My first entry to Weekend Loafer in August 2011 was the quintessential French sourdough- Pain au Levain from Daniels Leaders’ Local Breads…and by coincidence I will end the year with Pain au Levain — but this time from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes. As I have baked this recipe many times before with great success, I thought I might try and guild the lily by adding a little twist to the recipe.  A search of my box of flours in the pantry produced  a half bag of some bio spelt flour, some sesame seeds so I did some quick calculations … and off we went.

After the autolyse I added the levain and salt, but the dough was too stiff probably because the hydration was a little off for a Pain au Levain (must have been the thirsty spelt flour).  So I incorporated a little extra water as I kneaded the dough in order to bring it to a workable soft consistency. The shaping and proofing went according to plan, but when I turned out shaped loaves and slashed them, they did not hold their shape and had a rather low profile. Nonetheless, I slid them onto the hot baking stone, into a steamy oven and they underwent their trial by fire.  As there was nothing I could do at that point but cross my fingers and hope for a good oven spring, I went outside to sit in the warm late noon winter sun and take in the view of my valley.

The anticipation was too much to take, so I peeked into the oven — and a big smile came upon my face. My fears of finding flat pancakes evaporated.  The loaves had sprung up and showed a great exterior color.  But the proof was in the tasting!  I have become a big fan of using spelt in my sourdough breads. The spelt imparts a rich subtitle nutty taste that is really hard to describe.  And the combination of the sesame seeds and spelt is a truly winning combination. But the next time I make this great bread I think I’ll roast the seeds beforehand instead of soaking them for an even richer overall flavor.

Pain au Levain with whole spelt and sesame seeds

Loosely Adapted from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes.

Desired dough temperature 76°

Makes 2 loaves

Levain Build:

• 28 g Stiff levain
• 130 g Bread flour  (I used Type 65)
• 85 g Water

Ingredients:

• 539 g  Bread flour(I used Type 65)
• 201 g  Whole spelt flour  (Grand épeautre)
• 28 g Medium Rye (I used Type 150)
• 505 g  Water
• 224 g Stiff levain (do not use all of the above starter, weigh it out!!!)
• 17 g Gray sea salt
• 100 g Sesame seeds (optional) cover with 175g water and soak the night before, pat dry before adding to the dough

Bread method:

1. The night before take your levain out of the refrigerator, weigh out the appropriate amount of starter and mash the levain with a whisk in a bowl with the water. Add the flours and stir with a spatula until it comes together. Turned out onto the work surface and knead to incorporate the flours. Place the Levain in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature (70°) for 12 hours. After you prepare the Levain place the sesame seeds in a bowl with the water to cover and tightly cover.
2. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl stand mixer. Combine flour, spelt flour, rye flour and water until all the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes, while the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to develop. (I could not fit my Kitchen Aid Pro in my suitcase, so I mix by hand… I autolyse/rest for 20 minutes before adding the Levain, which really helps the gluten development)
3. Kneading By hand: Turn the dough out onto your work surface. (I had to add a small amount  water to achieve the desire consistency)  I flatten the dough into a large rectangle; smear the Levain on top of the dough. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to fully incorporate the starter, flatten out the dough again and evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I use a combination of the French kneading technique (video) and this method if the dough is really wet (video) to start. For the first couple of minutes it will be a sticky mess on your work surface, but do not yield to the temptation of adding more flour. Stop occasionally and use your bench scraper to gather any stray dough off of your work surface and ceiling. Continue until you have a good gluten development. You should be able to gently stretch a piece of the dough into a thin membrane that you can almost see through without it tearing. Place the seeds on a towel to remove excess water.  At this time add the soaked seeds. I  add them at the end of mixing to prevent the sharp grains from ripping the gluten structure. Knead the seeds into the dough till evenly distributed.  By machine: Add the salt and Levain and mix the medium speed until the dough cleans up the bowl and you reach a good gluten development. Add seeds on low speed the last minute or so.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 ½ hours (76°). Fold the dough twice at 50 minute intervals. If you would like see the folding process and  get a good overall picture of the bread making process for the home baker, I highly recommend you check out Mark’s videos at the Back Home Bakery
5. Divide into two equal pieces and lightly pre-shape into a boule or log shape.  Lightly flour the dough, cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Shape each piece of dough into a batard  or an oval or boule and place seam side up on a floured couche or into floured bannetons. Cover with a plastic bag or plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 2-2 1/2 hours. (76°) When you press your floured finger into the dough, the indentation will spring back slowly.
6. About one hour before baking, preheat the oven to 500°with baking stone and a tray in the bottom of the oven for steam. I like to add one cup of water or a hand full of ice cubes to the bottom tray a few minutes before putting the loaves in the oven to produce a moist environment for the baking of the proofed loaves.
7. Gently turn the proofed loaves onto parchment paper or your floured peel. Score the loaves. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone, turn down the oven to 460° and continue to bake for 40-45 minutes. (I turn the oven down and then after 20 minutes, rotate them to get an even distribution of the heat and continue to bake until I have good color and when you tap the bottom of the loaf you hear a thud). I like to give the loaves a bold bake to help cook the interior loaf.
8. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in.

