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February 14, 2014 - 11:07pm

dmsnyder

Pizza made with Sourdough Starter Discard

Pizza made with Sourdough Starter Discard

February 14, 2014

I ended up this week with even more sourdough starter discard than usual and a craving for pizza and no activated starter and it's Valentine's Day and my wife loves pizza and so I made pizza with the sourdough starter discard.

	Wt (g)
Sourdough starter from fridge (firm)	241
Water 85 dF	153
AP flour	298
Instant yeast	2
Salt	6
Total	700

The starter discard was approximately 50% hydration, so this dough was 65% hydration.

Procedure

Put the water and the starter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix at low speed to disperse the starter.
Add the yeast to this mixture, then the flour and the salt.
Mix at low speed with the dough hook until the dough forms a ball on the hook. Add a small amount of water or flour to achieve a medium-consistency dough.
Mix at Speed 2 until you get an early window pane (about 7 or 8 minutes).
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover it tightly.
Ferment at room temperature until the dough volume has about doubled (2-4 hours).
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape as balls and place in Ziploc bags with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.
Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to 3 days.
Before using, take the dough out of the refrigerator and warm at room temperature for an hour.
Preheat the oven at its hottest setting with a baking stone in place.
Shape for pizzas and allow to proof for 30-60 minutes before topping and baking.
Bake to taste (in my oven, 10 minutes).

I preheated my oven at 500 dF for an hour before baking the pizzas.

My toppings were (in the order put on the dough):

EVOO brushed all over.
Finely chopped fresh rosemary sprinkled over dough (1 tsp/pizza).
Thinly sliced fresh garlic (2 cloves/pizza).
Hot red pepper flakes sprinkled to taste.
Oil-cured olives, pitted and sliced.
Fresh broccoli cut into small florettes (about 3/4 cup/pizza).
Fresh mushrooms, sliced (about 1.5 cups/pizza).
Yellow onion, sautéed in EVOO until golden, then moistened with one Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (2-3T/pizza).

The pizza was pretty good. It wasn't as good as the ones I made with the Ken Forkish formula. But it was crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. It was thin, yet firm enough to support itself. It was nice tasting with no hint of sourdough tang, interestingly enough.

I'm happy to know I can make very good pizza dough in a few hours and that I have a really good way of using starter discard besides pancakes.

David

January 9, 2014 - 7:12pm

rexineffect

How to increase STRENGTH of starter

I see so many posts on how to maintain a starter, I got that.

What I want to know is what is the process to actually INCREASE the amount of yeast in your starter IE - tripple when fed rather than double. I want my soughdough starter to be extremely healthy and ACTIVE.

THANKS!

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January 3, 2014 - 11:20am

dabrownman

YW SD Spelt and White Whole Wheat Miche

To start out the New Year on a different foot, we decided to do a near white bread since the girls love them the most and we were out of them. The other added benefit is that we got to use up the last of the panettone YW SD levain left over at the same time. Lucy hate throwing away left overs.

We just threw this together without a recipe thinking 75% hydration would be about right for a bread that had 23% whole grain in it but, wouldn’t you know it, right out of the New Year’s Chute we really messed up the salt by throwing in 17 g instead of 12 for the 600 g of flour.

Luckily, Lucy caught it and we were able to up the flour and water to get the salt down to killing levels instead of immediate drop dead ones but only after the 2nd set of stretch and folds. Thankfully we were going to do 4 of them so the last two were there to mix in the added dough.

This extra dough allowed us to call this a miche instead of a boule which was great as we bake so few of them and had to think what difference baking one was compared to a boule - longer times and lower temperatures were in order.

With the new foot forward we decided to mix up our usual methods. The levain was left over from New Year’s Eve, 3 days old, in the fridge the whole time. We didn’t do an one hour autolyse for the white flours as we usually would and just mixed everything together and let it sit for 20 minutes before starting a very short 1 minute slap and fold session to get everything thoroughly combined.

