Sourdough – a work in progress update

Mr Potato Bread II

If you follow me at all on the Twitters or Instagram, you may have an inkling of my current bread baking obsession. Ever since attending the Brasserie Bread Art of Sourdough baking class back in April, I’ve been baking sourdough bread pretty much every week! I’ve found that once you get the starter going, and maintain a feeding schedule – it almost seems like a waste not to bake – since so much flour and effort goes into keeping that thing alive!

My starter, Mr Stay Puft

Sourdough does take a long time to make from start to finish. It requires a much longer proofing time than yeasted doughs – yeasted doughs typically take 1-2 hours to prove, whereas sourdough needs to sleep overnight in the fridge for 8-24 hours! It does mean that if I want a fresh loaf of sourdough for Saturday brunch for instance, I have to start planning for it on Thursday! But with the super crackly crust, chewy crumb and awesome flavour, it is so worth it. And fresh hot bread out of the oven is just amazing (my friend Zay and I have dubbed the feeling of accomplishment as “home-baked smugness”)

Here’s a photo of my very first sourdough loaf baked from Mr Stay Puft! Even after the confidence boosting Brasserie Bread class, part of me was still so sceptical that my dinky little fermented mixture of flour and water could create bread.

BUT BEHOLD!

IT WORKED

HUZZAH!

What I really love about baking right now, is that every loaf turns out different!

Maybe proper bakers learn proper consistency, but at the moment it’s kind of exciting waiting by the oven, seeing what results will turn out!

There’s so many variables that can affect the end result – from hydration of the dough, final proofing time, oven temperature and the amount of steam in the oven. I’ve tried a few different methods to create steam… first with a spray bottle – a bit inefficient I thought. I’ve also tried a tray full of icecubes. But the best results I’ve gotten is filling a preheated tray on the lowest rack with boiling water just before I put the dough in (and then misting on top just for luck!).

I like documenting my funny little loaves so I can see what worked and what didn’t in terms of shaping and slashing. There are so many different ways to slash bread! And there’s no real right or wrong answers. At the moment I’m trying really angled cuts, so that I can get the cool “ears” on the bread.

Here’s some photos of the different loaves I’ve baked over the past few months, in chronological order:

I like to call this one Frankenbread

You can see the first few ones I baked look a little anaemic and dry. The later loaves have much better colour and shine, plus the pretty blistering on the surface of the crust. I think this is because I’m better at leaving the loaves in the oven for a bit longer to brown (not as paranoid about burning them, like I was my first few loaves) – plus the added steam. I’ve found that steam in the oven not only improves the appearance of the crust, it helps make your dough surface more flexible… so that it can grow in the oven nice and uniformly (rather than cracking and busting out like my Frankenbread!).

A really shallow angled slash…

… creates a really cool lifted “ear”

This deep vertical slash on the other hand creates a really flat effect

Big air bubbles!

Mr Potato Bread:

Trying out Bourke St Bakery’s sourdough variation, Mr Potato Bread – roast potato chunks with rosemary (with poppy seeds instead of the suggested nigella seeds because that’s all I had in the cupboard) – I added the extra ingredients after mixing my dough, just before the bulk prove.

In a boule shape this time

I like the star pattern!

Innards

Another Mr Potato Bread

I think he’s the prettiest bread I’ve baked so far!

Steaming innards

Back to the batard with shallow angled slashes. I just baked this one on Tuesday!

Got a bit of lift on the “ears” but next time aiming for more!

Anyway, it’s a learning process, and I’m still beginning!! But it sure is fun (and delicious) learning!

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