As promised, pictures of attempt #4! Went with one long loaf instead of two small round, followed the same recipe as #3, but changed the process a bit to give more time to ferment. AP flour and starter.
Results:
- I like a medium sourness to my sourdough, so I threw in 1/4 teaspoon of Rapid Rise yeast. I know, that is not pure sourdough, but it makes it rise fast enough to avoid a 12 hour rise/ferment and reduces the sourness without negating it.
- It also went into the oven about 2 inches tall after about 90 minutes of 2nd rise, and in the first 10 minutes of baking shot up to about 6 inches! This loaf is rather massive. I have no idea why it expanded like that. Was it the tiny bit of Rapid Rise yeast going haywire in the steamy oven, or just the steam? I like the puffiness.
- I bake about 35 minutes and in that time do 4 oven/bread mistings with water bottle. Nice chewy crust came of it. After super hard crust(#2), I greatly prefer soft crust.
- I need to learn how to do those slits on the top of the bread. They're supposed to expand and be all fancy-pantsy, but mine didn't. I think I didn't cut deeply enough. It just looks like I wanted to paint lines on it. Oh well, still considering this loaf a success. Even if the end of it looks like it's got butt cleavage!
LOL! OMG! Butt cleavage???? I never saw it until you mentioned it - duh?
ReplyDeleteBut wow, congrats.. It seems like I've been waiting for this "perfect" bread update forever!!!!
I can report that the butt cleavage heel of the bread no longer exists! I ate the evidence... *shiftyeyes*
DeleteYour loaf is beautiful, even without those slits you covet. I used to bake a lot of bread, but haven't messed with it in years. Talking about "mess", the rye breads are the absolute messiest doughs to work with. (But worth the trouble!)
ReplyDeleteThank you! It is kinda pretty, but next time... there will be slits on the top if I have to climb into the oven with it and keep cutting as it bakes! Okay, maybe not, but I will cut deeper next time:)
DeleteNever tried to bake anything other than some form of wheat, but the aisle of fancy flours at the grocery store has been calling me. And there's a multi-grain artisan bread I love that has little chewy bits in it and I'm thinking of exploring multi-grain next.
I appreciate all the work you’ve put into your blog! Definitely Worth Sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHah, thank you. I would like to claim that I've been on this wild yeast kick as blog-fodder, but documentation here was more of an afterthought than the drive. Kneading helps me get to that meditative headspace where story problems magically resolve. And then after, I have bread! So, if I somehow time-travel to the past(or the future after the zombiepocalypse) I can still have puffy bread! It's really practical survivalist training. Or something.
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