The 4 S&F’s were done 30 minutes apart where the gluten was developed very well and the dough was tighter than usual for 75% hydration white bread. I thought maybe the Gold Medal AP flour I was using was thirstier than my usual store brand variety but I didn’t add any mire water even though Lucy said I would regret it later.

Once the slap and folds were done we let the dough sit on the counter for an hour to ferment before pre-shaping it into a round, final shaping and placing it in a basket inside a trash can liner to proof 40 minutes on the counter before being retarded for 8 hours.

The next morning we took it out of the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for 2 hours before baking. We used two Pyrex pans full of lava rocks and half full of water for the mega steam. We put the pans in the bottom of the oven when Big Old Betsy said she was at 550 F. 15 minutes later the dough was un-molded onto a parchment covered peel, slashed in a square and slid onto the bottom stone.

Two minutes later we turned the oven sown to 500 F and then two minutes after that we turned it down to 475 F where it stayed until the 15 minute mark. Under steam the miche really sprang well, bloomed, blistered and puffed itself up very well nearly blowing its square top right off.

T^his bread was perfect for sopping up the turkey green chili, chili from the bottom of the bowl. Yummy!

We then removed the steam and turned the oven down to 425 F, convection this time and rotated the bread 90 degrees on the stone every 6minutes until the bread reach 205 F on the inside – about 25 minutes later or 40 minutes total baking time. The bread browned well we let the crust crisp on the stone with the oven off and door ajar for 8 minutes before removing it to the cooling rack.

As we were getting ready to cut the miche, a package arrived from Max who sent 2 of Ian's batards all the way from Long Island!. As you can see, his are no white breads and the the crusts are a deep mahagony color - just the way we like it.and they smell terrific too - a good sign! Those three loaves make for one fine bread ensemble photo just beautiful and a tough to beat. Can't wait to finish this post and cut them open to have a taste. It is such fun to actually get to taste breads made by other Fresh Lofians and see how their flour combinations compare to your own .

This is one fine looking miche with a very crunch crust when it came out of the oven. Yeah, I know it only had 7% whole grains but that doesn’t include the WWW which is not a whole grain even though it says White Whole Wheat in the title. The crumb came out not as open as we thought it would be and there was no sour as YW and SD combo breads tend to be neutral in taste. The crumb was soft and moist and made a great bologna sandwich for lunch. Since the girls aren't big SD fans, they should like this bread a lot! What a nice bread to start the New Year out on......Happy New Year to all.

Formula

	Build 1	Build 2	Build 3	Total	%
Multigrain SD Starter	15	0	0	15	1.83%
Yeast Water	15	30	40	85	10.35%
Whole Rye	5	0	0	5	0.61%
AP	5	30	40	75	9.13%
Whole Spelt	5	0	0	5	0.61%
Total	45	60	40	185	12.17%

Multigrain SD Levain		%
Whole Multi-grain Flour	93	11.26%
Water	93	11.26%
Hydration	100.00%

Levain % of Total	12.69%

Dough Flour		%
White Whole Wheat	51	6.21%
Whole Spelt	51	6.21%
AP	627	76.32%
Dough Flour	729	88.74%

Salt	17	2.07%
Water	527	64.15%
Dough Hydration	72.29%

Total Flour	822	100.00%
Water	620	75.41%
T. Dough Hydration	75.41%
% Whole Grain	23.72%

Total Weight	1,458

New Year's Day Dinner - Shrimp Kabobs

December 7, 2013 - 5:54am

Isand66

Tangzhong Onion Cheese Potato Sourdough Rolls

For Thanksgiving we were visiting my wife's family in North Carolina as we always do and as usual we brought have our kitchen with us so we could bake for the main feast.

This year I made a double batch of my German Sourdough Pumpernickel Pretzel Rolls and another version of my Tangzhong Onion rolls. I changed up some of the flour and also added some shredded cheese in the mix for added flavor.

Tangzhong is the technique of heating a portion of the flour and liquid in your recipe to approximately 65C to make a paste (roux). At this temperature the flour undergoes a change and gelatinizes. By adding this roux to your final dough it will help create a soft, fluffy, moist open crumb. It is also supposed to help prevent the bread from going stale.

