Müller and Schuster
No not a publishing company, or a fancy new German housewares line - just a humble cobbler's loaf and miller's miche.
Continuing on with trying to absorb the King Arthur rye class I took a few weeks ago, I decided to make a Schuster Laib, or cobbler's loaf. Mr. Hamelman explained that this upside down rye loaf was probably originally some apprentice baker's error and so the head baker called it a cobbler's loaf, because for some reason, calling someone a cobbler was a big insult. Now of course, cobbler's loaves are made on purpose, and I've always gasped in admiration whenever I saw one. (Breadsong's version comes to mind.) At our class, while we were making the 80% rye loaves with rye soaker in Pullman pans, Mr. Hamelman quietly put one of these together. So this time, I made an 80% rye loaf as a free standing upside down hearth loaf.
At the class we had to sign (at least in our minds) an affidavit promising not to cut into the 80% loaves for 24 hours. So I can't get a look inside just yet, as it's only been around 4.
Update: So I had a few people over this morning and served the bread (they were expecting maybe coffee cake?) and they liked it, so I hacked it up to give them some to take home, almost forgetting that I owed a crumb shot. Fortunately there was a little bit left.
The flavor was very intense - that rye sour smell that I've been talking about transformed to taste. As much flavor as you'll ever get from flour and water.
So as not to have a day go by without bread, I decided to make a second loaf today. My home-milled flour has been getting cranky, as I make one rye loaf after another, so I decided to pull it out of the closet and take it for a spin. Loaf two is a miller's miche, so called because I used my home milled and sifted flour for the final dough, and sprinkled the whole loaf with the sifted and remilled bran.
The dough was so sticky when I flipped it out of the basket using my hand to steady it onto the peel, that it stuck to my hand, and I had to scrape it off and pat the loaf back together, so I was expecting a disaster. It recovered quite nicely in the oven, though, and is happily edible by humans.
The rye loaf was made with my new twice daily fed rye sour, and the miller's loaf was made with twice daily fed white starter. For today's bake, I finally got the smell that I remembered from the rye sour at King Arthur, although much less overpowering, as much smaller quantity. My wheat starter seems happier and more active as well, so I'm happy with the new regimen.
I used the exact formula from the class for the 80% rye, but modified process a bit to suit my baking conditions. I will list what I did rather than Mr. Hamelmans precise instructions.
Formulas and methods:
Schuster's Laib
|
3/10/2013 |
1st feed |
2nd feed |
2nd feed |
Total |
|
|
Rye sour |
12:30 PM |
9:30 PM |
9:30 PM |
||
|
Seed |
54 |
||||
|
Whole Rye |
28 |
100 |
-55 |
150 |
223 |
|
Water |
26 |
82 |
-45 |
122 |
185 |
|
408 |
|||||
|
Soaker |
|||||
|
Coarse Rye |
109 |
||||
|
boiling water |
164 |
||||
|
273 |
|||||
|
3/11/2013 |
Final |
Sour |
Soaker |
Total |
Percent |
|
Whole Rye |
137 |
192 |
109 |
438 |
80% |
|
Sir Lancelot high gluten |
109 |
109 |
20% |
||
|
Water |
153 |
158 |
164 |
475 |
87% |
|
Salt |
10 |
10 |
1.8% |
||
|
Yeast |
5 |
5 |
1.0% |
||
|
Sour |
350 |
||||
|
Soaker |
273 |
||||
|
Rye Sour seed hydration |
90% |
||||
|
Rye Sour hydration |
83% |
||||
|
Starter factor |
0.86 |
||||
|
Total Flour |
547 |
||||
|
Total Whole Grain |
80% |
||||
|
Total Dough |
1037 |
||||
|
Percent prefermented flour |
35% |
||||
|
Hydration |
87% |
||||
|
Build rye sour as listed. Sprinkle top with rye flour after 2nd build |
|||||
|
Make soaker at the same time as final sour build |
|||||
|
After 12 hours when sour is ripe (smell, and islands of the sprinkled rye flour) |
|||||
|
mix all ingredients. Consistency is paste. |
|||||
|
