Who I'm stumping for...
As the primary season for the next US president officially kicked off this evening (although there has been ad nauseum preening and jockeying going on for a year already), I decided to throw my support behind the candidate most suitable. I can't really decide on one, although I'm leaning toward the tall dark handsome candidate by just a hair.
I'm not talking about a Democratic or Republican candidate. I'd be out of my mind to go down that wormhole in public. No, no. I'm talking about the All-World candidate for all around most pleasing dough for us home enthusiasts to get our hands on.
The contenders are: In this corner we have the mostly AP flour king - The David Snyder SJSD, a resilient and delightful piece of dough to craft, not to mention to eat. And in the opposing corner - the Whole Wheaty king of the hill - Jeffrey Hamelman's Pain au Levain with Whole Wheat, another dough that brings sheer joy to the hands of all who craft it.
So, what the heck brought on this stream of unconsciousness writing you ask? Well, I just knocked off another batch of the Pain au Levain, and I just can't get over how good that dough feels. I'd mentioned previously that it just about wants to shape itself. Well, here we go again. 1x600g batard, 3x300g baguettes. My own stiff levain, post bulk rise was retarded for maybe 12 hours before the divide and shape, then back into the icebox for another 10 hours before being swallowed up by my oven directly from the refrigerator. (once more, I 'never' bench proof anymore, no finger dent tests, no clock watching, no nutin').
And so it is up to you, dear voter. To get cracking and try one or both of these if you haven't already been a convert. Based upon what I see at the TFL polling station, there is ample evidence to suggest that many are already thrilled with this pair of candidates.
alan
Comments
Lots of laughs from here in Canada!
Beautiful bread! Awesome bold bake and love the scoring on all of them!
I see a lot of people go straight from the fridge to the oven. And you have awesome results. I have never tried that yet.
I go straight from 16-20 retard in the fridge to shaping and in the bannetton for final proof. No more bench warming like I used to do. I really like the stiff dough right out of the fridge for shaping.
Cheers!
Dave
you CAN have it all by popping it back into the refrigerator. The minor downside is that the shaped dough will need the appropriate room in there as it takes up more space than the bulk container. But it works just great! Give it a try. Can't say it's foolproof, but pretty close to it. Plus it fits my mantra of controlling the schedule instead of the other way around!
Thanks for the kind words. alan
Loved the intro! ;-) How is the flavour with such a long retard and whole wheat (really tangy or?)?
the loaves are beautiful!
Cheers
Arendse
I'm finding that after a certain number of hours, 10-12 let's say, beyond that there doesn't seem to be a grand change in the flavor development. I also keep my levain on the milder side, not one to be big on the sharpness of a strong tang. For me the levain is more about subbing out the commercial yeast and the fun of it all, plus some added flavor.
Going against the general thought about timings for cold retardation, I just don't seem to pay all that much attention to the duration of the retard. As long as it hits a minimum of about 10 hours and maxes out somewhere about 24. The dough doesn't seem to mind, therefore, neither do I! I can get around to the bake pretty much whenever the heck I feel like it with seemingly no degradation in the final product.
alan
My personal favorite is David's SJSD with a bit more whole multi -grains and higher hydration. It makes it a bit more difficult to handle but the bread is just killer looks and taste wide.....if it isn't ruined by making it into baggies:-)
Well done as usual and happy baking Alan
You know that I'll just have to try this, because you trick me into it just about every time! I worked out the formula to be 78% hydration with 25% WW/rye instead of David's 72% Hydration and 11% whole grain. It'll be next up on the roulette wheel.
Drat and Curses. You aren't a nice man. I bet even your baking assistant growls at you...in Swedish. With a Caribbean accent.
accent when she isn't upchucking on my toes. Baking Apprentice 2nd Classes just hate baggies because they are too hard to make and keep them from becoming 1st Classes. Plus at 24" they don't fit into the oven well:-)