Finding time for a midweek bake
This bake drew inspiration from a few places and morphed into a unique recipe of it's own to fit around my timetable. Started off as a Tartine Country loaf. Swapped the whole wheat for spelt. The levain was mixed the night before and refrigerated so I could take it out of the fridge come morning and leave it to mature through the day. So you have a typical 50:50 bread flour and whole spelt (normally whole wheat) tartine style levain. Now the question was how I go about fitting the bread making into my schedule? Drop the levain percentage and go for a longer bulk ferment at room temperature or keep the levain percentage and go for a long bulk ferment in the fridge? Since it was a midweek bake I was aiming for ease, schedule and taste more than anything else so I decided to drop the hydration, increase the spelt (from 10% to 12%) and add in some rye. Went for a 2:1 ratio for Spelt:Rye, like Trevor's Champlain recipe, albeit higher percentages. In the end I opted for a long bulk ferment in the fridge keeping the 20% levain from Tartine. So we have elements from Chad and Trevor with some ideas of my own with a schedule to fit around my day. Here is the final recipe...
Overall Formula:
Flour 100%
Water 65%
Salt 1.82%
Levain Build: [two days before bake @ 8:40pm]
1 tsp starter (70% hydration whole rye)
50g water
25g bread flour
25g whole spelt flour
Built and refrigerated the night before. Taken out the fridge at 6:20am and used 9:20pm.
Recipe:
328g bread flour (82%)
48g whole spelt flour (12%)
24g whole rye flour (6%)
246g water (62%)
8g salt (2%)
80g mature starter @ 100% hydration (20%)
Total Weight: 734g
Method
[24 hours after starter build]
[8:45 - 8:50pm] Mix water and flour, autolyse for 30 minutes.
[9:20 – 9:30pm] Add salt and starter, combine.
[10:00pm] 1st Stretch and Fold.
[10:30pm] 2nd Stretch and Fold.
[11:15pm] 3rd Stretch and Fold.
[12:00am] 4th Stretch and Fold.
Refrigerate [21hrs]
Two days after initial starter mix...
9:00pm Shape and Final Proof for 1hr 40min
This I did without even taking the dough out of the bowl. Didn't even wish to flour the bench top nor waste time with a pre-shape. So not the best of shaping but remember... midweek ease is the name of the game.
10:40pm Bake
30 min with steam (i.e. lid on) and then without (lid off) till a lovely dark crust.
The teaser...
So ignore my PM. This is beautiful! Can't wait for a taste/crumb report. How did you fit that into your oven?
Enjoy it!
and I certainly will not be ignoring it :)
This was a lekue style loaf (midweek ease again as I didn't feel like flouring and using the banneton). Banneton and freestanding loaves are more for a weekend hands-on style loaf with proper shaping too :)
Although, if I make the dough smaller than 800g it's much less supported and can oven spring nicely like placing inside a dutch oven. Too big a dough and it's more like a pan loaf. But just the right size and we get more of baking in a pot style.
I knew this was going to be good because the gluten formation was very well done (could feel this when "shaping") and the dough had a nice aroma to it.
Tonight will be the crumb shot.
Thank you Carole.
are the spelt and rye % the same as Champlain?from memory I think it is higher but not as high as Trevor’s Tartine style country champlain ( I found this to be very difficult to get good crumb and shape).
its a very good looking loaf so I am looking forward to the crumb! just shows what you can do if you are prepared to try different methods! ?
Leslie
This is the first time I've done an extensive bulk ferment in the fridge. I always do the final proof in the fridge. So that differs from the Tartine and Champlain too. Just comparing...
Enough to be different recipes but very much inspired by Trevor.
I was very nicely surprised by the way it turned out mostly because I was in unchartered territory making adjustments for a fridge bulk ferment. But I've gotta say the dough did have a stronger aroma then my usual recipes which definitely translated to a really lovely smell when baking.
Crumb shot will follow.
and the fridge is your friend are the 'Fit My Schedule' go to's. Luckily being retired, Lucy and I don't have to worry about schedules much but we still use these two things to make fine bread. Bulk ferment in the fridge is our new go to as well since it seems to over proof in the fridge half the time as we are sleeping:-)
Your bread looks grand and i bet the crumb is pretty nice too.
Happy baking Abe
I've avoided a midweek bake for a long time but as this seemed to work out very well with a doable schedule I've a feeling it's going to become a regular occurance.
I was also surprised how fast it moved after shaping. Thought it might take ages to warm up and that I might be in for a longish proof. Not so.
All in all an enjoyable bake.
Thanks for this Abe, I think its a great reminder that you don't have to plan around baking great bread, you can actually just make it work for you!
I'm sure it tasted great!
