Beyond 100% - No-handling Redoux
In a previous post I showed a loaf that was all levain or starter, and took no handling:
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/74384/100-levain-nohandling-bread
For today's bake I decided to start really pushing the limits: 120% hydration. The baked loaf is exquisite.
Here are two more photos and then I will just copy in my notes. The first photo is just before baking. The top showed a crack and seemed to want to sink, so I probably had proofed it a little too long. Didn't hurt the bread a bit, though!
I went for a small loaf knowing that it would not fill the pan. It did fill the pan more or less in proportion to the amount of flour: 300g.
Tom's Notes
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120% Hydration No-handling Bread
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30% starter, 15% atta, 85% KA bread flour, 120% water, 2% salt. 300g
flour. To be raised and baked in the 4 X 4 X 9 Pullman pan.
Process
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- 9:15 AM - mix
- 9:45 - stir 50 times with spatula
- 9:50 - pour into buttered Pullman pan
- 4:00 PM - bake 45 min @ 400°F, last 5 out of pan to dry and brown more. 209°F internal.
By bake time the load looked like it was starting to sink in the middle
a little. For several hours bubbles had been appearing on the top
of the loaf. The bread did not come close to filling the pan; I
expected this. OTOH, I thought it would be a little higher.
Results
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The crumb is as open and irregular as I had hoped for. The loaf is 2 1/2-in high, which seems in line with how larger weights of dough
fill the pan. The crust is thin, crunchy, and buttery without being hard to bite through or breaking off.
The crumb, cut an hour and a half after the end of the bake, is custardy. It's like eating a rich, custardy foam, even though this is not an enriched bread. The taste is very rich and has no sour notes that I could tell.
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Trailrunner suggested greasing the loaf pan with butter. I used soft room temperature butter and applied it with my fingers. What a great crust it produced! Oiling the pan has never worked well for me, but the semi-solid butter was perfect.
TomP
I was pondering your last version of this bake just this morning. It's currently too hot and dry for baking to be very appealing, but when we get enough of a break to not mind turning on the oven, I'll give this a go. Sounds tasty!
The crumb is so open that if you toast a slice and butter it, be prepared for some melted butter to drip out the bottom. Maybe that's too open?
I baked another variation today: 50% bread flour, 25% sifted buckwheat, 27% sifted emmer, 23% sifted spelt, 30% starter, 100% hydration. This used up the last of the emmer I sifted many months ago. The timeline was similar, about 7 hours start to bake time, and the loaf rose very slightly more than yesterday's 120% hydration one. I didn't let it overproof, I think. I won't cut into it until tomorrow.
TomP
That crumb looks amazing. I’ve gotten that a few times by accidentally over-hydrating a dough. The butter induced crust is a special bonus as well!
Thanks for sharing your bake for inspiration.
Ian