This post is being sent to WildYeast at YeastSpotting

The post Pain au Levain with whole spelt and sesame seeds first appeared on Weekend Loafer.

Having wrapped up the French pain sour-dough section from Local Breads, (well…all I could successfully make without a mixer) I decided to revisit an old friend… Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes. This is one of the first books I purchased when starting my obsession with sourdough breads.  As I thumbed through my falling apart- stained- tattered and signed copy, it was like meeting an old friend you have not talked to in months!  I became nostalgic as I looked at the many great recipes from the sourdough section; oh that Normandy Apple bread…what a great one, or Vermont Sour Dough… a classic, and the list goes on and on.  To my surprise I then came upon a recipe that I never tried before!  How is it possible I never baked the Whole Wheat Levain before?

Deciding to give it a try, I converted my white liquid levain to whole wheat to get ready for a bake the next day.  The preferment or levain for this bread is actually more like a polish (100% hydration) that uses the natural yeast instead of commercial yeast.  Hamelman says “The protease enzyme degrades the flour protein, and is quite active in a liquid environment such as the loose- textured starter used here.” I mixed it up, turned on my micro processorto 73° and let it sit over night in the nice warm oven.  After 12 hours it was filled with bubbles, active enzymes and ready to go.

Living up on the mountain has made bread making an important part of my daily life.   I usually try to keep lots of bread flour on hand, but for some reason I found very little left.  So, with limited access to a market I had to make do with what I found in the pantry.  Sometimes you have to be a very flexible and hope that the changes made will not totally mess up the bake.  I made a few flour substitutions to the formula using what I had, added some sunflower seeds (really wish I had some hazelnuts instead) along with dried figs, and hoped for the best. The dough was a little sticky to begin with but came together after some vigorous French kneading.  After observing a good gluten development, I worked in the sunflower seeds and chopped figs and gave it the full bulk fermentation with two folds. The rest of the process went like all of the recipes in the book I have baked; uneventful…which is a good thing!  In the end I am sure glad I finally baked this bread…but sorry that I ran out of bread flour!  For a bread with a good amount of whole wheat and all the extras I added the crumb was not too dense…in fact it had good volume. The addition of the figs and seeds is what really gives the bread an added taste dimension…the sweetness of the figs complements the earthy taste of the whole wheat.

Whole Wheat Levain with sunflower seeds and figs

Loosely Adapted from Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes.

