The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sourdough with Caraway and Sesame Seeds

tampopo's picture
tampopo

Sourdough with Caraway and Sesame Seeds

Here is what I did.

Knead to incorporate:

2.5 c. AP flour
1 tbsp ea. gluten, caraway, sesame
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 c. sourdough starter
3/4 c. water

Let sit on counter in sealed tupperware for several hours. Remove and fold dough over itself several times, form a tight ball and place in linen covered basket with ample maseca to prevent sticking. When the dough is ready (doubled in volume and doesn't bounce back when poked) turn the oven dial all the way up, transfer to baking sheet, make a few gashes with a razor and bake ~25 min (~450-500°F).


As you can see, my loaves prefer to split only on one of the cuts, and they tend to crack the bottom crust in the same place instead of spreading into the other gashes I made ?. When eating it it plain, it's a bit too chewy. I think that this is because I was using 15g gluten before the battery in my kitchen scale died, and it was to compensate for a soft flour. But now I'm using king arthur flour which already has 11.7% protein and I'm not sure how densely the wheat gluten packs into a tablespoon so I can probably reduce this amount.

However, all in all I'm very pleased with the fragrance, texture, flavor and appearance -- and it makes a delicious egg in the basket!