It is not very difficult to do a Tangzhong. Use a 5 to 1 liquid to solid ratio (so 250g liquid to 50g flour) and mix it together in a pan. Heat the pan while stirring constantly. Initially it will remain a liquid, but as you approach 65C it will undergo a change and thicken to an almost pudding like consistency. Take it off the heat and let it cool before using it in your recipe. Some people will refrigerate it for a while but you can use it right away as soon as it cools.

The rolls were a big hit along with the pretzel rolls. If you try these you won't be disappointed.

Please note I had to use my I-Phone to take the photos so they are not exactly up to my usual standards but hopefully you can stand to look at them :).

Formula

Note: Tangzhong consisted of 30 grams European Style Flour, 20 grams Durum Flour and 250 grams Cream. I included this in the overall formula below.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Main Dough Procedure

Cut up the onion into rings and sauté on low heat until nice and canalized using some olive oil or butter in your pan. Let the onions cool completely and chop into smaller pieces before using in the dough.

Prepare the Tangzhong per directions above and allow to cool to room temperature.

Mix the flours, Tangzhong and cream together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute. Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes. Next add the salt, potatoes and starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and mix on low for a minute. Mix for a total of 13 minutes in your mixer starting on low-speed and working your way up to speed #3 for the last 5 minutes. When you have about one minute left to mix add the cheese to get it evenly incorporated. I used a mixed cheese blend that was shredded. (Note: I didn't follow my own directions and only mixed for about 6 minutes on speed #1. If you want the rolls to be lighter it is better to mix for the total amount of time as originally indicated). Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove the dough and cut into equal size pieces and shape into rolls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with moist tea towels or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, using a simple egg wash brush each roll and sprinkle on your topping of choice. Next add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown.

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

May 5, 2013 - 8:41pm

dmsnyder

San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with increased whole wheat flour

San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with Increased Whole Wheat

by David M. Snyder

May 5, 2013

Sometimes another TFL member comments favorably on one of my breads, then goes on to say how they have modified my formula or methods. Sometimes these changes seem to be for the member's convenience or to substitute a preferred method for the one I used. Sometimes I feel the changes are of small consequence. The one alteration that consistently intrigues me is an increase in whole grains in a formula of mine that is basically a white bread.

Today, I baked a couple loaves of my San Francisco-style Sourdough Bread with two modifications: I increased the whole wheat content to 30% of the total flour, and I increased the hydration to 76%. I expected this increase in hydration to more than compensate for the increased water absorption of the whole wheat flour. I used a very finely milled organic whole wheat flour from Giusti's. I find this flour has much less cutting of gluten strands than most whole wheat flours. I can get a more open crumb using this flour.

I also made a couple loaves of the San Francisco-style Sourdough without the increased whole wheat.

Total dough	Bakers' %	Wt (g)
AP flour	54	304
Bread flour	14	79
Medium Rye flour	2	11
WW Flour	30	169
Water	76	428
Salt	1.9	11
Total	177.9	1002

Stiff levain	Bakers' %	Wt (g)
Bread flour	95	79
Medium rye flour	5	11
Water	50	45
Stiff starter	80	66
Total	230	201

Dissolve the starter in the water. Add the flours and mix thoroughly until the flour has been completely incorporated and moistened.
Ferment at room temperature 6-8 hours. (Until about tripled in volume, domed and very well aerated.)