Desired dough temperature 76°

Makes 2 loaves

Levain Starter:

• 28 g Liquid levain
• 136 g Whole wheat  (I used Type 150)
• 136 g Water

Ingredients:

• 454 g  Bread flour(I used 126g Type 65 oops…ran out and 328g Type 80  )
• 318 g  Stone ground whole wheat flour ( I used Type 110)
• 490 g  Water
• 272 g Liquid levain (do not use all of the above starter, weigh it out!!!)
• 17 g Gray sea salt
• 100 g Sunflower seeds (optional) cover with water and soak the night before, pat dry before adding to the dough
• 222 g Dried figs (optional)  cut into small pieces the size of raisins

Bread method:

1. Take your levain out of the refrigerator, weigh out the appropriate amount of starter and whisk the levain in a bowl with the water.  Add the flour and whisk until it smooth.  Place the levain in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature (70 to 76°) for 12-14 hours
2. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl stand mixer. Combine the flours until all the ingredients (except salt) are incorporated. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes, while the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to develop. If you are mixing by machine, you can wait to add the levain. I find it too messy to incorporate the liquid levain to the developing dough by hand.
3. Kneading By hand: Turn the dough out onto your work surface. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to start developing the dough, flatten out the dough, evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I use a combination of the French kneading technique and the shown here if the dough is really wet to start (video clips).  For the first couple of minutes it will be a sticky mess on your work surface, but do not yield to the temptation of adding more flour. Stop occasionally and use your bench scraper to gather any stray dough from your work surface. Continue until you have a good gluten development. You should be able to gently stretch a piece of the dough into a thin membrane that you can almost see through without it tearing.  By machine: Add the salt and levain and mix on medium speed until the dough cleans up the bowl and you reach a good gluten development.
4. Place the seeds on a towel to remove excess water.  Knead the seeds and figs into the dough till evenly distributed.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 ½ hours (76°). Fold the dough twice at 50 minute intervals. If you would like see the folding process and  get a good overall picture of the bread making process for the home baker, I highly recommend you check out Mark’s videos at the Back Home Bakery
6. Divide into two equal pieces and lightly pre-shape into a boule or log shape.  Lightly flour the dough, cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Shape each piece of dough into a batard  or an oval or boule and place seam side up on a floured couche or into floured bannetons. Cover with a plastic bag or plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 2-2 1/2 hours. (76°) When you press your floured finger into the dough, the indentation will spring back slowly. You can also cover and  retard the shaped loaves for up to 18 hours in the refrigerator  at  42° or up to  8 hours at 50°
7. About one hour before baking, preheat the oven to 500°with baking stone and a tray in the bottom of the oven for steam. I like to add one cup of water or a hand full of ice cubes to the bottom tray a few minutes before putting the loaves in the oven to produce a moist environment for the baking of the proofed loaves.
8. Gently turn the proofed loaves onto parchment paper or your floured peel. Score the loaves. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone, turn down the oven to 460° and continue to bake for 40-45 minutes. (I turn the oven down and then after 20 minutes, rotate them to get an even distribution of the heat and continue to bake until I have good color and when you tap the bottom of the loaf you hear a thud). I like to give the loaves a bold bake to help cook the interior loaf.
9. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in.

This post is being sent to WildYeast at YeastSpotting

The post Whole Wheat Levain with sunflower seeds and figs first appeared on Weekend Loafer.

 

When I first made Pain de Campagne or “Country Bread” from Local Breads, I was very impressed with everything about the loaf.  It is by all accounts a truly exceptional bread.  The dough is a pleasure to work with, the taste is simple, but very satisfying, and the oven spring is remarkable.  So… when I recently observed my bread supply dwindling away, I charged up my levain for a repeat mission: Country Bread. When I went into the pantry to gather the flour I needed, I was not expecting to change the recipe at all.  But when I found some spelt flour, I could not resist the temptation for little experimentation!  And I’m not sorry that I messed with the original recipe.

It turns out that the small amount of spelt flour adds a whole new dimension to this simple rustic bread, and I thought this bake might become my daily bread.  Yet after brief reflection I felt something just wasn’t completely right. I realized I anticipated a specific overall taste that didn’t quite come through. To wit, the next time I make this Mountain Bread I hope to give it a simpler, distinctive  taste … I will leave out the whole wheat, add some toasted wheat germ, double up on the spelt, cut the rye in half and make sure that I give it a bold  bake.

