It’s been a while since I posted.
Things had been busy, as our youngest graduates from college and a holiday in Amsterdam and London with the grandparents. No excuse not to write though, but these events do take up their own mind share.
I’ve also gone back to baking bread, and since the month-long absence, my levain or sourdough was neglected. She has not been happy. For two weeks, I’ve been feeding it, but it had become temperamental, and would not produce the rise that it would normally provide me.
Last night, I used part of it to make pita bread, to pair with ratatouille, homemade hummus, and yogurt dip or raita. It turned out all right, and it provided just enough rise for a fluffy flat bread. A good band-aid product, in the meantime, for a neglected starter.
Just need to wake her up. This means just keep on baking.
So this morning, I used the levain to make an all-white flour boule, since 1) white flour helps a lot int he rise of the bread, and 2) I don’t have any other flour since I am all out of whole wheat and rye flours which I use in my formulae. This time, I remembered to take a picture.
Note that the height is satisfactory, although the tongue is not very pronounced – a sign that the sourdough culture is not optimally active yet. But this is fine to me, as long as the bread rises during the bake.
Recipe for “Back in the Groove” Sourdough Bread
400g all purpose white flour
100g sourdough starter
310g tap room temp water
10g salt
Mix all into a shaggy mass in a large bowl, cover, and leave for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold ( take a corner of the dough, stretch and fold back into the center. Repeat three more times, and flip the dough mass. Cover and leave for an hour.
Repeat another two times.
Let rise until doubled. You may put this in the fridge for a slower rise, but I needed to serve this tonight, so I let it rise for about three hours.
Pour dough into a floured surface and form into a tight ball. Place in a round banneton (or just a surface or lined baking pan) and cover for another hour.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (or 250 deg C).
Slash dough top as desired, and place on middle shelf of oven. Place a cup of ice cubes for some steam.
I put mine in a makeshift preheated dutch oven (a turkey roaster), placed some ice cubes in it, and covered it. Then I put this in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, and decrease to 450 deg F (220 deg C) for another 15 minutes.
Taste:
No hint of sourness, but the texture of the crust and crumb are satisfactory. I am sure she will deliver in the next few bakes.
BreadQuest 