re: Sourdough Bread Eaters

Well that’s pretty accurate too. This particular one was a bit longer bulk fermenting and the PH dropped a bit faster because the sun dried tomatoes have acid so they tend to proof quick and when I’m doing 40-50 at a time there is usually a few that tend to get away from me. Especially when it gets hot like it has been .

Those are friends breads. They are like cats doing figure 8’s under my feet looking for a free tad over-proofed bread. But they are my focus group and I trust their taste and judgement as too if one particular bread is good or not. And they ate a whole lot of crappy bread in the journey with me so it’s the least I can do.

The crumb can be manipulated a lot of ways the most typical is hydration. The higher the hydration the more open the crumb-hence more water to flour so more gas and openings in the crumb.

I bake the majority of mine at 70% hydration for several reasons-one I can use that percentage on almost all breads and depend on the outcome and two I can use that same
percentage and add inclusions both wet or dry and not really have to worry about changing. When I’m doing that many it’s hard to change and keep it consistent.

This bread not only has the acid from the tomatoes but the oil and liquid from the pesto and the extra salt from the Parmesan so the crumb typically stays a bit dense on this one.

I normally push the hydration up with fresh milled flours because they are able and need more water.

I’m not a big open crumb guy but I do like to try to get it pushed out to the water limits. Makes for some interesting bakes. Open crumbs and big ears make great Instagram pictures but if you want a sandwich your Mayo goes through the holes onto your counter. And the ears just rip my
bags. And it rips the dentures out of the little old ladies that buy it so I’ve got to keep my ladies happy. It’s their bread I’m making and their bread I’m taking.

Here is a 80% Red Fife Hard Red Wheat 20% Clarks Cream Hard White Wheat Heritage Grain bread. Flour milled fresh and nothing sifted so all bran and nutrition is intact. Amazing flavors of these old grains and as healthy as you can get. Easy to digest and great for gut health.

Nice to have fresh milled flours.

Some inspiration... love these "day in the life" videos following artisans. The Japanese channel is a rabbit hole worth exploring.

Very nice.

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Yes, rye will absorb more water and doesn't build glutens like other flours, so the resulting dough can be sticky and hard to work with. My last was a walnut with rye and whole wheat and it was sticky and hard to shape.

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Yes, I experienced that when trying a 90% rye. It was a mess to work with.

My comment about it being on the moist and spongy side was about the final baked bread. In hindsight, I think I just cut into it too early.

That’s a great looking bread. My starter stays at 50% hard white wheat and 50% whole wheat. I only use rye when I want to just make it eat voraciously and then about 10%.

You can make them however you like the 50/50 just works well for me and has a lot of flavor plus I mix a hundred pounds at a time so it’s easy.

But keep using those flours and look for the others out there to try. The old ancient grains have so much flavor it’s hard to really tell people but once you taste them you are absolutely hooked. Fun to experiment with and if you don’t always get the oven spring you are looking for doesn’t mean the bread doesn’t taste good.

Here is a line I’m bringing out because I have a lot of people who just want great flavor and nutrition. So it’s an experiment with me too which is great.

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How’s the bread?

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Excellent! Love the ancient grains. They have so much flavor and great crust and crumb. I’ve been eating it toasted with butter all day.

It was great to see you and I would encourage all bread heads to go visit.

Thanks, definitely planning to try out ancient grains once I'm through with the flour I have on hand. Nutritious and a deeper flavor is the direction I feel pulled toward. I'm getting more comfortable with the general process and techniques now so it'll be good timing to dive into ancient grains and higher quality flour.

I have a 55% whole wheat proofing in the fridge right now and will post an update of the final bake.

One question for you all -- what batard shaping technique do you go with?

Also, if you're ever up in Tennessee, check out Niedlov's in Chattanooga and Dozen in Nashville.

Well I got the batard shaping down no problem but totally botched today's loaf. I didn't manage my time well and likely overproofed it. Then to add insult, the dough stuck to the banneton and deflated when I removed it. No photos of this one. Will try again later this week.

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For both of you above I have a couple recommendations.

The Sourdough Journey

The Perfect Loaf

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I tried the beginner's recipe on The Perfect Loaf and it turned out perfect. Lots of compliments from all the family this weekend.

After reading on that site and The Sourdough Journey, I'm certain I've always had my dough too warm and have been over proofing it. I'll go with that same recipe another time or 2 at least to make sure I'm replicating the process correctly then branch out to some of the others on there.

I appreciate the recommendation!