The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

20200410 Rus Brot's Ukrainian Palyanitsa with Concentrated Lactic Acid Sourdough (CLAS)

Yippee's picture
Yippee

20200410 Rus Brot's Ukrainian Palyanitsa with Concentrated Lactic Acid Sourdough (CLAS)

 

I am so happy today because I successfully made bread, and I had not made bread for almost a year. 

 

Last year, I threw away all my sourdough starters as I did not need them. I know that I can make delicious bread with CLAS, and it only takes a day to make. 

 

Because I had not made bread for a long time, I chose this relatively basic formula from Rus's bread collection: 60% hydration, bread flour (I used Whole Foods 365 all-purpose flour), CLAS, and yeast. Although this bread only takes about three hours from start to finish, its quality is comparable to bread that has gone through long fermentation.  I do not need to spend any energy and time to maintain a traditional sourdough starter, and CLAS guarantees the quality of my loaf. All I need to do is make a CLAS twenty-four hours before baking bread; why not do it? 

 

If you want to learn more about Rus's CLAS, please see here and here

 

 

 

 

pH Before

 

 

 

 

 

 pH After

 

 

 

 

 

 I have not made bread for almost a year.  Scoring this Ukrainian bread the traditional way is a bit intimidating - hence a simple slash. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Doesn't the shape of this loaf look a bit weird?  Because I squeezed this gigantic 1kg dough in the little basket and proved it there! 

 

 

 

 

 

 Crumb shot

 

 

 

 

 

 Crumb shot

 

Comments

albacore's picture
albacore

Looks great, Yippee! How is the flavour - is it very lactic tasting?

I keep meaning to give Rus's CLAS a go!

 

Lance

Yippee's picture
Yippee

If "lactic" means sour, then, no, this bread is not sour,  but a breadhead would immediately recognize its complex flavors. It also leaves a subtle tangy aftertaste. If I didn't tell you, you would not believe it's made in three hours with straight dough.  

According to Rus, using bread flour and increasing the % of CLAS will yield a more tangy loaf.  Because I used AP flour, I had to use less CLAS, 3% to be exact.  This bread suits my family well because they can't stand the sourness of the Baltic rye loaves I made with much higher % of CLAS, but I love it. 

When it's so easy to make a delicious loaf with CLAS, I do not want to do the extra work to maintain a starter or build a levain. For me, there's no turning back to the traditional starters.  Balancing work, family, and hobbies can be challenging for a busy mom like me.  CLAS makes baking more fun because it takes a massive weight off my shoulders and gives me peace of mind. 

The key to successfully making bread with CLAS is maintaining the required temperature and follow Rus's instructions carefully.  Give it a try if you can. I hope you will like it.