Week 1 of 15 - 100% store bought white flour sourdough bread.

1000g flour - Gold Medal All Purpose Flour
700g water @ 95F
150g 100% starter refreshed 12 hours before with a 50/50 mix of fresh milled wholegrain hard winter white & AP flour
22g salt - Coarse kosher salt

6 S&F 20 minutes apart
12 hour bulk ferment at room temperature - 73F
2 hour final proof in bannaton
Baked in a Romeratopf clay baker at 425F covered 1st 20 minutes then uncovered until interior temperature reaches 210F

Totals
1075 g flour (75 from starter)
775 g water (75 from starter)
22 g salt (at 2%)
1872 g final dough weight
72.1% hydration

The dough was the consistency that I have come to expect from ciabatta so it was tough to score them but I like the pattern they developed during the bake.  The crumb was a nice creamy white with lots of holes and the smell of the loaf is what sourdough bread should smell like.  The flavor was tangy but not too tart even with a 12 hour bulk ferment. 
Overall I am very pleased with this loaf.

Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination.

Getting ready to undertake a 30 loaf experiment over the next 15 weeks or so using different flours and  combinations. I plan to use the same base formula and technique through out the entire series keeping everything as identical as possible. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for but sometimes it's all about the journey, not the destination.

I'm going to be keeping a journal on every batch and I will post those as well as pictures. 

For your own sourdough loaf record copy go to:

https://www.sourdough.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Sourdough-Loaf-Record-BOOK-.pdf

Base formula makes 2 loaves

1000g flour

700g water @ 95F

150g starter refreshed 12 hours before

22g salt

6 S&F 20 minutes apart

12 hour bulk ferment

2 hour final proof in bannaton

All loaves will be baked in a Romeratopf clay baker at 425F covered 1st 20 minutes then uncovered until internal temperature reaches 210F.

Totals
1075 g flour (75 from starter)
775 g water (75 from starter)
22 g salt (at 2%)
1872 g final dough weight
72.1% hydration

Sequence of loaves

100% store bought white flour. Gold Medal AP flour

100% hard white wheat

100% hard red wheat

100% spelt

100% kamut

50% Gold Medal AP 50% hard white

50% Gold Medal AP 50% hard red

50% Gold Medal AP 50% spelt

50% Gold Medal 50% kamut

50% hard white 50% hard red

50% hard white 50% spelt

50% hard white 50% kamut

50% hard red 50% spelt

50% hard red 50% kamut

50% spelt 50% kamut

Procrastibaking (baking bread while I should be tending to other matters)

Although spring is in the air and the air is heating up quite a bit here in Florida, it has still been raining and raining, and then for good measure, raining some more.  There is not much I can do in the yard or garden, the chickens are getting webbed feet and learning a second language (quack) so I may as well work on my bread baking skills.

The kitchen manager where I work is enamored with all things Italian and serves ciabatta on a regular basis at the Wednesdays lunches but it's big box store ciabatta.  Rather tasteless and bland.  I don't work with too many high hydration doughs other than the rye bread I make from time to time but I feel comfortable working with the wet, sticky doughs since I've learned how to handle them. I figured ciabatta shouldn't be any different. 
The ciabatta starts with a pre-ferment that you start 12 hours before you plan to bake.  I'm not familiar with bigga's but I think that's what it would be called.  I  make it the night before and put everything else together in the morning. I found a video with recipe on youtube that I watched and then downloaded the recipe.  The recipe is a yeasted one and that's how I make the 1st batch just to get a feel for it but it wasn't hard to convert it to a sourdough version by eliminating the yeast and substituting 1 cup (190g) of starter.  My cellphone pictures do not do it justice.  They came out light and airy with nice big holes just like ciabatta should and best of all, the cook at work gave me the highest compliment by telling me they had an Italian soul after I brought her some.

Hands down the best rye bread recipe I've ever made.

