside and out. Talk about a bold bake! Your giving Chad a run for his burnt loaves :-) I think some more whole rye would up the flavor profile some though - maybe 5% so you can still call it white bread. Chd's getting $9 a loaf for bread not nearly as good. Well done and
Happy Baking Josh.
The pictures from my kitchen always make the bread look a bit darker than they really are. It is dark baked but if you saw it in real light there are red tones floating in the black. I thought about upping the Rye but just added the pinch. Call me crazy but I think even a % or 2 of rye brings a bit more crunch to the crust. I'm not sure about being better than any other loaf but its a fine loaf in itself. I do like the 3 build usiing all whole grain and a stiff starter for white bread lately. Seems to coax a lot of flavor and good balance Gotta get back to the grains. Gonna go back to the NY Rye from way back when for tomorrow's "small donation" loaves.
Cheers DAB
Josh
Great looking loaf Josh.
What is Baker's Craft? Is that a local bread flour?
Central Milling's Artisan Flour. A white blend for bread (11.5% protein).
Josh
What do you do with the loaf after cutting it in half? Do you eat it all? Stand both up on a cutting board?
Nothing wrong with an occasional of daily white bread if it looks like that :)
I eat the heal (my favorite part) and then stand em up on the cutting board cut side down. Then it's a group effort to eat them up. I'm okay with the white when it tastes like this one. Just been on a kick of low grain/white flour ratio and gotta kick that habit.
Cheers
Josh
Looks fantastic. I agree with you about white bread. I keep circling around to it, trying to up the deliciousness. Looks like you've done it. -Varda
I circle around it and I seem to have landed on it for a few weeks. Gotta move on. I suggest you try a 3 build levain and cold final proof. How goes that spelt bread? I'm still lookin forward to see your loaves.
Josh
Lovely bold crusted loaf, Josh!
I think that your stiff wholegrain levain followed by cold retardation does add great flavor to an otherwise poor flavored white bread. I will try that.
Best wishes,
Khalid