intheberkshires

This might be a loaf that will interest you. It's much slower, with long fermentation. Lots of old-fashioned hand work, although I don't knead it; rather I fold and rest/fold and rest. The addition of white flour makes it lighter and airier. It is an adaptation of Bernard Clayton's sourdough whole wheat bread: Starting in the evening: 14 oz refreshed starter (100% hydration) 28 oz water 15 oz wheat flour 5 oz white flour mix by hand until combined (it is very wet; like thick soup) & ferment on counter 5 hours. (sometimes I have left it overnight. My kitchen is a cool place, maybe 67 degrees F) It will bubble beautifully and have a wonderful wheaty, yeasty, sour smell! Then add: 1.1 oz salt 22 oz white flour Mix by hand (too big for my machine) to a loose, gloopy, sticky dough. Mix as much as you can, until it is fully mixed and all ingredients are well incorporated, then: rest 45 minutes (I still use my cool kitchen), then dump out, flatten and fold a la Dan Lepard. Return to covered bowl. repeat this 45 min rest, then fold two more times, then Divide and shape (3 large boules) put into bannetons. Proof for one hour or until dough, using fingertip test, tells you it is ready to bake. (this dough is extremely active due to all the pre-ferment) Bake at 550 F, w/ water in bottom of oven, spritz 3 times, then turn oven down to 450. Continue baking until nicely brown and done. Good luck!

Wow! The loaf is amazing! Here are some images: Here it is in the banneton, fermentation period over. Not a huge amount of rising, but I trusted your instructions and the "finger test" suggested it was time to bake. I decided to use my clay cloche (sp?). Heated it in the oven first. The dough stuck to the banneton and pulled the top a bit, but I slashed and popped it into the cloche. Here it is out of the oven. Nice oven bounce, nice browning. The funky flap thing is where the skin pulled when being ejected from the banneton. I have to go back and look at your crumb to see the difference. Not an open, holey crumb (any suggestions?) but the flavor has the sweetest wheat flavor imaginable and the texture isn't heavy, dense and dry like many 100% whole wheat loaves. Any critique? The wonderful thing is how easy it is - no bulk fermentation stage. Mix and shape. Revolutionary! Thank you Jack! Maria

Thanks Jack! I just mixed it up. Must say already it doesn't look like yours. With your exact measurments the dough was so dry I couldn't get it to stick to the dough hook or mixer bowl. (and yes, starter is 100% hydrated). I decided to try the mass in my Cuisineart; proceeded to make THAT appliance very unhappy. Managed to get it to whirl about but it still wasn't pulling in any way that might suggest the gluten was getting developed. Put the mass back into the KA and added a bit of water. This helped. I'm not sure I worked the gluten as well as you did (still seems a bit dry and thus not sticking/pulling) but I didn't want to muck about too much with your formula so I avoided adding more water. Shaped the dough and now it's fermenting in the banneton. Will keep you posted. Not sure how to attach photos in this forum but if I can figure it out I'll send some up. Best wishes, Maria