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| I love this loaf |
We do love white sourdough in our house, but there's only so much white flour stuff you can (should) eat. I like the Mill loaf but that's not sourdoughy enough for us. What I wanted was something very similar to the bread I get in Italy that's not white, not wholemeal but suitably tangy and 'paysan' as we call it.
I think this loaf is it, although the more I make it the more I've realised that it really improves from a very long proving time, it doesn't like being too cold and the dough should be fairly wet and sticky, so you need to be brave whilst kneading and use oil and not add any more flour. There can be a dramatic difference - better crumb, better flavour - between a loaf that's been proved over 'just' 12 hours and one that's had 24hrs plus. If the prove is too (relatively speaking) short, the bread becomes a bit too 'wholesome'. It's a difficult bread in that respect, to get right.
This is what you do to make two loaves.
You take
400g white leaven
666g cold water (number of the beast, hence the name)
500g white flour
500g wholemeal/other flour
3tsp salt (I'm experimenting with cutting this down).
You mix the leaven with the water, add the flours and salt and mix to a messy dough.
Rest for 10 mins, then, a la Dan Lepard, knead lightly.
Rest 10 minutes then knead lightly (I knead for twelve counts).
Rest for 10 minutes then knead lightly. Rest for 30 minutes then knead lightly.
Rest for 1 hour then knead lightly.
Rest for 1 hour then knead lightly.
Rest for 1 hour then knead lightly.
Rest for two hours, then knead lightly and shape and place into two bannetons (I use a 1kilo round and a 600g baton).
Preheat oven to 220 with one baking tray on a high shelf, one underneath. When up to temperature turn loaf out of the banneton, slash with a bread knife and put in the oven. Whilst oven still open, turn ice cubes onto the bottom tray. Close oven and turn the temperature up to 250C and cook for 15 mins. Lower temperature to 220 for further 15 minutes.