Final dough	Wt (g)
AP flour	281
WW Flour	162
Water	350
Salt	11
Stiff levain	201
Total	1005

Method

In a stand mixer, mix the flour and water at low speed until it forms a shaggy mass.
Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes
Add the salt and levain and mix at low speed for 1-2 minutes, then increase the speed to medium (Speed 2 in a KitchenAid) and mix for 5 minutes. Add flour and water as needed. The dough should be rather slack. It should clean the sides of the bowl but not the bottom.
Transfer to a lightly floured board and do a stretch and fold and form a ball.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.
Ferment at 76º F for 21/2 to 3 hours with a stretch and fold at 50 and 100 minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Pre-shape as rounds and rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Shape as boules or bâtards and place in bannetons. Place bannetons in plastic bags.
Proof at room temperature (68-70º F) for 1-2 hours.
Cold retard the loaves overnight.
The next morning, proof the loaves at 85º F for 2 to 3 hours. (If you can't create a moist, 85 degree F environment, at least try to create one warmer than “room temperature.”
45-60 minutes before baking, pre-heat the oven to 480º F with a baking stone and steaming apparatus in place.
Transfer the loaves to a peel. Score the loaves as desired, turn down the oven to 460º F, steam the oven, and transfer the loaves to the baking stone.
After 12 minutes, remove the steaming apparatus, and turn down the oven to 435º F/Convection. (If you don't have a convection oven, leave the temperature at 460º F.)
Bake for another 15-18 minutes.
Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack, and cool thoroughly before slicing.

After cooling, the loaves had a chewy crust and chewy crumb. The flavor was wheaty and moderately sour when first tasted. I am looking forward to trying this bread toasted tomorrow for breakfast.

At the moment, I am considering further modifications such as a bolder bake, adding a bit of honey and increasing the whole wheat to 50%.

David

January 8, 2013 - 10:11pm

JMonkey

Desem Bread

Desem bread is a favorite of mine, in no small part because I can only make it in the winter. But it's also beloved because it was one of the first sourdoughs I ever made, and because it comes from The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, a book that, though it is not without its flaws, is still a book that I love dearly and continue to bake from several times a month.

Desem is essentially a 100% whole grain pain au levain, done in the old French way for customers who did not like their bread sour. To keep the acid notes to a minimum, bakers kept their starters firm and chilled, both of which are the key to making this loaf. Laurel Robertson recommends making your starter by placing a dough ball in a bin of 10 lbs of flour at about 50 degrees F, and then feeding it once a day for a week or so. I've done it that way, but I've found it's not really necessary. If you've already got a starter, just feed it with whole wheat at 50% hydration (thereabouts) and store it in a place where the temperature stays in the 40s or 50s. Ideally, you want the starter at about 50 degrees F. Feed it a couple of times that way at that temp, and you should be ready to go. This is why Desem remains a winter bread for me, because only then can I rely on my garage to remain within that temperature range.

The result is a lovely loaf. Just a little bit sour, with a creamy texture and a nutty, sightly sweet flavor. It's hearty but, though it doesn't typically have the big holes one usually associates with a lean hearth loaf, it's not a dense bread. Tonight, we ate it with a corn chowder, a dish of which I'm certain Laurel Robertson would not approve, since it's made with chicken stock and a half pound of bacon. I have to say, though, they made fine dinner companions. It will also make tasty sandwiches tomorrow, I'm sure.

Here's what the loaf looked like out of the oven:

And here's what the insides look like:

Finally, here's how I made it.

Formula:

Whole wheat flour: 100%
Water: 70%
Salt: 2%
Starter: 30% of the flour is in the starter at 50% hydration.

Ingredients

Whole wheat starter at 50% hydration: 225 grams
Water: 275 grams
Salt: 10 grams
Whole wheat flour: 350 grams

Combine the starter and the water, and mash them up together until it's nice and mushy. Add the salt and then add the flour. Stir until it comes together into a mass. I use fresh flour, because I'm one of those nuts with a grinder and a half-dozen 5-gallon buckets full of grain in his garage. If you're not (and your partner or spouse probably thanks you for it) you'll be using store-bought whole wheat flour, which is dryer, so you may want to add some more water, maybe as much as 50 grams. The dough should be shaggy and soft, but not quite sticky.

At this point, I like to let the dough sit for 10 to 20 minutes. I often time this by how long it takes to make a pot of oatmeal or a batch of pancakes, because I usually start making this bread while I'm preparing breakfast. Once the dough has sat for long enough, I knead for 3-4 minutes, let it rest for another 5 minutes or so, and then knead again for another couple of minutes. At this point, it should be done. I love and respect Laurel Robertson to high heaven, but there's really no need to do 300 strokes. Unless you enjoy that kind of thing, of course, which, I'll admit, I sometimes do.

