(2013-06-01)
The first sourdough bread that I decided to make wth my homemade starter was not the simplest – I decided to try to make a Miche.
A Miche is a huge loaf of bread, weighing 1.5 kilograms at its smallest.
I used a formula from the WeekendBakery.com, which provides excellent instructions clear enough for novice wannabe bakers to follow (http://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/making-a-miche/).
It was not a huge success– the bread did come out decently and tasted good, but in the inside it was not 100% cooked through.
But for a first loaf, I could have done worse– decent rise in the oven, attractive opening at the slashes, and nice deep brown color.
I would later find out that I am not really a huge fan of the Miche, even when it’s cooked properly– but for a first sourdough bread, the results were encouraging enough to keep at it.
New Equipment update
I realized that a scraper was really necessary to work with the higher hydration doughs, but I wasn’t yet fully committed to bread baking yet. So to avoid purchasing & stockpiling random kitchen utensils, I used scissors to fashion a makeshift scraper out of an old plastic DVD case. Maybe not food grade, but I gave it a good bleach and a couple thorough washings in hot water. Did the trick.
:: Equipment on hand:
:: – Scaling: Digital scale – Terraillon Carre Inox
:: – Levain container: Maille pickle jar (large)
:: – Mixing: by hand
:: – Bulk Fermentation container: kitchen bowl
:: – Dough Scraper/Cutter: makeshift scraper from an old plastic DVD case (new)
:: – Proofing: kitchen bowl
:: – Baking: Inverted cookie sheet