 Pain de Montagne 

Loosely Adapted from Daniel Leader’s Local Breads

Desired dough temperature 76°

Levain Starter:

• 50 g Liquid levain
• 135g unbleached all-purpose flour (I used Type 65)
• 175 g water

Ingredients:

• 410 g  Type 65 or Bread flour
• 30 g  Stone ground whole wheat flour ( I used Type 150)
• 30 g  Whole spelt flour
• 30 g  Fine or medium rye flour (I sifted my Type 150 rye)
• 250g water
• 310 g liquid levain (do not use all of the above starter, weigh it out!!!)
• 10 g gray sea salt

Bread method:

1. Take your levain out of the refrigerator, weigh out the appropriate amount of starter and whisk the levain in a bowl with the water.  Add the flour and whisk until it smooth.  Place the levain in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature (70 to 76°) for 8-12 hours or until it till it has expanded by about one third and the surface is bubbly.
2. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl stand mixer. Combine the flours until all the ingredients (except salt) are incorporated. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes, while the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to develop. If you are mixing by machine, you can wait to add the levain. I find it too messy to incorporate the liquid levain to the developing dough by hand.
3. Kneading By hand: Turn the dough out onto your work surface. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to start developing the dough, flatten out the dough, evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I use a combination of the French kneading technique and the shown here if the  dough is really wet to start (video clips).  For the first couple of minutes it will be a sticky mess on your work surface, but do not yield to the temptation of adding more flour. Stop occasionally and use your bench scraper to gather any stray dough from your work surface. Continue until you have a good gluten development. You should be able to gently stretch a piece of the dough into a thin membrane that you can almost see through without it tearing.  By machine: Add the salt and levain and mix on medium speed until the dough cleans up the bowl and you reach a good gluten development.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 ½-3 ½ hours (70 to 75°). (I keep the dough at a consistent temperature 76° throughout.) If you would like to get a good overall picture of the bread making process for the home baker, I highly recommend you check out Mark’s videos at the Back Home Bakery
5. Divide into two equal pieces and lightly pre-shape into a boule shape. ( I made one large boule)  Lightly flour the dough, cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Shape each piece of dough into a batard  or a boule and place seam side up on a floured couche or into floured bannetons. Cover with a plastic bag or plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 1-1 1/2 hours. (76°) When you press your floured finger into the dough, the indentation will spring back slowly.
6. About one hour before baking, preheat the oven to 500°with baking stone and a tray in the bottom of the oven for steam. I like to add one cup of water or a hand full of ice cubes to the bottom tray a few minutes before putting the loaves in the oven to produce a moist environment for the baking of the proofed loaves.
7. Gently turn the proofed loaves onto parchment paper or your floured peel. Score the loaves. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone, turn down the oven to 450° and continue to bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400° and for another 20-25 minutes (I turn the oven down to 450° and then after 20 minutes, rotate them to get an even distribution of the heat and continue to bake until I have good color and when you tap the bottom of the loaf you hear a thud). If you make one large loaf, make sure to give it a bold bake to help really cook the interior of this large loaf.
8. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in.

This post is being sent to WildYeast at YeastSpotting

The post Pain de Montagne – Mountain Bread first appeared on Weekend Loafer.