I try to get the dough temperature to about 70-75 degrees F if I'm thinking about it. Jeffrey Hammelman has a good trick for this. Measure the temperature of the starter with an instant read thermometer, then measure the temperature of the flour (since mine's coming right out of the grinder, it's usually close to 100 degrees!). To know how hot the water needs to be, Multiply the desired dough temperature by 3, then subtract the starter and flour temperatures. Voila! But, to be honest, I usually just guesstimate. In my kitchen, the starter's cold and the flour's pretty warm, so if the water feels lukewarm or just an eesny-weensy bit warm, I figure it's good enough. I'm not making a microchip, after all.

It usually takes about 4 hours to rise, but in the winter, my house is usually pretty chilly. It could take three hours if you keep your home at 68 or 70 degrees. Then, I shape the loaf and proof it for two hours in a cooler with the bread on an upturned cereal bowl and a cup or two of hot water thrown into the bottom. I like to bake mine in a covered clay baker at 450 F for 35 minutes with the cover on and 10 minutes with it off. If you're using a baking stone or a cookie sheet, try 450 for 35-40 minutes. Steaming the oven is also nice, if your oven steams well and you don't mind the risk of damaging or ruining your appliance (ask me how I know there's a risk). Let it cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing.

December 12, 2012 - 9:35pm

breadsong

A Rose for Christmas

Happy holidays everyone!

This is a take on Guro’s lovely Caucasian Bread – a Christmas version, colored red, with sun-dried tomato pesto
for the filling :^)

There was a lovely round-up of Roses in this post (so many pretty breads featured!, which got me thinking about savory fillings and flavors for this bread).

Here's the recipe for the sun-dried tomato pesto (makes more than you will need for the rose bread):
Place in food processor and process until you have a smooth paste:
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (preserved in oil, but drained)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1/8 to 1/4 cup grated asiago or parmesan cheese

Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 3 drops Tabasco sauce, and 1/2 cup real mayonnaise.
Process again until smooth. Adjust salt to taste. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
The recipe called for a bit more olive oil, but I held back, not wanting to make the pesto too thin (concerned it might run out during proofing and baking).

This is my interpretation of Guro's formula. I kept hydration to 63% as I liked how that worked when making
Julia's rose bread, and reduced the yeast as I was going for a longer, overnight fermentation.
I used half of the dough to make the rose, and saved the other half to make something else.

Flour counter; roll dough to 15"x20".
Cover dough with 190g of sun-dried tomato pesto, leaving a clean border (about 1/4").

Roll up from long side; brush flour off of dough as you roll

Cut in half lengthwise (used a serrated knife).
Fold open to expose the layers. Pick up one piece and lay over the second piece, forming an 'X' shape, keeping the cut sides facing up.

Twist the pieces to form one long rope Coil the rope to form the rose

Proof for about one hour. Some of the olive oil might leak out during proofing

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until 195F internal temperature is reached, turning loaf for even browning or covering with foil to prevent overbrowning, if needed.

a colorful, flavorful crumb! :^)

Thank you, Guro! This was a fun and very delicious bread to make. It had the aroma of a really good pizza,
while it was cooling.
I was regretting not having any fresh oregano to add to either the dough, or the pesto!
Something to look forward to, for next time, although the bread had wonderful flavor as is.