Bulk Ferment 30 minutes. Shape sprinkling top with rye after folding in |
|||||
|
each corner. Place seam side down in lined basket. |
|||||
|
Proof 1 hour 45 minutes. |
|||||
|
Preheat oven to 550 for one hour (plus) with stone and large cast iron pan |
|||||
|
Turn oven off, load loaf, and pour water into cast iron pan. Close oven and |
|||||
|
listen. If hissing stops before 5 minutes is up, add water. After five minutes, |
|||||
|
turn oven to 470F for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 440 for 40 minutes. |
|||||
|
Remove and cool. |
|||||
|
When cool wrap for overnight. |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miller’s Miche
|
3/10/2013 |
1st feed |
Total |
|||
|
9:30 PM |
|||||
|
Seed |
43 |
||||
|
KAAP |
25 |
118 |
143 |
||
|
Whole Rye |
1 |
7 |
8 |
||
|
Water |
17 |
84 |
101 |
67% |
|
|
252 |
|||||
|
3/11/2013 |
|||||
|
Final |
Starter |
Sour |
Total |
Percent |
|
|
KAAP |
130 |
130 |
21% |
||
|
Whole Rye |
8 |
22 |
29 |
5% |
|
|
Golden |
450 |
450 |
74% |
||
|
Water |
350 |
92 |
18 |
461 |
76% |
|
Salt |
11 |
11 |
1.8% |
||
|
Starter |
230 |
||||
|
Rye Sour |
40 |
||||
|
Starter seed hydration |
67% |
||||
|
Starter hydration |
67% |
||||
|
Starter factor |
0.9 |
||||
|
Total Flour |
609 |
||||
|
Total Whole Grain |
79% |
||||
|
Total Dough |
1081 |
||||
|
Percent prefermented flour |
26% |
||||
|
Hydration |
76% |
||||
|
Autolyse flour and water 30 minutes |
|||||
|
Add remaining ingredients and mix at speeds 1 and 2 |
|||||
|
to medium development |
|||||
|
Rest 5 minutes. Stretch and fold in bowl. |
|||||
|
Bulk Ferment 2 hours. |
|||||
|
Shape into boule and place in lined basket. |
|||||
|
Proof for 1.5 hours. |
|||||
|
Bake at 450 with steam (cast iron method - see above) for 5 minutes |
|||||
|
without for 40. |
|||||
|
Remove and cool. |
|||||
|
Note that Rye Sour is leftover from the Rye loaf. |
|||||
Comments
Wow those both look amazing. Can't wait to see your crumb and hear how it tastes.
Thanks for sharing your bakes.
ian
It is very frustrating to have to wait to taste, but I guess that just makes tomorrow better. -Varda
some fine baking Varda. The miche is spectacular to look at and the crumb nothing less than the Crumby Baker's signature effort. Can't wait to see the how the crumb of the rye comes out. I'm guessing the Crumby Baker came through again. The miche might have more open holes and taste terrific but the rye is one I want to eat because holes have very little flavor and are nearly un-nutritional:-)
Very nice baking Varda!
I cut out one of my holes to see if you were right, and it tastes really great. And I swear I can feel myself getting healthier. Hopefully the rye will have just enough holes not to be a doorstop. Thanks for commenting DA. -Varda
It makes complete sense, at least somewhere it does. I' m almost positive about that. I really don't have anything against holes generally but ,in the universe we live in, as opposed to the infinite number of other, call them parallel universes that scientists go on and on about, holes are as near emptiness as one can get around here and pretty much a classic form of ....dare I say it..... space wasting. Other universes are unlimited in their differences from ours. One of them is exactly like this one except that Varda and Dabrownman don't exist there but everything else is the same. Some might call this a better place and they might be right.
Other universes can be and certainly are..... more strange. One is just like this one almost exactly exactly, except there is no color. Everything is black and there is an awful lot of bumping into black stuff going on around there for some reason. In others, the laws of physics and the forces of nature we enjoy here just don't exist. Imagine no gravity, no electromagnetism, no strong or weak forces, no theory of relativity ...... its even hard to imagine a universe like that when realizing that all living things, as we know them, can't possibly exist.
