Like a number of other Bay Area bakers on TFL, Della Fattoria is one of my favorite bakeries. I have always loved their Rosemary Meyer Lemon bread, although it can be hard to get from this small local operation. Inspired by onceuponamac on this post http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/23378/rosemary-meyer-lemon-80-hydration, I tried my hand at making something that approaches their bread. Of course, without a WFO it can never be the same, but this bake came out pretty good.
I used a fairly high percentage (almost 30%) starter, and mixed it with predominently T85 flour from Central Milling and a small amount of light rye. It is 76% hydration (including the starter), and it got a fairly dark bake. Here is a photo of the finished loaf and the formula. Next time I will probably double the rosemary.
I have been reading and learning a tremendous amount about bread baking from many TFL posts in the past year or so. I have been hesitant to take the plunge and start a blog until now since I have mostly been following recipes rather than coming up with new ideas to share. The past month I have been experimenting more with developing my own recipes, inspired by all the knowledge shared by others. I am self taught and have followed the advice to practice, practice, practice. I live in San Francisco where there is no shortage of great breads, but (and this is nothing new to anyone here) there is great satisfaction in eating a loaf you just made. I have kept a starter for about 18 months and have experimented (although not systematically) with variations on its feed and care.
Last month I made an Olive Sourdough loaf with rye and spelt, and I'd like to share it. A note about the recipe format: there seem to be a couple of different standards for calculating percentages and hydration. I have chosen to include the preferment in my calculations, although I'm not sure this is the accepted way, so I am open to suggestions.
I hope I can contribute to other bakers enjoyment half as much as I have gotten out of TFL. Good baking!