Happy baking everyone!
:^) breadsong

Submitted to YeastSpotting :^)

October 11, 2012 - 6:36pm

PiPs

Serendipitous Danish Inspired Rye

I am not sure if things happen for a reason or not, but sometimes pleasant surprises occur and push you in directions different from what you had in mind. These events can be small or epic, but I am sure they are all important in the making of ones life. What I do believe however, is that if you put out a question or an idea to the world and keep it close to your heart it will be answered … one way or another :)

Two weeks ago I really hadn't been giving rye breads much thought apart from reading a couple of articles relating to Chad Robertson’s latest experimentation with rye bread formulas … oh, and I may have been more than a bit obsessed with Lisbeth Salander and the amount of open faced sandwiches she consumed :)

This all changed however on a dreary Saturday afternoon when by chance we stopped by our favourite antique store. To be honest it is more than a store. It’s a warehouse that floods your senses. I can only take it in small doses as there is only so much visual clutter, weird aromas, dust and awful music playing that I can take.

I couldn’t believe it! Sitting on a shelf near the front door was a Danish rye bread slicer. My heart skipped a beat. I had read about them some time ago and even remember sending Nat an email with a picture of one exclaiming something along the lines of, “how cool is this!” It was in lovely condition possessing a blade so sharp that my blood turned cold with the thought of the possible injuries. Needless to say it now lives in our home tucked up on a very high shelf, far from small curious fingers.

In an instant my brain flicked into rye mode, and accompanied by endless cups of tea I spent the next few days obsessively researching and putting together a formula for a Danish inspired rye bread. It seems to me that there is no ‘correct’ way to make a Danish rye so I took elements and methods that appealed most to me and made my own.

The basic idea I had was this: 80% rye flour, lots of grains and seeds, dark beer, malt and the use of a pre-dough that fermented all of this the day before baking. I also wondered whether fermenting the cooked grains and seeds would reduce the amount of phytic acid? Any thoughts?

Danish Inspired Rye (2 x 1650g)

Overview	Weight	% of total flour
Total flour	988g	100%
Total liquid	1289g	131%
Prefermented flour	295g	20%
Desired dough temperature 24°C

1. Rye sour – 12 hrs 24°C
Starter (Not used in final dough)	10g	1%
Freshly milled coarse rye flour	43g	4.3%
T130 rye flour	44g	4.3%
Water	144g	14.5%
Total	231g

2. Pre-dough 16hrs 22-24°C
Ryesour (1.)	231g	23%
Freshly milled coarse rye flour	104g	10.5%
T130 rye flour	104g	10.5%
Cooked, soaked and drained rye grains	600g	61%
Flax seeds	200g	20%
Pumpkin Seeds	100g	10%
Sunflower seeds	100g	10%
Water	475g	48%
Stout (or dark beer)	170g	17%
Barley malt extract	15g	1.5%
Salt	15g	1.5%
Total	2099g

Final paste @ 24°C
Pre-dough (2.)	2114g	213%
Bakers flour	198g	20%
Freshly milled coarse rye flour	248g	25%
T130 rye flour	248g	25%
Water	500g	50%
Salt	15g	1.5%
Total	3323g

Method

The day before, prepare the rye sour (1.) in morning
Also in the morning boil 200-300g of rye grains for 30mins then soak for the remainder of the day. (You want to end up with 600g drained weight – I had leftovers which I use in cooking)
In the afternoon/evening prepare the pre-dough. Drain soaked grains and combine with rye sour, water and remaining pre-dough ingredients. Stir to combine and then ferment for 16hrs.
The next day combine pre-dough with final paste ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon for 20-30 minutes (basically stir/mix until tired. Rest then begin stirring again)
Scoop into greased and lined tins (mine are 8 x 4 x 4 pullman) and smooth top.
I proved them for one and a half hours before covering with lids and placing on a baking stone in an oven preheated to 270°C.
I immediately dropped the temperature to 200°C and baked them for one hour and 45mins. I removed the breads from the tins and baked them a further 15mins directly on the stone before removing them from the oven.

When the loafs were only slightly warm they were wrapped in plastic then placed in the fridge for what seemed like an eternity. This gave me plenty of time to start delving into the world of Danish open faced sandwiches … Smørrebrød.

Hot spring weather in Australia seems an enormous distance from Denmark but I am now hooked on these flavours. I love dark rye breads. I love butter. And I love the emphasis placed on combining ingredients/decorations that create both visual and culinary pleasures. The bread is a canvas on which to experiment!

