June 3, 2008 - 8:43pm
White Loaf au Levain
I posted a White Loaf a few days ago. I converted it from a commercial yeast loaf that I have been making for some time now. I haven't tried to ferment this recipe until today. I covered with plastic after the first rise (placed in loaf pans) and refrigerated overnight. I assumed that the sour flavor would be dominate after the retarding. After taking out the loaves and a 4 hour rise I baked them; I found the sourness still there but the bread was much sweeter than the ones I do in "a day". They also had a browner crust. The sour flavor is still there as an aftertaste however, seems more of a sweet flavor.
Since I have only been baking sourdough for a few months I find everything a learning experience with every loaf.
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Comments
Hi, Eli.
That looks so good!
Recipe?
David
That looks really good Eli.
I second David's request for a recipe.
FP
I am drooling...beautiful bread!
Amaz
"omnia vincit amor"
282 G Warm Water (75-80 degrees)
60 G Sugar (granulated)
38 G Olive Oil
9 G Salt ( I use Grey Sea Salt/ my preference is little salt)To taste
1 Cup Starter( approx. 230 grams)
600 G Bread Flour ( I use a Hi Gluten flour)
My starter is at 166 % hydration ( I am just learning all this hydration stuff and when I created my starter in Feb. I just added one cup of flour to one cup of water and that is where I have kept it. A little more complicated than that but you get the picture).
I mix flour and all of water together and make a shaggy ball. Allow to autolyse 20 minutes. Come back and add Starter and work into a dough then add oil. Knead approximately 10-12 minutes by hand (windowP test). Last two (2) minutes I add the salt. Dough should be tacky but not sticky. Grease a bowl and place dough inside covered with plastic. Allow to double in size (this bulk ferment will depend on your Starter) mine takes about 4 to 5 hours in a 71 degree kitchen.
Remove from bowl; divide into two equal portions and place in greased 8.5x4.5x2.5 pans cover with plastic and allow to double (should be at top of pans or a little above).
Place in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes and then turn/rotate 180 degreees and bake another 15-20 minutes. Adding steam first 3-5 minutes. Should be golden brown and internal temp should be approx 200 to 205 degrees. I brush with butter and then remove from pans and allow to cool
This is one of my favorites from Peter Reinhart's Crust & Crumb. I should have rolled my logs a little thinner as they really did blossom but this is a great bread. I love it grilled with some butter and Havarti Cheese, amazing!
Beautiful Crust
While it is a great formula I am going to try in the upcoming week to convert it to a natural levain (sourdough) just to experiment with the taste and texture. I really do love Crust & Crumb and want to thank all those here that sparked that interest.
Eli
If you're looking for a sourdough challah recipe you might want to check out http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4200/sourdough-challah-photos-recipe
FP
If you want a whole collection of sourdough challah recipes, look at Maggie Glazer's "A Blessing of Breads."
BTW, that challah looks wonderful.
David
I will check into the Maggie Glezer books. It seems I read about them on here before but had forgotten about her books.
Thank you again,
Eli