Artisan Sourdough Rye Bread

I've always enjoyed a nice rye bread with caraway seeds so it was only natural for me to try and perfect a sourdough rye bread.  I've been trying different things on and off over the years including using all rye flour one time.  That was a dense loaf.  In my travels around different sourdough websites I finally stumbled upon what was to become the recipe that just knocked my apron off at Breadtopia.com Right there on their home page was a link to a recipe for Artisan sourdough Rye bread  I read through the recipe and it sure sounded tasty so I decided to give it a whirl.  They also include a yeast variation but I went straight sourdough.  The aroma of this bread rising is enough to make you drool.

Mise en place

This is a high hydration dough and a shaggy mess to work with.

First proofing.  The aroma of this dough is enough to make you drool.

In the basket for the final rise

I missed getting it into the cast iron dutch oven but it still turned out nice

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 18 hours

Yield: 1 Loaf

Ingredients

• Water: 400 grams, 1 3/4 cups
• Sourdough Starter: 70 grams, 1/3 cup (omit if making the instant yeast version)
• Instant Yeast: 1 tsp. (omit if making sourdough leavened version)
• Rye Flour: 245 grams, 1 3/4 cups
• Bread Flour: 245 grams, 1 3/4 cups
• Molasses: 44 grams, 2 Tbs.
• Fennel Seed: 8 grams, 1 Tbs.
• Anise Seed: 2 grams, 1 tsp.
• Caraway Seed: 3 grams, 1 tsp.
• Salt: 12 grams, 1 3/4 tsp.
• Zest of 1 Orange

Instructions

Sourdough Version:

In a mixing bowl, mix the starter into the water. Add the molasses, all the seeds and orange zest.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours and salt.

Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet using a dough whisk or spoon until the flour is well incorporated. Cover with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes, mix again for a minute or two. Again let rest for 15 minutes and mix one more time as before. Now cover the bowl with plastic and let sit at room temperature for roughly 12-14 hours.

Instant Yeast Version

The only difference is don’t use sourdough starter and instead mix the instant yeast into the dry ingredients before combining with the wet ingredients.

Both Versions

After the long 12-14 hour proof, stretch and fold the dough and shape into boule or batard (round or oblong) shape for baking. (If you didn’t follow that, I’m afraid you’re doomed to watch the video.) Cover again with plastic and let rest 15 minutes before putting in a proofing basket for the final rise. If you don’t have a proofing basket, line a bowl with a well floured kitchen towel and put the dough in there for the final rise. The final rise should last somewhere between 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Keep the dough covered with plastic to prevent it from drying out.

Preheat your oven to 475 F a half hour before baking.

Score the dough with a razor or sharp serrated knife and bake until the internal temp is about 200 F.

Let cool completely before eating.

Taking my bread to the next level.

In my travels around the internet, I ran across the Bread Beckers website.
Sue Becker explains all the advantages of grinding your own flour, not the least of which is that store bought flour is basically nutritionally dead 3 days after it's been milled.  She has a food science degree, I'm not going to argue with her. 
The advantages of owning your own grain mill are many, grind what you need when you need it, true whole grain goodness and more control over what goes into my bread not to mention that whole wheat berries sealed in a can have a shelf life of 30 years.

The 1st bread I made from my own fresh milled flour is commonly called "Ezekiel Bread".  In case you have never heard of it, the reason for the name is pretty simple, grab a bible and look up Ezekiel 4:9.  The ingredients list is right there as well as how Ezekiel is supposed to cook and eat it.  (I don't recommend his fuel source, Ezekiel 4:12)

This is the recipe directly as it is written on the Bread Beckers website and is the one I use.  I made 6 loaves over a 2 day period and they got devoured by hungry co-workers. 

"Ezekiel Bread
Combine the following whole grains:
2 1/2 cups hard red wheat
1 1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically spelt was used, Ezekiel 4:9)
1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
2 Tbs. great northern beans
2 Tbs. red kidney beans
2 Tbs. pinto beans
Stir the above ingredients very well.  Grind in flour mill.