The bread I baked is not bitter or sour, but has an assertive flavour that can best be described as meaty, and when topped heavily with simple butter it is a treat unto itself. When I finally emerged from the seemingly endless world of Smørrebrød research I finally settled upon two combinations for my first Smørrebrød—and both began with a layer of butter.

The first had a layer of blue cheese, then a thin slices of crisp green apple rubbed with lemon. It was topped with bacon and dressed with chives. The second was a simpler affair of herrings (unfortunately I could not find pickled herrings so used Dutch ones instead) which was topped with thin slices of red onion and a sprig of dill.

… they were eaten with a knife and fork …

Cheers,
Phil

May 10, 2012 - 2:48am

PiPs

Three French breads with three French flours

I bought a new book. Yes! another bread book. I wasn't planning to ... and thinking back I'm not completely sure where the inspiration came from, but sometimes inspiration just happens. (or in Nat's version of events ... self indulgence just happens...)

A week ago a second hand copy of ‘The Taste of Bread’ by Raymond Calvel, Ronald L. Wirtz and James J. MacGuire was delivered to my doorstep and I have been trying to absorb as much from it as I possibly can. I find it such an interesting read─on so many levels─from heavy discussions on the effect mixing has on dough maturity to small soulful snippets on French bread.

The chapter that captured my attention most and had me obsessively re-reading it was the chapter on flour. The classification and choice of flour available in France intrigues me. Finding such depth within a seemingly simple ingredient as white flour was something I wanted to explore and as luck would have it I had recently been given the name of a bakery─‘Uncle Bob’s Bakery’ that was stocking imported French flour.

Not only that, but the owner of ‘Uncle Bob’s Bakery’, Brett Noy was recently given the honour of being a jury member for the 2012 Coupe du Monde del la Boulangerie─the Bakery World Cup!!! … mmm … another French connection to this story it seems.

In France the purity level of flour is determined by mineral content measured by the ash level. So at different extraction rates you may have different ash content depending on the type of wheat, procedures used, mill equipment and the skill of the miller. As the ash level rises you will have flour that is richer with bran particles and darker in colour.

Choosing flour was the easy part but trying to make a final decision on what to bake was a bit trickier and in the end the flour dictated the final choice.

T45

This flour is normally associated with viennoiseries such as croissant, brioche and specialty breads containing high fat, sugar and eggs. As winter is slowly creeping upon us, it was time to revive one of my favourite traditions over the cooler months─brioche for weekend breakfasts with café au lait.

The formula I worked with was Raymond Calvel’s ‘Brioche Leavened with Sponge and Dough’. It has a butter content of 45% (I used a cultured butter) and a small sponge of flour, yeast and milk which is mixed into the remaining dough after 45 mins of fermenting. As is usual when mixing this type of bread by hand I was kneading at the bench for at least 30 min by the time the butter was fully incorporated smoothly into the dough. Day-by-day a mixer looks increasingly tempting! (only if Nat gets to pick the colour!)

The dough was rested in the fridge overnight and shaped in the morning for the final proof. Oh, it has been such a long time since we have had brioche around our house. The soft golden crumb teared so easily and when dipped in coffee─made my soul smile.

T130 Rye

For my experiments with this medium rye flour I took inspiration from photos of the amazing crusts of the tourte de seigle found in the boulangerie windows of Paris. It’s the contrast I love─the dark well baked crust scattered with flour coated islands.

Tourte de Seigle adapted from Denis Fatet’s formula at www.cannelle.com

Formula

Overview	Weight	%
Total dough weight	1200g
Total flour	678g	100%
Total water	522g	77%
Total salt	13g	2%
Prefermented flour	319g	47%

Sourdough build: 1h 30 @ 35°C
Levain at 60% hydration	240g	141%
T130 rye flour	170g	100%
Water at 70°C	170g	100%
Salt	5g	3%

Final Dough: 1h 45 @ 40°C
Rye flour T130 sifted or T85 rye	358g	100%
Water at 70°C	262g	73%
Salt	8g	2%
Sourdough	580g	162%