Happy baking
Ru
Now I know it can be done to fit my timetable a weekly bake just at the weekend will be a thing of the past.
Was surprised it worked as well as it did actually. Everything went smoothly.
Work shall not get in the way :)
do I need to go the full 21 hours BF or could I shorten by say 4 hours? mix levain tonight, s and f tomorrow as you did but bake earlier on Sunday evening?
I am having to really think my way around your timing as I am not such a night owl!
Leslie
Shouldn't be a problem Leslie. Switch everything around so you work on the dough only in the morning/afternoon. For instance...
Mix the starter in the evening and allow it to mature overnight (like you said).
Come morning (or if you prefer to start later then you can always refrigerate the levain and start the dough in the afternoon - just take it out of the fridge while you prepare and put together the autolyse so it warms up for the dough)... Make the dough, autolyse, add the salt and starter and perform the stretch and folds. In all it should take about 3-3.5 hours.
Late morning or early afternoon (depending on when you start) refrigerate the dough.
Following morning - shape, final proof and bake.
This way you can fit in the full 21 hours but honestly I don't think it'll need that much time if you wish to shorten it. Doing 18 hours instead (if it suits you better) should be fine as long as the dough is ready. If it's aerated and 1/3 - 1/2 risen then it's fine. This was just a trial and error for me which turned out very well but the exact timings might not be needed. I think the bulk ferment in the fridge gives you more time to play around with just as long as you give it enough to move onto the final proof.
Hope this helps Leslie.
Looking forward to your bake.
Tried a bit last night and really like it. Tastes like a lovely biga bread with a nice level of tang. Not over powering but enough to say sourdough.
will mix levain tonight and see how it goes. I am looking forward to trying a lower level of spelt and rye than Trevors Tartine style country loaf.
Leslie
Did you fi d that? I have just mixed. am wary of adding extra water because of long BF and scared it will puddle. I would normally add more liquid till dough is softer. what do you think.
Leslie
As I was going for ease and as little fuss as possible. Wasn't aiming for high hydration. Is it just firm in comparison to other recipes you're used to or do you think it's too dry?
Shouldn't feel too dry nor should it be too wet it sticks to your hands. You want the dough to feel tacky.
Can you perform a stretch and fold? If too dry that'll be difficult.
I can tell you that after the long ferment it becomes more wet and will feel higher hydration. So up to you if you wish to add more water.
Have you got a photo?
P.s. are you up to the Autolyse or have you added in the starter? Don't forget the starter is 20% and is 100% hydration.
here it is 5 mins before 3rd stretch and fold. it hasn’t relaxed much in 45 mins so I might add 5 - 10 g. I can just manage 9 or 10 stretch and folds.
I then managed 15 stretch and folds. dough is looking good. will post a photo after last s&f before refrigerating....
Leslie
It's our method that's different. I too could have never gotten 15 stretch and folds. Should have been clearer but my way is to stretch and fold like a letter one way then the other. That's it! It tightens up enough. Then a rest till another set of '''stretch and folds'. I never just carry on stretching and folding till 15+ times. Once a dough begins to resist then desist :)
Still it looks very good and looking forward to the bake.
I have never really understood that and felt I should do as many as I can manage, I just keep going around the dough stretching and folding in so the end was a fairly tight boule. will see if the crumb is wildly different. your method would have been easier.
thanks Abe
to resist. Even in higher hydration doughs after a letter fold one way and then the other it tightens up enough till the next set. For a low hydration dough and using your method I don't think 15x would be necessary. I stretch and fold accordingly for the dough I'm working on.
Here is a photo of the crumb...
thanks Abe
Leslie
but here it is after last 12 s&f. it is now in fridge till tomorrow.
? Leslie
I got virtually no increase in the fridge. A little relaxation did happen. so I had decided to turn this into 2 small boules and the dough was so dense that i patted each out thinnish and added 7 g water spread very thinly over the surface then folded it in 3 and added another 3 g (so 10 g so all together) and rolled the dough up and rested 30 mins, shaped and it is still proofing. fingers crossed I don’t know if I have wrecked the dough or not. we shall see.
Abe I am intrigued by this one, and was really worried that I had overdone it with my s&f. what will be will be.
Leslie
Mine increased by about 30% in the fridge and was areated. Apart from the skin firming up because of the cold it wasn't dense and when gentle pressed you could feel the gas bubbles.
Let's see what happens.
just took lid off the Do and it is looking good. hopefully crumb will be ok too.
will post on my other thread...maybe here too? thanks for your support on this bake Abe?
Leslie
Fingers crossed :)
this one is baked seam side up - very pretty. rarely do this so happy today.Leslie
Good oven spring and opened up nicely. A lovely crust too!
Can't wait for the crumb shot and taste report.