Purple Sweet Potato Black Sesame Sourdough

I love the effect that sweet potatoes have on tenderizing the crumb and the sweet flavour of sweet potatoes and thought I should make another sweet potato sourdough but instead of pecans, this time adding black sesame seeds.  Those who know me know I love the flavour of sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in particular.

This formula makes a 900 g dough.

I built both the levain and saltolyse dough in the evening starting both with fridge cold water and some fridge time.

Levain 1:4:4 10 g starter 40 g 2ºC water and 40 g whole wheat

Saltolyse dough mix.

290 g water 2ºC dissolve 2% salt 8.18 g then mix 331 g bread or all purpose flour and 41 g whole wheat flour. Then place in fridge.

Just before bedtime take both out of the fridge and leave at a cool room temperature overnight.

In the morning once the levain has just peaked, spread 74 g of levain over the top of the dough, then pinch or dimple into the dough with wet fingers.  The stretch and fold in the bowl followed by 150 slap and folds on the counter.  Let rest in bowl for 20-30 mins in proofing box at 80ºF.  Bulk fermentation has started and fermentation at 80ºF for remainder of bulk.

Clean 1 sweet potato and poke all over with fork.  Microwave 5-10 mins until well cooked/soft.  Cut open and remove meat and mash thoroughly.  If the potato is dry, add some neutral oil while mashing and a pinch of salt.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Edit - an alternate and better way to prep the sweet potato.  Clean and poke sweet potato with a fork.  Rub all over with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 375ºF until soft.  Cut open and remove meat and mash thoroughly adding a pinch of salt.

Divide dough in two and do a counter letterfold to the first half then placing it back in the bowl in proofing box.  To the other half of the dough do a strong letterfold smearing the mashed sweet potato on the dough prior to each fold incorporating all the potato.  Place dough in a separate bowl into proofing box.  The sweet potato may interfere with gluten formation so incorporating it separately helps ensure that the gluten is maximized.

After 30 mins do a double lamination as in my video incorporating the black sesame seeds during the lamination.

Remove 30-40 g of the dough and set up your aliquot jar.  See video for further information on how to use the aliquot jar to assess bulk fermentation.

The aliquot jar should be kept next to the dough throughout bulk fermentation to ensure that the temperature and rate of fermentation is as close to the main dough as possible.  Each time you remove the dough for coil folds remove the aliquot jar as well from the proofing box.

Do 3-4 sets of coil folds for the remainder of bulk fermentation at 30-40 mins intervals until a good windowpane is achieved.  Bulk fermentation ends once your aliquot jar reaches 60% rise.  Go directly to final shaping, the last coil fold will act as your pre-shaping one of the advantages of using coil folds.

Once shaped and placed in a rice flour dusted banneton, place into a plastic bag or cover with reusable plastic shower cap (this is what I use now to cover the dough in banneton or in a bowl) and place in fridge for cold retard overnight.

The next morning, pre-heat oven 500ºF with dutch oven inside.  After 1 hour when oven has reached 500ºF remove dough turning out onto parchment paper.  Brush off excess rice flour and score.  Brush dough liberally with water, this helps with blisters and increases the steam in the dutch oven for excellent oven spring.  Transfer to the dutch oven dropping the temperature to 450ºF and bake in dutch oven covered for 20 mins.  After 20 mins remove cover and drop oven to 420ºF.  Bake for another 23-25 mins turning the dutch oven halfway through continuing to bake without the cover until the crust is a rich mahogany brown.