This unusual contemporary French Buckwheat Bâtard or as the baker Eric Kayser calls it Paline, is a favorite of the author of the Local Breads  and  Kaisers’ regular patrons who wait in  line to buy his breads at his boulangerie on the rue Monge in Paris. Kaisers’ creation is shaped in a classic French bâtard style…but uses buckwheat and a liquid levain, a break from the accustomed traditional French technique, to make this delicious bread.  Buckwheat is a low-gluten grain with a distinctive gray-blue color that gives an earthy rich flavor to the pain. The recipe has sufficient bread flour in the formula to help raise the low-gluten buckwheat (which I upped the percentage a bit from the original recipe) making for an airy moist crumb.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the narratives introducing the regional breads ,the informative stories of the  talented bakers and it has been a really good book to bake from. It is filled with some outstanding classic bread recipes…but if the oversights in the formula were caught before going to press…it would have made it a GREAT book. This is one of the many recipes in Local Breads that has an error in it, unfortunately! When I glanced at the overall formula for the levain build it looked way off and I could see right off the bat that it wasn’t going to work…and the corrections from Leader posted on Fresh Loaf needed to be amended as well to make the levain work.  The next time I make this bread, I will add one series of folds after the first hour of fermenting the dough to add some strength, redistribute the natural yeast and help even out the final structure of the crumb.  The rest of the methodology worked out fine. The Paline has a pleasant earthy taste, a nice open crumb and a thick crunchy crust.

I cannot believe I am almost finished with the first half of the book dedicated to Real Parisian Breads, Old and New. To wrap up the last two recipesremaining in the chapter I converted my stiff levain, which I prefer to use, to a liquid version. One of the holdouts left to bake in the section with liquid levain is the fabled croissants.  I just finished my first attempt  at making the croissants… they come out looking OK, but did not have the airy cell structure and  no real defined layers. I will have to try them again using better quality butter and maybe adding some bread flour to the mix. I had a feeling the croissants would not be an easy one ….

Buckwheat Bâtard – Paline de Eric Kayser

Adapted from Daniel Leader’s Local Breads

Desired dough temperature 76°

Makes 4 small bâtards or 2 oval bâtards  

Levain Starter: (note… the original levain formula was incorrect, this is what I found to work)

• 75g liquid levain starter
• 40g buckwheat flour
• 35 g  tepid water

Ingredients:

• 450g  unbleached bread flour preferably high gluten (I used 420g Type 65)
• 50g Bio buckwheat flour(I used 80g )
• 300g water
• 20g gluten de blé (optional)
• 125g  levain (do not use all of the starter from above; re-feed and store for next bake)
• 10g gray sea salt

Bread method:

1. Take your levain out of the refrigerator and mash the levain with a whisk in a bowl with the water. Add the flour and stir with a spatula until it comes together. Place the levain in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours or until it has doubled in volume, the surface will be riddled with bubbles and have a musty aroma.
2. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl stand mixer and mash the levain with a whisk until it is dispersed. Combine the flours until all the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes, while the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to develop.
3. Kneading By hand: Turn the dough out onto your work surface. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to bring the rough mass into a ball, flatten out the dough, evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I found that this dough to be a little on the dry side so I worked in a little water till it felt a little sticky and loose. Knead the dough using a combination of the French kneading technique and this method if the dough is really wet to start as shown in these video clips. For the first couple of minutes it will be a sticky mess on your work surface, but do not yield to the temptation of adding more flour. Stop occasionally and use your bench scraper to gather any stray dough off of your work surface. Continue until you have a good gluten development. I kneaded by hand for 15 minutes let it rest and then continued for 10 minutes more! A good work out! You should be able to gently stretch a piece of the dough into a thin membrane that you can almost see through without it tearing.  By machine: Add the salt and mix at medium speed until the dough cleans up the bowl and you reach a good gluten development.
4. Transfer of the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours until it has doubled in volume. (I keep the dough at a consistent temperature 76° throughout.) If you would like to get a good overall picture of the bread making process for the home baker, I highly recommend you check out Mark’s videos at the Back Home Bakery
5. About one hour before baking, preheat the oven to 500° with a baking stone in the middle and a tray in the bottom of the oven for steam. I like to add one cup of water to the bottom tray a few minutes before putting the loaf in the oven to produce a moist environment for baking the proofed loaf.
6. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, trying not to fold the dough on itself to preserve structure of the dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces ( I divided it into 2 pieces)and pre-shape into round or rough rectangle, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a bâtards (video clip) and put the seam side down on floured couch or put in banneton seam side up and cover. Proof the loaves until the indent of your floured finger springs back slowly.
7. Gently transfer the bâtards onto parchment paper or floured peel, score and slide onto the baking stone, add an additional ¼ cup of water for steam if necessary and turn down the oven to 450°, continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake the loaves until they are an even dark brown. For a good crust you want a bold bake, when you tap the bottom of the loaf you should hear a hollow thud (that is a technical term).
8. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in.

