Isand66's blog

  A couple of nights ago I grilled some ripe plantains brushed with some olive oil and sprinkled with some cinnamon sugar.  As you can imagine it tasted amazing and I could have eaten the whole thing all by itself.  Luckily I managed a small amount of self-control and saved enough to use in a bread.

I have made a plantain bread in the past, but this time I used a completely different flour mix and ingredient list and I have to say it couldn't have come out any better.

I used the 36 hour technique which I recently posted about last week and it delivered again with a moist, open crumb and crusty crust.  I added some Greek Yogurt which really upped the hydration although it is not indicated as such in my formula below.  This dough was very wet and was not easy to handle when shaping.  To make matters worse, I baked this today while working and forgot to add extra flour to my bakers linen and ended up with some stickiness issues.  I should know better, but in the end the bread came out great anyway.

I also used some walnut oil to add a hint of nuttiness to the final bread.

I hope you give this one a try and I am sure you will love it.

Directions

 Starter

Mix ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.  Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for around 8 hours.  The starter should almost double when ready to proceed.

 Main Dough

Mix the flours, yogurt and the buttermilk together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Next add the plantains and mix for another minute.  Put the dough in a slightly covered oiled bowl and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

The next day add your starter, oil and salt to the dough and mix by hand until it is thoroughly mixed and evenly distributed.  Due to the high water content in the 100% hydration starter this dough is very easy to mix by hand and is very silky and smooth.

Bulk rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it grows around 1/3 in volume doing stretch and folds every half hour until it has developed the correct amount of strength.

Put the dough back into the refrigerator for around 20-30 hours.

When you take the dough out of the refrigerator you want it to have almost doubled in volume.  Mine only rose about 1/3 in volume.  Let it rise at room temperature for around 2 hours or until the dough has doubled from the night before. (I used my proofer set at 83 degrees for 2 hours).

Next, shape as desired.  I made 2 loaves and placed them on my bakers linen.

Let it sit at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours.

When the dough is ready to bake, score as desired and prepare your oven for baking with steam.

Set your oven for 500 degrees F. at least 45 minutes before ready to bake.  When ready to bake place the loaves into your on  your oven stone with steam and lower the temperature immediately to 450 degrees.   When the loaves are nice and brown and reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. you can remove it from the oven.

Let the loaves cool down for at least an 3 hours or so before eating as desired.

Cheese....the next best thing to bread.

What is a Sea Dog you ask?  It's man's best friend wrapped up into a bottle of ale.  This particular beer is actually from Main, although when I bought it at the northern end of Long Island I thought it was a local brew.  Nevertheless, it sounded like a good fit for this bake which used the 36 hour sour dough technique I've gotten great results from in the past.

I made a starter using my trusty AP starter mixed up with some Rye, French Style flour, Spelt and First Clear flour.

The flours for the main dough were mixed at the same time so they could absorb all that salty cheese and beer goodness.  I used mostly the same flours as the starter but added some potato flour as well.

The next day when I mixed the dough together I added some salt, olive oil with garlic and herbs and the extra water.

The final bread came out as good as I could have hoped with a nice open and moist crumb.  You can really taste the cheese along with the flavorful combination of flours.

Directions

 Starter

Mix ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.  Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for around 8 hours.  The starter should almost double when ready to proceed.

 Main Dough

Mix the flours, 63 grams of water and the beer together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Next add the cheese and mix for another minute.  Put the dough in a slightly covered oiled bowl and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

The next day add your starter, rest of the water (52 grams) and salt to the dough and mix by hand until it is thoroughly mixed and evenly distributed.  Due to the high water content in the 100% hydration starter this dough is very easy to mix by hand and is very silky and smooth.

Bulk rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it grows around 1/3 in volume doing stretch and folds every half hour until it has developed the correct amount of strength.

Put the dough back into the refrigerator for around 20-30 hours.

