(2013-06-22)
My last bread baking attempt was the miche. I decided I did not care much for the flavor of the Miche, so I settled on a different recipe, also calling for only wild yeast culture and no commercial yeast.
The Weekend Bakery because become my go-to site for realiable recipes. I already used their method for making my first starter culture (http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/rye-sourdough-starter-in-easy-steps/) and also for my first miche (http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/making-a-miche/).
So I decided to try their “Whole Wheat Levain” Loaf.
The bread came out tasting okay, but I was not happy with the quality. First there was too much flour– most likely due to the way I proofed in a heavily floured kitchen bowl, and maybe also the bowl was a bit too large.
Also, there was not a sufficient rise in the oven, the loaf ended up flatter than I would have liked.
And lastly, the crumb (inside of the bread) was uneven, tight (almost no holes) in some palces, and huge slotted holes in other places.
But the loaf was edible, and now the challenge is on– how long till I can master the technique, and have the bread turn out how I want?
New Equipment update
Okay so I upgraded from my re-purposed plastic DVD case, to an actual kitchen-grade plastic dough scraper. Definitely worth the money, and didn’t really take up any extra space.
:: Equipment on hand:
:: – Scaling: Digital scale – Terraillon Carre Inox
:: – Levain container: Stainless Steel kitchen bowl
:: – Mixing: by hand
:: – Bulk Fermentation container: Stainless Steel kitchen bowll
:: – Dough Scraper/Cutter: Plastic scraper (new purchase!)
:: – Proofing: Glass kitchen bowl
:: – Baking: Inverted cookie sheet