This is being sent to YeastSpotting  at WildYeast

The post Buckwheat B first appeared on Weekend Loafer.

Yes … I am an obsessed baker … a truthful confession: if you are reading this you know what I mean. If I don’t get my hands in dough at least once a week, I swear I go into withdrawal!  Sure you can get a quick fix at The Fresh Loaf, WildYeast, Stir the Pots, Fraine or countless other great sites, but it is just not the same!  When I delved into uncharted territory with the experimental miche last week, it really bugged me that something just wasn’t right — after all, a bread should be able to stand up to a swift, gentle slashing! Don’t get me wrong…the miche looked, tasted and for most gourmands, would have been perfect, but I needed to get it right in order to move on to the next creation.

The solution to the “pillowy, bowl of loose Jell-O full of air bubbles” turns out to be a very simple one to fix … timing!  I kept the formula the same (the first try I did not double it) and just slowed everything down a bit. Logically there are two ways to achieve this… by lowering the temperature or by decreasing the fermenting time.  I chose the latter for this preparation and decreased the autolyse to a scant half hour, cutting the final proofing to one hour and letting the proofed Miche sit at room temperature at a cool 64° for a half hour while the oven was preheating.  This seems to have made all the difference. The proofed miche had much more strength, and this didn’t change the final product a bit.  The tan crumb was riddled with small even bubbles, the crust was crisp and brittle….and the taste was even better than I expected. It had a very moist, creamy mouth feel with a bit of a tang. Great with an aged goat cheese or with a smear of butter and confiture de figue!

An Experiment –Take two – Miche with high extraction wheat, spelt, quinoa and a smidgen of rye

Very   Lo o s e l y  Adapted from Daniel Leader’s Local Breads Pain Poilane

Desired dough temperature 76°

Makes 1 large miche

Levain Starter:

• 50 g stiff Levain starter
• 50 g Bio (organic) Whole Wheat Type 150 (90-98% extraction) added for the extra bran
• 50 g Bio Whole Wheat Type 80 (82-85% extraction)
• 75 g water

Ingredients:

• 333 g  Bio Type 80 (82-85% extraction)
• 83 g  Bio Spelt flour
• 83 g   Bio Quinoa flour
• 8.5 g   Type 130 Rye
• 375 g  water
• 225 g  stiff whole wheat Levain (all of the above)
• 10 g    French gray sea salt

Bread method:

To show a comparison of the two bakes,  the changed methods of the first bake are lined-out (first bake) and the second bake is shown in red (it looks messy but I hope it makes the point)

1. Take your levain out of the refrigerator and mash the levain with a whisk in a bowl with the water. Add the flour and stir with a spatula until it comes together. Turned out onto the work surface and knead to incorporate the flours. Place the Levain in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature (76°) for 8-12 hours or until it has doubled in volume and the surface is domed.  Mine tripled doubled in 8 hours at 76°  70°… slowed down the rise a bit.
2. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl stand mixer and mash the levain with a whisk until it is liquefied. Combine the flours until all the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and let the dough rest for 1 hour ½ hour, while the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to develop. (I could not fit my Kitchen Aid Pro in my suitcase, so I mix by hand… I autolyse/rest for one hour ½ hour, which I think really helps the gluten development)
3. Kneading By hand: Turn the dough out onto your work surface. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to bring the rough mass into a ball, flatten out the dough, evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I found that this is a slack dough (it could have been that it had rained for 6 days straight and the humidity in the cottage was hair curling) and you will need to use a combination of the : Turn the dough out onto your work surface. With floured or oiled hands knead a few strokes to bring the rough mass into a ball, flatten out the dough, evenly disperse the salt and continue kneading for 12 to 15 minutes. I found that this is a slack dough (it could have been that it had rained for 6 days straight and the humidity in the cottage was hair curling) and you will need to use a combination of the this method if the dough is really wet to start with — (it seemed wetter this time) For the first couple of minutes it will be a sticky mess on your work surface, but do not yield to the temptation of adding more flour.  Stop occasionally and use your bench scraper to gather any stray dough from your work surface.  Continue until you have a good gluten development. I kneaded  by hand for 15 minutes, let it rest and then continued for 10-15 minutes more.  A good work out!  You should be able to gently stretch a piece of the dough into a thin membrane that you can almost see through without it tearing.  By machine: Add the salt and mix at medium speed until the dough cleans up the bowl and you observe a good gluten development.

