This week's baking 2-16-16: 5-grain Levain & Fig-Hazelnut Levain

Hamelman's 5-Grain Levain is always a delight with a crunchy crust and moist crumb full of seedy goodness. Highly recommended. Specifically, take the no-added-yeast/cold retard overnight option. It truly does make an enormous difference in flavor - for the better.

The exuberant oven spring and bloom is characteristic of this bread.

The Dried Fig-Toasted Hazelnut Levain is a bread I made during the San Francisco Baking Institute Artisan II (Sourdough baking) workshop. Well, that was a Raisin-Walnut bread, but every combination of a dried fruit and a toasted nut I have tried so far has made a delicious bread. Here's the formula and procedures:  

1. Dissolve the firm starter in the water.

2. Add the flours and mix and knead until there is no visible dry flour.

3. Shape into a ball. Place in a clean bowl. Cover tightly.

4. Allow to ferment overnight (12 hours at room temperature).

5. Toast hazelnuts, at 300ºF Convection (or 325ºF bake) for 16 minutes. Allow to cool then peel and place in a jar or bowl and cover.

Procedures

1. Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer.

2. Add the flours and mix with the paddle attachment at slow speed until a shaggy mass is formed. The dough should be medium soft.

3. Remove the paddle. Scrape the dough together. Cover the mixer bowl and let it rest for 20-60 minutes.

4. Cut the hard stems off the dried figs. Cut the figs into medium dice (about the size of raisins). Place the diced figs in a fine sieve and run water over them, mixing them with your fingers and separating the pieces stuck together. Place the sieve over a bowl to drain until ready to mix the figs into the dough.

5. Sprinkle the salt and the yeast over the dough. Add the firm levain in several pieces. Mix with the hook attachment at slow speed for 1 or 2 minutes, then increase the speed to Speed 2 and mix for 5-8 minutes. D.D.T. is 78-80ºF.

6. When moderate gluten development has been achieved, scrape down the dough. Add the figs and nuts to the mixer bowl and mix with the hook at slow speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead it for a couple minutes to better distribute the nuts and figs. Then transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl and cover.

8. Ferment for 2 hours at 76ºF with a stretch and fold at 60 minutes.

9. Divide into two equal pieces and pre-shape as boules. Cover and let the gluten relax for 20-30 minutes.

10. Shape as bâtards and place, seam-side up, in floured brotformen or onto a linen couche.

11. Cover and proof for 90 to 120 minutes at 80ºF.

12. Pre-heat oven to 500ºF with baking stone and steaming apparatus in place for 45-60 minutes before baking.

13. Transfer loaves to a peel. Turn down oven to 460ºF. Score the loaves as desired. Steam the oven. Load the loaves onto the stone.

14. After12 minutes, remove the steam source. If you have a convection oven, switch on the fan and reduce the temperature to 435ºF. Bake for 12-14 minutes more. The loaves are done when nicely browned, they sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is over 205ºF.

15. Optionally, leave the loaves on the baking stone with the oven turned off and the door ajar for another 8-10 minutes to further dry the crust.

16. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Happy baking!

David