Trying a new method… (Part 4)

Well … they’re baked and it was a first attempt for sure! I had some interesting results for sure. I’m going to need to ponder, research and think a bit before my next attempt. All loaves came out different than I expected. All were moist (more so than normal). Tasted good with an OK crust.Continue reading “Trying a new method… (Part 4)”

Trying a new method… (Part 3)

Today is bake day! I’m excited but also apprehensive. Not quite sure how this will turn out. The oven has been preheated to 420°F (convection) with my Dutch oven and Challenger Bread Pan inside. The dough has visibly risen and the “finger test” seems to indicate it’s ready to go. Concerned a bit about howContinue reading “Trying a new method… (Part 3)”

Trying a new method… (Part 2)

It’s Alive! (In my best Gene Wilder voice imitation from Young Frankenstein) The dough has more than doubled overnight. Last night it was at roughly 2 quarts. Now it is just over the 5 quart mark. I figure the dough weighed just over 3 kilograms based on my ingredient weight. I can as pretty closeContinue reading “Trying a new method… (Part 2)”

Trying a new method… (Part 1)

I’m trying a new method to increase the volume of dough mixed at the same time. I started with 1500g of strong bread flour (King Arthur Sir Lancelot) and 1275g water (85% hydration). I mixed it up with my Swedish Dough hook and left it to autolyse for 2 hours. Normally I mix with myContinue reading “Trying a new method… (Part 1)”

Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

I’m always on the prowl for ways to use my sourdough starter discard. I saw a recipe from http://shebakesourdough that had some wonderful looking sandwich bread. Thought I’d give it a go! RECIPE 200g Bread Flour 50g Whole Wheat Flour 200g Sourdough Starter Discard (2-3 days old) 100g Milk 20g Heavy Cream 30g Sugar 7gContinue reading “Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread”

Technique Tweak Wasn’t a Fluke!

I was able to recreate similar oven bloom results applying the tweaks to my feeding and autolyse methods. The results from my experiment were NOT a fluke! Yay!! I’m pleased with these results and will continue to use them going forward as my “standard method”. Always learning…

Sourdough Experiment (Part 2)

Whoa! Nice oven spring!! I am VERY pleased with these results! I took the dough out of fridge at 8am, divided it and pre-shaped into rounds. Bench-rested for an hour covered with a towel before final shaping and then placing into bannetons. I then put the loaves into my proving box for another 1.5 hoursContinue reading “Sourdough Experiment (Part 2)”

Sourdough Experiment (Part 1)

I’m continuing to experiment and tweak my technique. Lately I’ve been wondering about the oven spring and how my technique early on in my bakes are affecting my end results. Tweak #1: Starter Feeding I typically bake sourdough bread once a week. Pre-COVID-19 I traveled for work Monday – Thursday. I would store my starterContinue reading “Sourdough Experiment (Part 1)”

Turmeric-Cinnamon Sourdough (Part 2)

Today is bake day for my Turmeric-Cinnamon loaf experiment. I’ve baked my normal loaves first. A chia-covered Boule and a regular Batard. They came out nicely. As the loaves above were baking I pulled out the banneton with the Turmeric-cinnamon dough. As expected it wasn’t filling the banneton as full as the other loaves. IContinue reading “Turmeric-Cinnamon Sourdough (Part 2)”

Sourdough Boules

My latest experiment was looking at my bulk ferment process. My process for feeding my starter, making my biga, mixing etc all stayed the same. I bumped up my temp 4°F in my fridge drawer (33°F to 37°F). I also bulk fermented for 36 hours before dividing/shaping my loaves. This time I separated my loavesContinue reading “Sourdough Boules”