When you take the dough out of the refrigerator you want it to have almost doubled in volume.  Mine only rose about 1/3 in volume.  Let it rise at room temperature for around 2 hours or until the dough has doubled from the night before. (I used my proofer set at 83 degrees for 2 hours).

Next, shape as desired.  I made 2 loaves and placed them into my bannetons.  Make sure you use enough rice flour with flour in your bowl/basket to prevent this moist dough from sticking.

Cover the dough with a moist towel and let sit at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours.

When the dough is ready to bake, score as desired and prepare your oven for baking with steam.

This dough is very wet so the loaves flattened out a bit when I took them out of the bannetons but they had excellent lift in the oven.

Set your oven for 500 degrees F. at least 45 minutes before ready to bake.  When ready to bake place the loaves into your on  your oven stone with steam and lower the temperature immediately to 450 degrees.   When the loaves are nice and brown and reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. you can remove it from the oven.

Let the loaves cool down for at least an 3 hours or so before eating as desired.

   I have made several variations of breads with cherries with different formulas and flour combinations.  While several of them were very good, none of them really tasted exactly like I was craving.  I wanted a soft tender crumb with a strong cherry flavor without being overpowering.

Well, I think this time I hit the mark.  This version using a cherry flavored Yeast Water levain came out exactly like I had hoped.  I kept the flour combination mainly on the light side so the flour would not be underwhelmed by the fresh chopped cherries and the Yeast Water levain along with some cherry balsamic vinegar really combined to make this the perfect bread for breakfast with some cheese or an omelet.  I urge you to try this one as I know you won't be disappointed.

I used a three stage building process to make a 100% hydration Yeast Water starter, adding a little durum flour for good measure I the last build.  My Yeast Water reacted very kindly to the addition of fresh cherries a few days before making this bread and was nice and bubbly and looked like a red fruit cocktail almost enticing enough to drink.

Levain Directions Build 1

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  (Note: I used my proofer set at 85 degrees).

Levain Directions Build 2

Add all the ingredients listed to the levain from Build 1 and mix well.  Let it sit in your proofer or a warm place about 85 degrees for 4-5 hours until the starter is nice and bubbly and has doubled in size.

Levain Directions Build 3

Add the durum flour and remaining Yeast Water to the existing levain and mix well.  Let it sit covered in your proofer or at room temperature until it doubles in size.  It only took about 4 hours in my proofer.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, all of the levain and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, olive oil, Cherry Balsamic and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Next add the cherries which have been pitted and chopped into medium size and mix on low-speed for another 2 minute to incorporate the cherries evenly.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  (Note: I used my proofer set at 80 degrees). After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  ( I used my proofer set at 80 degrees F.)   Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel.

I put the dough in my proofer set at 85 degrees F.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature or it will take 1.5 hours in the proofer.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.  (Note: I didn't refresh the rice flour in one of my bannetons so I ended up sticking a bit and the rectangular dough deflated a little bit due to my stupidity but still had some nice oven spring.)

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Let the bread bake for around 30 to 40 minutes until they are golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I hope you enjoy some of my wives succulent baskets.

A nice moist open crumb with some cherry goodness

Well since the last few bakes have been very white I started to feel the Force draining and I was being pulled towards the Dark Side!  This bread is a 70% whole grain power-house made with a soaker which I scalded to make sure it was nice and soft.  I used 5 different whole grains in the scald and 3 whole grain flours plus some French style flour in the double starters and main dough.

I also wanted to try something a little fancy for the shaping and placed a small ball of dough along with a double braid in the bottom of my basket before placing the rest of the dough on top of both of them.  This formed a nice hat on top of the bread.

The soaker was brought up to a boil and scalded for about 10 minutes until all the grains were nice and soft and then put in a bowl and covered for 5-6 hours until the levains were ready to use.

The end result of this bake was a nice wholesome tasty bread. The crust was excellent and the crumb was soft and chewy chock full of grainy goodness.