Instead of the 11 dimensions we enjoy here, in other universes there are only 2 - say width and height. Things are very flat and thin and folks never have a weight problem there.
Instead of living things being carbon and water based they are based on dust mite feces (left over from the last universe that occupied that space which had living carbon and water based dust mites) and paint thinner in some shade of gray since there, the only color is gray......you get the point. Let your imagination be your guide!
To get back to the point if there is one, there is a universe out there where the wonderment of smell, taste and nutrition of bread is conveyed in the holes of the bread to what ever is eating it there. The rest of bread is totally worthless .....and a waste of space .........so to speak. Just the opposite of here. So, those folks in this universe who think holes in bread are where it's at, are just living in the wrong universe. It is the other part of bread that is more important here but, you can keep cutting out those holes since travel between universes might well be possible too. In fact. you might be able to actually physically be in two different universes at the same time - and probably are and it might be the oe=ne where holes reign supreme.....but that is another story.
Isn't it wonderful to have delivered to you at no charge whatsoever, a scientifically based, lessened understanding of something - even if it was a misunderstanding of worthless holes? The story continues....... :-)
Happy Hole Cutting Varda!
Your essay leaves me speechless. And my speechlessness has meaning and taste and plenty of nutrition. -Varda
I see a new money making venture...Varda's holy bread...the new diet craze...half the calories of non-holy bread! Let's try and raise some venture capital right away...
libraries are full of books just like here, but unlike here, the pages of all the books are completely blank - but they are full of tasty and nutritional speechlessness instead :-) Science is way more interesting than any book ..... except bread making and baking ones .....and other cookbooks of course.
Just think, there is a universe out there that reflects each one of the millions of individual choices that you have made or not made and all the combinations of the choices you have made or not and things that have happened that you had no control over. Billions and billions of universes are out there - just because of you. Fascinating! Now think of all the people who have ever lives in this universe and the choices they have made, or could have made and the other things that happenmed to them they they had no control over and those possible combinations. No wonder universes are infinite!
Thanks for putting up with the physics and its many possible universes - some where bread may not even exist :-(
Diana Wynne Jone's stories revolve around these themes and as far as I know she is not a physicist. You have to go to the Children's section of the library to get them though. I hope everyone assumed I was there to get books for a child (other than myself that is.)
Hi Varda,
Your loaves are stunning!
It's lovely to see this Schuster Leib - you've taken Mr. Hamelman's shaping technique and made a uniquely beautiful loaf :^)
I bet that 80% rye bread is going to taste amazing, if you are getting good aromas from your starter (last summer, I was using and feeding my rye starter very frequently; the starter had a beautiful fruitness in aroma that translated to the flavor of the bread - wonderful).
I don't know that I could keep on top of a twice-daily feeding schedule on an ongoing basis, but when I see these gorgeous loaves you're baking, I surely want to try!
:^) breadsong
Hi Breadsong, I find the key to making a twice daily feeding schedule manageable is keeping the quantities very, very small except when preparing for a bake. That and not forgetting. Thanks so much for your comments. Still a few hours to go before cutting into the rye. Waiting.... -Varda
[Note on German - I never studied it, but I'm a mean hand with google translate - Laib is loaf, Leib is flesh or body. Mr H wrote Leib on the board, but I'm guessing he meant Laib. If I remember from back in the day, my mother would call me leibschon (spelling?) which I took to mean sweetheart - so sweet body? I should have taken German.]
Stunning breads indeed, Varda! your photography is ever so beautiful, too.
Oh, the Rye! I have not had a good Rye for quite some time, and your post excites me to refresh me Rye starter.
I'am especially admiring your Miche crumb... beautiful brown open crumb. How is the flavor?
Can't wait to see the Rye sliced.
