Janedo's "Basic Bread" take II
Janedo's basic bread
Janedo's basic bread - Crumb
This is the second time I have baked Janedo's Pain au Levain (Sourdough) recipe for what she calls her "basic bread." Since I cannot truly duplicate the flours she uses in France, I am liberated to experiement using different combinations and proportions of American flours.
The first time, I used a combination of King Arthur First Clear Flour and Guisto's White Spelt flour. This time, I fed my starter with KA Organic Whole Wheat Flour and used KA Bread Flour in the dough. The Ingredients were:
160 gms Starter
307 gms water
540 gms KA Bread Flour
10 gms Salt
The dough seems just very slightly less hydrated than my last attempt. As you can see, the crumb was denser, as expected. It was very chewy. The crust was a bit crunchier and less chewy than the First Clear/Spelt version.
Overall, the taste was less sour this time, and the whole wheat flavor was less apparent than I expected. This was a bread that would be an excellent sandwich foundation, but it was not my "target" bread. I think the combination of flours was too strong.
So, what flour combination should I try next? KA Artisan Flour with a little spelt? Or a little whole wheat? Or Golden Buffalo and spelt? Hmmmm....
David
Comments
Try the bread flour + spelt again, changing the proportions (a bit more spelt). But as you say, you can try anything! What do you mean by target bread?
Hi, Jane.
Thanks! The boule was pretty good looking, I think.
I think the flours I used were too high in protein/gluten though. I will be trying other combinations.
I have not been able to find a good description of how spelt flour performs. I have read it changes the "texture" of the bread but not what the change is. Can you describe how you see spelt flour changes a dough and baked bread?
By "target bread" I mean bread with the characteristics of crust and crumb texture and the taste I want.
David