Measure into large bowl
4 cups lukewarm water
1 cup honey
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)

Add to liquids:
Freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. yeast

Stir or knead until well kneaded about 10 minutes.  This is batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball.
Pour dough into greased pans.  You may use 2 large loaf pans (10x5x3) or 3 med. loaf pans or 2-9×13 brownie pans.  Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until the dough is almost to the top of the pan.  If it rises too much it will over flow the pan while baking.  Bake at 350o for 45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.

*For fasting divide bread into 8 equal parts weighing 1/2 pound each.  Eat a 1/2 pound cake and drink a quart of water every day.  For fasting I do not alter the recipe."

Now I'm sure that ol Ezekiel didn't have a grocery store near by to purchase instant yeast from so until the last 150 years or so, this bread was made from a sourdough starter. My 1st 2 batches were made just as you see in the above recipe with instant yeast but I plan on converting this into a wild yeast recipe.  I'm sure it's going to change the flavor and texture a little but I expect good things to become of these changes.  I will post the recipe once I finish converting it to a sourdough bread.

As to my new Wondermill electric grain mill, I love this thing.  I found it on Craigslist for a great price and the reviews I have seen on it reinforce my decision to own one.  I already own a Wondermill Jr Deluxe, which is the hand cranked version, but this machine makes grinding your own flour a breeze.  The only down side is that dried grains, dried beans and such is the only thing you can grind in it.  You can not make your own nut butters, grind oily beans like coffee or anything else soft.  For those jobs the Wondermill Jr. Deluxe shines since it came with 2 sets of grinding heads.  A stone set for milling dried grains and a stainless steel set of grinding heads for softer, oily grains and beans.

Salt Rising Bread?

Up until recently I had never heard of "Salt Rising Bread. Apparently, it has some unique properties.  The proofing temps for the starter are much higher than traditional sourdough and it is best toasted due to it's "different, pungent smell".  (It was described to me as smelling a lot like dirty socks)  Ummm, Okay.  When toasted it takes on a "cheese like" flavor.  I've eaten a lot of cheese over the course of my life and I know that there are still some of those that I won't go near...lol.
This salt rising bread has me intrigued though.  In a sense it is in the sourdough family so it's only fair that I give it the benefit of the doubt and try it out.  I understand that it is not an easy bread to make so I plan to take my time and research it as much as possible before I attempt to make a loaf. 
For Christmas a friend of mine is sending me a loaf and some starter from a mid-western bakery that specializes in the stuff.  I'll keep good notes and let you know how it turns out.  I already have a co-worker that is dying to get her hands on some so I have a willing guinea pig  taste tester.   I hope it comes with some documentation.

To be continued....

Pane Cafone

I've been doing some research lately on simple recipes in preparation of teaching a retiring friend how to bake sourdough.  I wanted something simple yet flavorful that looked great.  My first thought was "Bob's Basic Sourdough Bread", which is fairly easy to make but I wanted something even easier.  I ran across a recipe for Pane Cafone.  A very simple Neapolitan Peasant Bread.  Instead of baking this one on a stone though, I baked it in a 3Qt Littonware Simmerpot.  The results were spectacular for such a simple recipe.

Ingredients

• 500 Grams soft grain flour (unbleached all-purpose flour)
• 235 Grams water
• 235 Grams active sourdough culture (levain)
• 13 Grams fine sea salt. (Do not use salt with iodine added.)

Directions

1. Mix the flour, water and active sourdough starter together in a bowl with a stout wooden spoon. If it gets too difficult, knead it out on a lightly floured surface until everything is well incorporated.
2. Lightly oil the mixing bowl and place the mixture back in the bowl, cover with plastic or a damp towel and let autolyse for 30-60 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured surface, pour out the mixture and gently flatten it out. Sprinkle the salt over the mixture and knead for 5-7 minutes.
4. Return the dough to the oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 4 hours.
5. Punch down and form into a round loaf without slashing the top.*
6. Proof 2 more hours in a banneton or wicker basket lined with a lightly oiled and floured linen.
7. Slash top and bake in a preheated oven on a baking stone at 450F for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 400F and bake until center reaches 210F using a quick read thermometer. **
8. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.