Experiments with my current sourdough culture. Trying to find that sweet spot between flavour and effort.
I have screwed around with sourdough for years but always fall out of it because it’s a pain n the ass to maintain and cook.
So this time, I’m determined to make sourdough bend to my schedule, rather than rearrange my life around feeding the beast.
Recipe overview:
- Wallaby bakers flour (Australian brand).
- 72% hydration
- 10% starter
- 1.7% salt
Method:
- “no knead” (stretch’s and fold - ~20 minute intervals for ~2.5 hours)
- +4hr bulk ferment at 22°C
- +30hr (refrigerated) final rise in banneton.
Bake:
- Heavy bottom stainless pan (on parchment)
- Baked at 240°C-220°C (40 minutes total)
- 20 minutes @240°C covered by steel bowl
- Uncovered and baked for 10 minutes.
- Removed from pan (directly onto oven wire rack)
- Turned down to 220°C for 10 minutes
Rested:
- oven off, door cracked open and left to cool for an hour
- served after a 12 hour rest.
Review: Not bad. Great oven spring. Could have better acidity. Crispy crust but a bit too much “chew”. Nice, medium density, open crumb. Extremely low sugar (great for extra crispy toast with Vegemite and grilled cheese).
Looks great! Do you use the PH meter to also determine when the cold ferment is done? Is it worth getting a meter?
Thanks. It was a tasty loaf. Just needed a bit more acidity.
I wouldn’t bother with a pH meter. Was just using it in a few batches to get a better understanding of what was happening.
I wouldn’t use it after the cold ferment. I go from bulk ferment, to shape, to cold and then when that’s done, straight to the oven.