Levain Directions

Starter 1

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Starter 2

Mix all the ingredients listed with the levain from the first build and let it set at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled or before it starts collapsing on itself.  Either use right away in the main dough or refrigerate for 1 day.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours and the water except for around 75 grams, together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), honey, and soaked grains and mix on low for a minute.  Add the rest of the water  unless the dough is way too wet.   Mix on low-speed for another 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  (I used my new proofer this time and it only took about 1 hour at 80 degrees).

Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  (Again, I used my proofer set at 80 degrees and let it rise for about 1.5 hours).

Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  I baked for about 10 minutes at 450 and then lowered the oven to 435 since this is such a large loaf.  Bake for around 50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I decided I wanted to make some rolls at the same time I made the Crème de Tequila bread and as I opened up my refrigerator to get a snack I spotted the extra potato knishes I had heated up the other day for dinner.  Well...one thing lead to another and the inspiration for my latest bake was born.

My last few bakes for rolls did not use a sourdough starter, so I wanted to use one for this bake while still achieving a nice moist and soft roll.

I had some leftover coffee from the barbecue sauce I made the other night for this past weekends ribs and smoked brisket so into the mix went the coffee.

I made a levain using my AP starter as the seed and added some bread flour and organic Turkey Red Wheat flour as well to give this bake some needed whole grain goodness.

To make the dough a little more soft I added some Greek style yogurt and to compliment the potato knish filling I added some sautéed onions.

For the main dough I used more of the Turkey Red Wheat flour along with European style flour from KAF and an egg for good measure.

I only used the inside filling from the knishes and not the outer skin which would have been a bit too chewy I fear.

I must say the final rolls came out perfect.  I brushed some milk on the rolls right out of the oven and they ended up nice and soft and chewy with a fantastic flavor combination.  Considering there is no butter or very little fat in these rolls they came out remarkably soft and tasty.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and most of the coffee (leave a little to adjust after the autolyse) together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), egg, potato filling, yogurt, and onions and mix on low for a minute.  Add the rest of the coffee unless the dough is way too wet.   Mix on low-speed for another 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.  I made about a dozen rolls.  Place your dough into your proofing basket(s)  or on a cookie sheet and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, brush them with an egg wash and add your favorite toppings.  Next add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the rolls are nice and brown and the internal temperature of the rolls are about 205 degrees.  If desired brush with some milk right after they come out of the oven to make them even softer.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

     The summer will be here before you know it, although with the rainy and cold sub 50 degree weather we had the last couple of days it's hard to believe.  It is nice though to see some of our flowers start to bloom with many more ready to be planted today and tomorrow into the garden soil weather permitting.

I've been so busy at work the last few weeks it has been difficult to have time to think about baking anything creative.  I've had this bottle of Crema de Tequila sitting on my desk just asking to be used in a bread.  I received this as a gift from one of my vendors after I noticed a poster he had printed with several different tequila on it with this being one of them.  It tastes similar to an Irish Crème but slightly different due to the tequila versus whiskey.

I thought what else goes well with tequila but limes so I added some Persian Lime Olive Oil that I recently picked up from a specialty store which carries a whole assortment of olive oils and vinegar.  My wife and I just visited yesterday and bought some maple balsamic, blue berry balsamic, and several infused olive oils.  Certainly some of these will be incorporated in future bakes.

I learned from the past that when using a liquor it is best to keep it at 50% or less for the liquid element or it will affect the rising power of the levain and you end up with a brick.

I created a starter using French Style KAF flour, oat flour and Kamut flour and used the same flour combination for the final.

The final bread came out a little dry due to the fact that since I baked this as one big loaf and I forgot to lower the oven from my usual 450 degrees F. it took longer than expected to bake thus drying out a bit too much for my liking.  You can definitely taste the tequila in this bread along with a subtle hint of lime from the olive oil.

