Finally, an ear

Medium hydration country loaf

240g Botan,
60g wholemeal
225g water
60g levain, refreshed at 1:1:1 three times
6g salt (salt should be added by volume not weight)

2 S&F
1 bench fold
3 coil folds

5 hours bulk during the day
Same day bake at 250°C for 20 minutes then 230°C for another 15 to 20 minutes

Baking set up:
Lodge cast iron below, preheated for 1 hour,
Water bath, add water after the bread is loaded for maximum steam
cookie sheet on top to shield the top heating element.

Brioche No. 5

Made for Pearlyn’s mom but did not proof in time.

Reduced milk powder to 10g. Thin and strong windowpane.
Rested 1 hour before shaping with a little flour.
Four-strand braid, 12 inches per strand is too long. It should be 11″.

Rested about an hour before going into fridge for overnight proof.
Barely grew in fridge.

Next morning took about 2 hours to come back to room temperature.
Finished proofing in oven warmed to 75°C then switched off.

So if using the fridge to break up the fermentation, add another two hours to the proofing time. This is the time required for the dough to come back to room temperature, even with the help of the warm oven. Need to check optimum proofing temperature.

Also, try baking at 185°C instead.


Baking time was pretty long at 180°C without fan, and internal dough temperature was below 90 after 20mins, too low for my liking.
I like the flavour. It tastes like yoghurt. Nice crumb too.

Katzoomi Take 2

This time round, I froze the dough right after window pane stage. It takes about 3 – 4 hours to defrost and will start to grow towards the end of the defrost. That’s why I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to freeze after bulk. In the middle of bulk would probably be a good idea. But this freezing, along with chilling the stiff starter (for brioche) is a game changer.