April 18, 2010 - 2:25pm
pretty on the outside
First attempt at a 100% whole wheat, pure sourdough (Peter Reinhart lean hearth bread minus the yeast). Looked great, nice flavor, but the crumb was a wreck, so no pics of that. Next time.
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First attempt at a 100% whole wheat, pure sourdough (Peter Reinhart lean hearth bread minus the yeast). Looked great, nice flavor, but the crumb was a wreck, so no pics of that. Next time.
Can you describe exactly what "wreck" looks like? Was it an even crumb vs riddled with holes? How did it taste? Taste always trumps looks. IMHO, big holes are much overrated, and cause more anxiety with new bread bakers.
Not so much holes as uneven, gaping caverns - bats could have made a nice a home in there. Also a little on the chewy side, bordering tough. But the flavor was really nice, so it certainly did not go to waste. I'm pretty sure I didn't knead it enough for one thing. I figured I would start with a minimal knead just to get a baseline and then adjust future batches from there. I think I was just feeling a little too adventurous that day and did everything kinda weird. I'm very much looking forward to the next attempt - brimming with confidence, even (with fingers slightly crossed).
Same simple sourdough, a little more thoughtfully made. What a difference all around. I can't wait to cut into one of the loaves I didn't fumble out of the basket! One thing worries me a little, even before I start the bread I'm thinking about the pictures, hmmmm... maybe I don't wanna analyze that one too much.