The crumb turned out a little dense but that is too be expected when using a liquor in bread.  Overall though the bread has a nice chewy crust and pleasant taste that goes well with some cheese and olive oil.  A nice fresh mozzarella and tomato salad would go well with this bread as well.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, tequila and most of the water (leave a little to adjust after the autolyse) together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and olive oil and mix on low for a minute.  Add the rest of the water unless the dough is way too wet.   Mix on low-speed for another 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.  I made 1 loaf using a wicker basket.  Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees(if making 1 large miche style loaf, lower to 425 F).  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Some of the flowers are starting to bloom, so per Evon's request here are some photos of my gardens.

Mr. Toad's House

It's Memorial Day this weekend believe it or not.  Doesn't feel like it's almost June, but it is certainly time to grill some hot dogs and hamburgers.  I hate using store-bought rolls since I know I can make ones myself that are far superior.

My wife insists that the only rolls worthy of using for hamburgers and hot dogs must be light white bread rolls.    I have been real busy at work so it's been difficult to find time to bake as much as I would like so a quick yeasted roll recipe would have to do.  With that in mind I adapted a recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Dayand added a few twists.

I decided to add some parmesan cheese powder and some dried chives just to make it a little interesting.

I used the overnight retardation method which helps build some extra flavor.

I must say that overall these came out nice and flavorful and were perfect for our hamburger and hot dog dinner the other day.

Directions

Mix flours with yeast to combine.  Next add remainder of the ingredients keeping about 30 grams of milk back.  Mix on low-speed or by hand for 1 minute and let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes to absorb the flour.

Add the balance of the water if needed and mix for another 4 minutes.  The dough should come together and be scraping the side of the mixing bowl and be nice and fairly smooth but still tacky.

Remove the dough to your work surface and knead by hand for 1 minute.  Do about 3-4 stretch and folds and put in a well oiled bowl or container with a cover.  Put it in your refrigerator immediately.

You can keep it in your refrigerator for about 24 to 36 hours.  I ended up baking it in the morning so it was only in my refrigerator for around 14 -15 hours.   The dough should double while in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake the rolls or bread, take it out of the refrigerator and immediately weigh out your pieces or loaves and shape as desired.  I made simple round rolls and some hot dog buns.  I think it is time for me to buy a hot dog pan since I can't seem to get the size right and ended up with gigantic size hot dog rolls.  Next, let them rise for 1 hour on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

After 45 minutes turn your oven up to 350 degrees F. and prepare your rolls as desired.  I beat 1 whole egg mixed with a little water and put an egg wash on each roll.  At the 1 hour or so mark pop them in the oven with steam and turn once after about 15 minutes.  These should take about 25 minutes to cook thoroughly.

Let them cool on wire rack for at least half an hour before digging in if you can wait that long.

 Ever since I baked my first "Pillow Bread" last month I've been wanting to try baking this again with some modifications.  I wanted to use a 24 hour bulk retardation instead of baking it on the same day and I wanted to add some onions as well.

I also decided to use some of my apple yeast water in the levain and in the final dough but not as a rising agent.  Instead I  just to add some extra flavor and soften the crumb.

I also changed up the flour combination a bit using some Spelt flour in place of some of the Kamut flour and also in the levain.

I used a chopped onion and mixed it in with the sour dough levain build along with some Yeast Water which ended up adding a nice subtle sweet onion flavor to the final bread.

I cut the amount of yeast in the final dough slightly to compensate for the bulk retardation.

The final bread turned out excellent with a nice open crumb and crisp crust.  While the crumb is not as open as the last bake it actually is better suited to using for a nice sandwich or to dip in olive oil.  I like the flavor profile very much and the addition of the spelt and onion as well as the overnight bulk retardation really makes this one a winner.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients including the chopped onions together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for 6-10 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I let it sit overnight and used it in the final dough in the morning.

You can use it in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the levain with the water and add the flours, and yeast and mix for about 1 minute.  Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes or longer.  Next add the salt and mix in your mixer for 2 minutes on low, and 2 minutes on medium .  This differs from the original procedure which required you to mix for over 6 minutes increasing the speed all the way up to high.  I'm not sure if maybe that may have helped pump some more air into the dough so next time I may go back to that procedure and see the difference.

