Berkeley Sourdough
So, I found this recipe on the web called Berkeley Sourdough [1] by Fernando Padilla, Boudin's Master Baker. I fudged on his sourdough starter recipe [2], which is interesting as it is a stiff starter. I made my seed starter using a little of my 100% starter to make one at 50% hydration. The recipes were in volume measurements, so I did a bit of guessing.
Day one: Created seed starter in the morning and left out on counter all day. In the evening I mixed the final starter mixture which I worked out to be about 171%. The recipe says to leave it out for 18 to 24 hours, but it has been really warm and it was already bubbling after about 4 hours. Could be because I used an established starter to create the seed starter and it was more active than it would of been otherwise. So I put it in the fridge overnight and took it out again in the morning.
Day two: Left the final starter out all day. It was very bubbly by end of day. I did the final mix, kneaded the dough and put it in the fridge by 9:45 pm.
The recipe called for 2.5 cups. I figured that if I went by the 4.25 ounces per cup, the hydration would be pretty high. I reasoned that he probably scooped and swept the cup and also the type of sourdough like Boudin's seems to me to be a lower hydration formula. So I went with 5 ounces a cup and the final hydration worked out to be about 65%.
Day three: As it looked like it didn't rise much during the night, I took the dough out at 7:45 am and left it on the counter for three hours. I then shaped the dough and let it rise for five hours. Then slashed and baked it in my dutch oven.
And here is the crumb shot:
I am thinking that if I let it proof a little longer, I might of had bigger holes, but I think it looks pretty good for being a lower hydration formula. I do think all the fermenting did add a lot of flavor and it didn't turn out real sour either... though I think my daughter would of preferred it if it was more sour.