Pain au Levain and Onion Walnut Rye
It was a nice run. The Farmer's Market Blog that is, but it's time to move on. It was a great project and after nearly two years I'll go ahead and call it a full blown success.
At this juncture I'd prefer to share new bakes, improved bakes, and/or some epic failures. This week I'll share my Pain au Levain after a few trials. The intention was to mock my levain essentially into a loaf, hence the name of the bread. I think that is the idea of Pain au Levain. Essentially just an elaboration of my starters to a loaf. Yes I thought it would only be fair to use my wheat and rye cultures. After some tinkering I am very happy with the latest results.
I've also been making tinned Rye's once a week to add to my Tuesday donation bake which surprisingly have been a hit. This allows me to double the amount of loaves available but without chaos as i can bake it a day or two (or a week for that matter) in advance. I just tweaked my 70% Rye with Whole Wheat to include caramelized onions and toasted walnuts. I cut the Whole Wheat and added strong white flour to lighten the loaf a bit. It turned out an 80% Rye with 20% HP as the base. I'm very happy and the change I'll make next time is to increase the onions, forgo docking, and increase the yeast in the final paste.
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Pain au Levain (for 2 - 750 g loaves)
Levain: DDT 75F
17g Seed (70% Hydration 30%Wheat/70%Whtie)
87g Flour Mix (70%white 30% WW)
56g H20
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12 hours
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Rye Sour DDT 73F
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2 g Seed (100% hydration)
32g Whole Rye
32g H20
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12 hours
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Final Dough:
160g Wheat Levain
65g Rye Sour
583g H20
211g Freshly Milled Hard Red Winter Wheat (CM)
477g Central Milling AP (Costco now has this in place of Baker's Craft)
18 g Salt
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Autolyse: 2 hours holding back 5% H20 DDT 78F
Add Levain and mix through. Then the salt.
Slap and folds for 5 minutes (medium development)
Add 5% H20 and squeeze through until incorporated
Bulk 3:00 with 4 Folds @ :20, :40, 1:00, 2:00 (last fold very gentle)
Divide, rest, and shape as desired. Cold Retard 12-18 hours
Bake 500 with steam for 15 minutes and vented for 25-30 more
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Onoin Walnut Rye (for 1 Pullman)
Cook Onions (you'll need double if not more than the weight for the dough) Bring some olive oil/butter in a pot over medium high and add onions. Season very lightly with salt and pepper stir cover and turn heat down to low and let sweat for 10 minutes. Take lid off and bring heat up to medium low and cook slowly until deeply carmelized. Deglaze pan with a touch of water ever by and by. Cool to room temp.
Rye Sour (12-16 hours @ 70-73F)
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5 Seed (100% hyd)
109 Freshly Milled Rye
90 H20
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Full Sour DDT 84F (3-4 hours)
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205 Rye Sour
281 H20
224 Freshly Milled rye
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Final Paste: DDT 80-82F
412 H20
561 Fresh Milled Whole Rye
224 Guistos Ultimate Performer HP
112 Caramelized Onions
168 Walnuts toasted and coarsely broken
30 Sea Salt
3 IDY
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Mix all but walnuts for 10 minutes (by hand) or until you just start to feel a touch of strength from the strong flour. Add walnuts and mix in to distribtute.
Bulk 1-1:30 hours
Shape or press into greased pullman. sprinkle tops with rye flour and proof 1-1:30 hours Bout Flour should be crackled over top and should be 1/4-1/2" from top of pan.
Bake: preheat to 480F Steam for 20 minutes. Turn down to 400 and bake for another hour.
Unmold and finish out of pan for a few minutes to color up the sides if necessary.
Cool completely, wrap in linen for at least 24 hours.
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Cheers and Happy Baking
Josh
Comments
It is these elaborate breads that the average person will NEVER experience for themselves unless someone such as yourself bakes them. Nicely done.
Sharing food is very "human" and hence our passion to make and bake good bread.