Take the dough out and place it in a clean oiled bowl and leave uncovered for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes do a stretch and fold and cover the bowl.  Let it rest for another 10 minutes and do an additional stretch and fold and immediately place back in the bowl, cover it and place in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake, take it out of the refrigerator and shape it gently into a boule and proof in a well floured basket or bowl and cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hour or so.  The dough will only rise about 25 to 30% since it already has risen in the refrigerator.

In the mean time pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

This bread does not need to be scored so when ready to bake, place it on  parchment paper on your peel and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

This post has been submitted to the Yeast Spotting Site here: http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/.

    I just finished up the last of my decadent cream cheese rolls so it was time to bake a more healthy hearty bread but one that is not too heavy either.

I decided to try a double starter which I've done in the past.  My first inclination for this bread was to try an experiment and make all of the flour come from the pre-ferment but I chickened out at the last moment and only upped the starter amount slightly from my normal formulas.

I converted my AP starter after refreshing it into 2 distinct starters at close to 100% hydration.  The first starter consisted of durum flour and French style KAF flour and the second was hand ground (with my coffee grinder that is) Einkorn ancient wheat mixed with my AP seed starter.

For the main ingredients I added some additional Einkorn flour, French, Durum, potato flour, rye chops and Toasted Wheat  Germ for some added nuttiness.

The dough was quite sticky after mixing but came together quite nicely.

The final result was a surprisingly sour dough but in a good way with a nice nutty whole grain flavor.  I did not sift the Einkorn flour but used the entire ground flour which you can really taste in the final bread.

You will notice a big hunk of one of the breads in the final photo has gone missing.  I would say the alligator ate it, or one of my apprentices, but alas it was my wife who upon returning from shopping thought it was a good idea to lop off a nice chunk before I had a chance to photograph it.  At least she seemed to like it, or it could have been because it was the first thing she had eaten all day.  I guess I will never know.....

Levain Directions

(Note: the formula below lists the levains as 2 steps but they are 2 different levains not one.)

Mix all the levain ingredients together for #1  and #2 for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, rye chops, wheat germ and water (hold back about 50 grams for now)  together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starters and olive oil and mix on low for a minute.  Add the rest of the water unless the dough is way too wet.   Mix on low-speed for another 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.  I made 2 loaves free form and placed them onto my bakers linen and covered them up.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

 A few weeks ago I made some potato rolls using the Tangzhong  process and they came out excellent.

I decided I needed some rolls for some hot dogs and sandwiches for the week so I used the same process as before but this time I used some cream cheese and heavy cream as well as whole eggs and butter to really try to come up with a tasty and soft roll.

Just to pretend these rolls were a little healthy I used some spelt and Kamut flour along with the bread flour.

I mixed these up the same way as last time but cut back on the total mixing time and it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

The final rolls came out nice and fluffy and soft but with a ton of flavor.  I honestly can't stop eating them which is not good.

The final result was a nice soft crumb, crisp crust and tasty roll.

Formula

Note: Tangzhong consisted of 50 grams Bread Flour and 250 grams heavy cream.  I included this in the overall formula below.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Prepare the Tangzhong.   Use a  5 to 1 liquid to solid ratio (so 250g liquid to 50g flour) and mix it together in a pan.  Heat the pan while stirring constantly.  Initially it will remain a liquid, but as you approach 65C it will undergo a change and thicken to an almost pudding like consistency.  Take it off the heat and let it cool before using it in your recipe.  Some people will refrigerate it for a while but you can use it right away as soon as it cools..

Mix the flours, Tangzhong and milk together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and walnut oil, cream cheese and butter  and mix on low for a minute.   Mix for a total of 6 minutes in your mixer starting on low-speed and working your way up to speed #2 for the last 4 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and cut into equal size pieces and shape into rolls.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with moist tea towels or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, using a simple egg wash brush each roll and sprinkle on your topping of choice.   Next add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake for 35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown.

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.