March 29, 2006
Just Another Loaf
One of things I happen to like about the multiple day process of sourdough is that I don’t have know what I’m going to make when I start.
Early this morning I mixed 1 oz of bread flour, 1oz of water, and something like a table spoon of starter from the fridge. When I wake up later, I’ll add 3 oz each of bread flour and water and let it get happy. Then I’ll make a dough for an overnight over night retard and bake on Wednesday.
Plenty of time to think about what I want to make. Pain au Levain at 70% hydration is what I’m thinking about at the moment. Wet dough is so much more interesting to work with and get the timing correct. That little bit of whole wheat will change the timing.
9 hours later, I added 3 oz of bread flour and 3 oz of water. I left it on the counter top for almost 6 hours. I probably could have used it sooner.
I added 1 3/8 oz of whole wheat bread flour, 9 oz of unbleached white bread flour and 5 5/8 oz of water. I mixed up it and let it rest for 10 minutes. It’s too dry. I added maybe 2 tsp of water and then it seemed a little two wet so I waited another 10 minutes minutes. It’s a little too tacky to hand knead but that’s what I did, using water on my hands. I added 2 tsp of kosher salt and kneaded for about 10 minutes. I got bored. The amount of the whole wheat flour which doesn’t seem like all that much really does change how much water the dough takes and it’s feel. I plan to do 3 stretch and folds.
On the first stretch and fold, the dough is relaxed but no longer sticky. I can stretch it a long way. I like it! Of course, I always talk myself into thinking the best at this point. Time to clean the kitchen. The second stretch and fold also shows an elastic dough or is it extensible? Or both? I get confused about that. I think elastic means it springs back. In that case the second fold was more elastic than the first. To be expected. The third was more elastic (less stretch) than the second. I think I’ll just let it finish rising.
Now I’m a little worried. It rose but it didn’t rise as much as I think it should. So, five hours and 45 minutes after mixing, I put it in the fridge, in the bowl. Better that than to take a chance on the dough collapsing.
Today, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up for an hour and a half. I shaped it into a boule and raised it in the banneton for 3:00 hours. Then I got worried again that I was over-proofing so I baked it (450F).
A lot of oven spring and where I slashed it properly, you can get a good hint of the interior, That’s good. Where I didn’t slash properly, it didn’t expand like it could have. Not the prettiest loaf of bread but It’ll will taste fine.