Cheers
everything about that levain looks perfect! and the walnut rye looks killer as well.
Thanks WS
Lucy loves the Walnut Rye of course and I do too. The PAL is perfect inside and out. You will have no problem sell them when you get your own bakery one day! Well done and
Happy baking
Well let's just say I'm more fond of animals than humans
Thanks
Josh
Both look great Josh, but I really really want a slice (or a whole loaf!) of that rye walnut. I was bummed when I saw that my Costco stopped carrying Central Milling ABC. At least they didn't stop carrying CM altogether since they have replaced it with CM AP (which I assume is Beehive). But it costs more per pound now because of the packaging. Have you noticed a difference using CM AP vs ABC? According to the CM site, Beehive AP is 10.5% vs ABC's 11.5%.
Mary
I have noticed some difference in flour but at the moment it's the best bet for me. It takes less hydration and its strength differences are obvious in my opinion (less elastic and more extensible). I intend to take advantage of the AP while its around and make some baguettes as I think it is the perfect flour for them.
How far away do you live (I'm in northern california) I could mail you some of the onion walnut rye. I still have a few hunks and I'll be making more tinned Rye in a few days.
Cheers
Josh
You're so sweet to offer, but I don't want to trouble you with mailing me a loaf. I guess it's not often that we get to taste the actual bread made by other TFLers. I mean, we share our formulas and provide inspiration to each other, but every baker's results are unique.
:) Mary
PS: I'm in San Francisco.
It's no trouble at all. What's it worth to bake bread if we can't share. I have a loaf with your name on it just shoot me a private message with your address and I'll get it out on Monday. It'll be about a week and half old when you get it. It'll be at its peak. And bread fits in the priority envelopes so it ships fast and cheap.
Cheers
Josh
Hi Josh, I sent you a PM. Thanks so much!!!!
:) Mary
Both breads look great Josh. Lovely crumb on both and the walnut onion rye loaf must taste amazing. You know I love adding onions to my bakes.....had to resist adding it to my last one :).
Thanks for sharing.
Ian
Are pretty much always good but like garlic it's good to cook without them every by and by.
Josh
Great crumb and crust as always, Josh!
That double starter levain must have ton of flavor. I like that.
Good job. It sure has been a fabulous journey at the markets, and time for you to lay back a bit. What plans do have next?
all the best,
Khalid
I feel if you are gonna add a small portion of Rye to a Levain based bread it might as well be pre-fermented. Plus i wanted my two cultures in my Pain au Levain.
I'll continue doing my Weekly bake for donation and do the market to trade but just not every week. It's tons of fun to get oodles of goodies but sometimes it's too much food for us to finish and I don't have time or space to preserve/can regularly.
I am putting my efforts into my Bread Bakery project. I've spent enough time working for others whatever I do I'd love it if I can be doing it for myself. Time will tell.
How is your business going for you? Still trying to set up your own shop?
Hope all is well
Josh
Hi, Josh
Yes, that is the intent. I will find an internship opportunity in some bakery, spend sometime there, and then see how things will shape up for me. I haven't any money to start the business yet but this is may be for the best.
Thanks,
Khalid
Khalid, how can the lack of start-up money be for the best? Is it just that you are not quite ready to hit the ground running because you are still working on a business plan/want to intern at a bakery before sinking money into the venture?
Yeah, that's what i meant. If i had the venture capital, i may would have skiped internship. Its all for the best, i believe.
Khalid
I hear ya on the financial side. Spending some time in a pro bakery is probably the best thing you could do anyway. My culinary school really pushed students to have at least some experience in the industry before investing in the schooling as many do find out as much as they like to cook/bake even at a gourmet level, they may not like doing it commercially. I think you do based on all I've seen but it couldn't hurt to find out for sure and I'm sure you'll learn some stuff as well.
Cheers and good luck
Josh
I agree. I seriously want to persue a baking career/business.
Thanks for the feedback, Josh.