Hi Khalid, I have been trying to figure out how to describe the Miche flavor. I would say that it tastes like a whole wheat bread with the edge taken out and more subtle notes added in. So if you eat it without thinking about it, it just tastes like a good hearty bread - keep you warm in the winter - eat with stew. But it you pay attention, more is going on - the contribution of the wheat starter. It is not sour. It is not bitter. Really very basic bread - just better. I am looking forward to the rye. This was what I was planning to bring to the TFL get-together at the end of the month, but I figured I'd better try it out first. Thanks for your comments. -Varda
I just assumed dab was using up last year's limoncello and arancello to make room for this year's harvest. ;-)
Paul
Most sane and sober folks have a hard time with the odd theories of physics and the universe - I know I do. But, I do have a half a bottle of limoncello and arancello left from last year's crop and it has to last at least another 60 days which isn't a problem. I'm limited to one drink a day. Nothing is worse for diabetics than alcohol except possibly bread :-)
I am processing this year's oranges into arancello and marmalade but my lemon source has dried up. I give most of it away or the glass it is in breaks from rough handling.
Now in my younger years, before scientific discoveries made science interesting, things were different from a physics and drinking perspective. But age, along with discoveries, make the world a safer place :-)
Happy baking Paul - look forward to your next bake!
Beautiful loaves, Varda! Bread baking is not a hobby for the impatient. It takes hours to ferment the dough, some more time to bake, and up to a day to cool. Friends and aquaintences are often in disbelief when I tell them that my sourdough breads can take 2 to 3 days to finish.
Also, good to hear that your new starter regimen is working out for you. Refreshing daily may be a minor nuisance but the potential flavour is worth it!
Take care and all the best,
Zita
before trying to bake bread. Impatience was my major obstacle when I first started baking bread a few years ago. Impatience leads to bad bread, and so I've gradually learned to leave it behind. Thanks for your comments. -Varda
Both are splendid looking loaves Varda but the rye is the one that really caught my attention with it's rich colour and lovely crevices. Very striking!
Like Khalid, I began reviving my long dormant rye starter after reading your post and seeing your Schuster Laib. I'm long overdue for a hearty rye bread of some kind. Thanks for the inspiration and a super post.
Franko
Franko, Thanks so much for commenting. This is a truly delicious and intensely flavorful bread. One I hope to make many times. Good luck with your rye. -Varda
Those are both great loooking loaves, Varda. I love the look of the cobbler's loaf (no scoring necessary!). The crumb of the miche is really beautiful as well. I hope you will update with the tasting results when the 24 hours is up. Like Khalid and Franko, I have begun to resurrect my long neglected rye starter in hopes of making a nice rye loaf ike yours. Thanks for sharing your learnings with us.
-Brad
of rye starters. Thanks Brad. Tasting notes above. Best of luck with your rye baking. -Varda
Lovely crumb on the rye, with no apparent gumminess.
Khalid, I cut into it a bit early. I would rather cut a bread early if it is more likely to be eaten that way, so I didn't completely optimize for quality. The crumb was not gummy, but it was a little more compressed than I had hoped for. The taste was fantastic though, compressed or not. -Varda
Hello Varda:
Your breads look beautiful and also fantastic crumb shot. I have to confess that I have never bake any Rye bread and hardly taste any either. WE Thai people eat rice and I do eat bread now but still stay away from what I called "Fancy breads" like Rye,pumpernickel and such but your pictures make me want to try it. I am going to take a bread class at King Arthur too in June, this year. It is called Mediterranean bread class and I don't know exactly what we are making yet. It is going to be my first bread class. I am so looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing your experience and these beautiful breads.
mantana
I'm sure that you will have a great time at the class. I wish I could take all of them. Funny about the idea of rye and pumpernickel being fancy. Rye was the grain that kept people alive when wheat wasn't an option - in the cold countries of Northern Europe, where the land wasn't rich enough to support wheat. Wheat was the fancy grain. I guess ideas about things change with the context. Thanks so much for commenting. -Varda
Hi Varda,
Beautiful loaves; both of them. It's so good to get the follow-up from your rye class with Mr Hamelman showing such a wealth of learning.
My rye sour continues to go from strength-to-strength as I cannot make enough Moscow Rye loaves for the Hexham Farmers' Market. But, an 80% Rye sounds good; maybe I'll re-visit Detmolder as a change from Auerman?
Take good care
Andy
Andy, Just my two cents, but I"m sure your rye eating customers would love to have a German style rye added to your line-up. Thanks so much for your kind words. -Varda