San Joaquin Inspired Whole Wheat-Spelt Sourdough
I decided last month to try and revisit making baguettes again. I had not made any in quite some time and my shaping and scoring skills were not up to snuff.
I decided to follow David Snyder’s famous recipe from The Fresh Loaf.com and baked them several times with a few modifications (because I just can’t help myself :)). I’m still not happy with my shaping and scoring so no pictures here…but the crumb came out excellent just like you want with a nice open honeycomb and crispy light crust.
Next I decided to add some additional % of whole grains and see if I could achieve a similar crumb and flavor but bake them a regular loaf using my brotforms. I used freshly ground whole wheat sifted 2x as well as freshly ground Spelt also sifted 2x. I added black and white sesame seeds which really tasted great.
I used the same timing and method as described in David’s post. The bread tastes great and was amazing grilled with some Havarti with dill cheese.
Grilled Bread with Havarti Dill Cheese–with Grilled SteakThe crumb was disappointing. I’m not sure why it was not more open. I may have handled it too roughly but I’ve always found it odd that when making baguettes I’m able to get such an open crumb, but if I use the same dough for a regular loaf it’s rarely as open.
In any case, the increased amount of whole grains in this bake really brought the flavor up a notch in my humble opinion.
Here are the formulas for anyone interested:
Comments
Beautiful loaves, and I really like the shape and profile of the sliced bread! Uniform and a nice height to width. Perfect for sandwiches!
Do you always use that scoring pattern on your larger loaves?
I’m for this shape I usually will do 1 slash down 1 side and then I vary depending on my mood 😀. I actually used a scissor to make the other cuts this time. My wife bought me some stencils and a UFO lame to make more intricate cuts. I just haven’t had a chance to play around. I belong to a FB group and some of the people are doing amazing scoring.
Happy baking!
Ian
These are handsome loaves Ian, you know that seeded crusts always get my attention. Hope you give the baguettes a go again. I really have to make them a bit regularly otherwise I lose my skills at shaping them.
Benny
I know how much you love sesame seeds 😆. I really enjoyed the baguettes as well and will certainly make some more soon enough. I really like how the ones I made with durum turned out. Hope you’re enjoying your vacation!
Best regards,
Ian
To my eye, the crumb on the bâtards is consistent with a 35% whole grain dough at 72% hydration. If you prefer the flavor of air, you could boost the hydration. I find I prefer the flavor of loaves made with 30-40% mixed whole grain flours, so yours sounds yummy.
These days, my SJSD baking is almost entirely baguettes. Next most often is my "Italian" version which has some olive oil in the dough, some durum flour and a coating of sesame seeds. It's pretty nice eating.
Happy baking!
David
Glad to hear your approve of the crumb. I’ve been really enjoying this version and the baguettes I made replacing the WW and rye with durum bumped up a little.
Best regards,
Ian