Pictures of the process:

Whisking the levain

Mixing in the flours

Knead in the gray sea salt

Will it ever come together...sticky mess

Rest for the baker....Getting there

Finished...kneading

First fold...east-west

Second fold...west-east

Round up...after north-south, south-north folds

Fermenting

Rounding up...

Shaped boule..ready to pop-in basket

Proofed Miche ready to turn out....

Ready to slash

Moment of truth....trial by fire!

Nice...

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container.  Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for one hour (76°).  (I keep the dough at a consistent temperature 76° throughout.)  If you would like to get a good overall picture of the bread making process for the home baker, I highly recommend you check out Mark’s videos at the Back Home Bakery.
5. Turn the dough out onto your lightly floured work surface, fold the dough twice once (I needed to give it extra folds) and return it to oiled bowl with folds on the bottom and cover. Let the dough ferment for 2 to 3 hours 2 hours more. You can incorporate another fold after 50 minutes if you’re dough does not seem to have strength. (You might what to consider the extra folds depending on the type of flour used.)
6. You can make one big miche with all the dough. I divided it into two pieces, one approx. 900 g and 1200 g and made one large boule and lightly pre-shaped it.  Lightly flour the dough, cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes to relax the dough. (This dough was VERY relaxed…)
7. Gently shape each piece of dough into a boule and place seam side up on a floured linen/towel in a bowl or into floured bannetons. Cover with a plastic bag or an oiled piece of plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 2-3 hours — for the second preparation I removed the miche from the proofing chamber/oven with temperature controller, and left it at room temperature (64°for 45 min.) while the oven was preheating. When you press your floured finger gently on the dough, the indentation will spring back slowly. (Be careful…mine was over- proofed!!!)
8. About one hour before baking, preheat the oven to 500° (with a baking stone in the middle of the oven and a tray in the bottom of the oven for steam).  I like to add one cup of water to the bottom tray a few minutes before putting the loaves in the oven to produce a moist environment for baking the proofed loaves.
9. Gently turn the proofed miche onto parchment paper or your floured peel. Score the miche. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone, turn down the oven to 470° according to Leader and continue to bake for 35 to 50 minutes. (I turned the oven down to 450° and then after 20 minutes, rotated the miche to get an even distribution of the heat.) If you are baking one big loaf, bake until the crust is walnut brown. For a good crust you want a bold bake, when you tap the bottom of the loaf you should hear a hollow thud (that is a technical term).
10. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in. This bread gets better with age and will stay fresh up to a week or more.

If I can’t tell you…who can I tell? The sheep on the mountain don’t read English.

One of my posts,  Pain de Campagne, is being  featured in the Magnificent Sourdough section in Teresa’s blog “Discovering Sourdough.” North West Sourdough is the place to read about Teresa’s and other bakers’ experiences  with sour dough, to find recipes for baking real sourdough at home … and much more!  Check it out…..

This bread is being sent to YeastSpotting …  the guest host this week is… Hefe-und-Mehr

The post An Experiment Take two Miche with high extraction wheat, spelt, quinoa and a smidgen of rye first appeared on Weekend Loafer.