Saturday demonstrated the flexibility of any bread that's fermented under refrigeration. The dough tolerates interruptions. It accepts adjustments to your schedule and lets you bake the bread when you're ready.
I baked a 20-ounce boule of the bread Sunday evening. While it tasted like a good loaf of whole wheat bread, the loaf didn't have the complete flavor I was looking for. I'm looking for the characteristic crust and crumb of artisan bread.
I began with a 50-50 mixture of whole wheat and bread flours. Next time I plan to adjust the formula to 70 percent (by weight) of bread flour and 30 percent whole wheat flour. I may add honey to sweeten the loaf a bit. At some point walnuts or wheat berries may be a good addition to the formula.
My next step will be to try my cousin's sourdough starter. He sells it at My Sourdough Starters. You can purchase the starter or just read his insight. (Yes, this is a shameless plug for a relative!)
I baked a loaf of whole wheat no-knead on Sunday. After a three-day ferment in the refrigerator, I gently shaped a 20-ounce piece of dough into a boule, or ball-shaped loaf. The load proofed on a piece of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal for a little over two hours. Following my recipe for no-knead bread, I baked it inside a cast iron Dutch oven in a 450-degree oven, lid on for the first 20 minutes. It took an additional 15 minutes to develop the nice crust on the boule. The parchment paper lets me gently lower the loaf into the Dutch oven without deflating. |
Hey there Shameless Cuz! Thanks for the plug and your bread looks fantastic. No Knead is something I want to try myself. I've got the Tartine Bread book and hopefully I get a chance to do something. I have a new post I'll be putting up tomorrow where I use my Tara starter and make two normal loaves of wheat bread in pans. They turned out fantastic.
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