Raisin Pecan Whole Wheat Levain Batards
I'm running a cycle of breads now, warehousing a few different styles to pack in my suitcase for my In-laws at the end of the month. As they've been the beneficiary of baguettes in the past and I've been shaping batards recently, I thought that I'd bake up a bunch and store them in deep freeze until the journey.
Today's bake was raisin pecan whole wheat levain batards with a stiff levain. Lately I've been getting really good mileage (kilometrege? for those outside of the U.S. ;-) ) out of these bakes by shaping the dough the same day as the mix and ferment, and then refrigerating them overnight on the couche. Then a bake directly out of the cooler.
Just off the couche and freshly scored
Steam released and just rotated
The trio
First place winner
Runner up
alan
Comments
crust is especially enticing, Can't wait to see them on the inside! Well done and happy baking
Two of the three are designated as deliverable and shall remain untouched by me any further. The two slices are from about 3 inches apart in this photo:
Still getting my proverbial bread feet wet in the world of using whole grains. Clearly there was some grand oven spring going on here. The yeasts, in their final moments of life as they knew it, went ape-$h!t in the oven and the dough responded as I had hoped for. The shaping of the batards seem to have been well done, although I am applying more pressure to the dough during the action than I would to a baguette. This is my model for shaping (minute 6:30). But nary a single complaint could ever be filed under "bummer" from me on the final outcome.
However, the lack of sufficient open structure has me perplexed. My FB#2 crumb shot from the prior post also exhibited little open crumb (compared to an AP flour bread). Both of these breads are 30% whole grain. When I look for pictures posted elsewhere, as well as in FWSY (it is the only bread book I have other other than Reinhart's BBA) those whole grain shots also reveal a similar crumb structure.
So now onto my Q for dawholegrainbrownman: am I on the right track, or are my expectations for open crumb in a whole grain bread a bit unrealistic? Some diagnosis from you, or anyone else, would be most welcomed.
thanks, alan
BTW that is Diego Rivera's The Flower Carrier in the upper right. That picture hung, as a much larger version, in my Elementary School auditorium and I was forever enamored with it as a child, and I suppose that hasn't changed.
The crumb structure of those breads is quite typical of what I get in that type of loaf. I can get a pretty open crumb in a 30% WW, high-hydration SD bread. But not if there are lots of chunky inclusions like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. I think it's a simple mechanical disruption of the gluten network, but there may be other effects going on.
David
of this dough, which is in the 72% range. So high-ish hydration, but not what folks around the TFL zone typically refer to as high.
Well, that's good to know about the crumb structure. I frequently avoid peeking through the oven glass at the bake's progress during the steaming phase, as if that'll change anything, but boy was I pleased when I opened the door to find these kids just blooming away.
as David said make for a crumb much like yours. it is really enticing to look at! Well done. I like this kind of bread to be at about 755 hydration but 72% won't kill the crumb as your example clearly shows, Anyone can get an open crumb on a white bread but real bread takes some skill :-) It ill only be a matter of time before the wonderful flavor and healthybenefits of more whole grain breads wins out with you! Like my FIL used to say - you can't eat the atmosphere..... and those holes have no taste what so ever:-)
Well done and happy baking Alam
since this is an unpublished formula. I have to say that these past so many bakes have really made me feel more confident in my skill set. But we also know that burst bubble just a-waiting around the bend, so I hope that I don't feel too many of my oats.
Although lately I've been building my levain from the remains of the previous build & bake, after probably more than 3 months it seemed like time to refresh my stiffer stiff levain. Still perky as the day is long. I used a refresh schedule from Marianna(?) that she published a year or two ago on TFL. Works like a charm. The third build wound up doubling in that really short window. The existing old levain will be kissed goodbye, with some of it wrapped in plasti-crap ;-) for emergency b/u if it ever came to it, and the refreshed version will be transferred to that old and unwashed tupperware container to be nestled in the back 40 of my fridge for the next few months. My unfounded belief is to never wash out all of the old levain scrapings, lest we lose some ancient bug or two in the process, which might give the levain a tad more character.
I think that it shows that a good stiff levain might be able to last a lot longer than 3 months.
I was baking today for next weekend's WFO party. You know, something to nosh on while the main attraction is baking. I baked some of my Italian Bread and a couple loaves of Fig-Hazelnut SFSD with increased WW. Great minds, etc.
I may post some photos later.
David
P.S. Just how big is this "suitcase" you are filling with bâtards?
I've now warehoused the 5 batards to take with me: Country Blonde, Country Brown, Italian Sesame, Field Blend #2 and now this RP WW. Along with some blue ice packs, they should stay pretty well frozen for the handful of hours in transit.
I will stick to my guns (being from FL these days, I need to add that that is a figurative statement!!!) and claim that the Italian batards are perhaps the tastiest breads I've just about ever eaten, and I've made some really flavorful breads since finding TFL and using formulas that I've selected from the site.
Since I recently decided to start retarding the dough as already shaped loaves, I've been very pleased with the outcome, like the next step in my young progress has been fulfilled. Now if I could just figure out the refrigerator shelf management issue when the couche has to replace other foods in there, then I might just have it made.
Fig-Hazelnut WW, huh? Hmmm, I see a new formula coming up on my rotation pretty soon, pretty darn soon...
thanks, alan
"Those about to dine, we salute you!"
No in-laws on low-carb diets or gluten intolerant, I take it.
I've traveled with up to 3 loaves in a backpack and with SD starter. I've never put loaves in checked luggage.
I'm glad you liked the SJ Italian bread. It is pretty tasty. I had some for dinner last night with some amazing local olive oil for dipping.
David
The CA olive oil industry hopefully will continue to flourish (if you folks ever get rain again), since our nasty little glassy winged sharpshooter has recently been ravaging the olive groves in Puglia.
The CA olive oil industry hopefully will continue to flourish (if you folks ever get rain again), since our nasty little glassy winged sharpshooter has recently been ravaging the olive groves in Puglia.
they look great, well done