Method

Prepare sourdough: Stir hot water into rye flour then add levain and mix until smooth. Sprinkle with rye flour and allow to rise for 1hr 30 at 35°C. Cracks will appear on the surface of the sourdough.
Prepare final dough: Stir hot water into rye flour and salt then mix in sourdough until smooth. With wet hands round the dough and flatten into a round disc. Set to proof seam side down on floured parchment paper. Dust with flour and smooth with hand to ensure an even coating. Proof uncovered and away from draughts.
Proof for 1h 45 at 40°C. Cracks will appear on surface during proofing.
Load into oven with steam at 270°C for 10 mins then reduce temperature to 250°C and bake a further 60 mins.

I have to be honest, I was a little nervous about the idea of mixing the levain into the hot water and flour mix. But my worries were unfounded. The hot mix cooled as I stirred it and cooled even further when I added the levain creating a warm sourdough sponge that really went off fast.

I have heard that keeping a correct proofing temperature greatly assists with even cracking over the surface so the tourte de seigle proofed in our tiny bathroom under the heat lamp. I pushed the proofing to two hours but think next time I will reduce it to the specified time as the crumb shows some signs of slight over-proofing.

This is a crust lovers bread. The crumb is smooth and mild with only a hint of sourness. After many bakes of whole-grain ryes this bread is a pleasant change─A perfect balance of flavour and texture. But most importantly I love the way it looks. Dramatic bread! Breakfast during the week has been slices of this slathered with cultured butter.

T65

The classic French bread for a classic French flour. Looking again to ‘The taste of Bread’ I used Raymond Calvel’s Pain au Levain formula substituting the T55 flour with the T65 I had on hand. At 64% the hydration was quite a bit lower than what I have been mixing recently but after an autolyse and solid 15 min mix by hand it produced a smooth and silky dough. It certainly felt different to the Australian flours I have been using but I am not sure how to put it best into words. Softer to the touch perhaps?

While the book uses a spiral mix followed by a 50 min bulk fermentation I was mixing by hand so opted for a gentler mix followed by a longer three hour bulk ferment to build strength and maturity in the dough. The final proof stretched out through the afternoon as the temperatures dropped but all the time increased the flavour of this delicious bread.

Nat is torn. She loves the flavour and texture of this bread, more so than the some of the Australian organic flours I have been using … but it has come all the way from France … sigh. We are mindful of our footprint ...

I love the flavour as well so I am keen to keep experimenting with it … for the time being anyway.

Cheers,
Phil

January 9, 2012 - 8:47am

txfarmer

Cheese Danish with Sourdough - all american beauty

Sending this toYeastspotting.
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Continuing with my obession for laminated dough...

Unlike the laminated sandwich loaf I made last time, these cheese danishes are definitely all American. The dough I used was very similar to the laminated sandwich loaf, with a tad less liquid to make the crumb layers more crisp. Since these are meant to be snacks, the dough is richer than croissants, also uses more roll-in butter. However, the lamination process is exactly the same as croissants: 3 book folds, and roll out to about 4mm thickness.

Laminated Sandwich Loaf (Adapted from many different sources)
Note: for details and tips on making croissants, please see this post
Note: this recipe makes about 930g of dough, about 12 large danishes.

-levain
starter (100%), 44g
water, 75g
bread flour, 134g

1. mix and leave at room temp for 12 hours.

-final dough
bread flour, 361g
milk, 135g
egg, 77g
sugar, 60g
salt, 10g
instant yeast, 7g
butter, 41g, softened
levain, all
roll-in butter, 310g

-cheese filling
recipe here

1. make the dough following the procedure illustrated here in this post
2. Cut the dough into 4.5X4.5inch squares, and shape into half pockets or full pockets by folding two or four corners into the center

10. Proof at around 27C until more than double and layers are visible, about 3-4 hours in my case. If seal opened during proofing, press corners back into the center, and press down to seal well. Sqeeze cheese filling in the middle and decoreated with blueberries.