Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Rhapsody in Rye: Unintentional Detour, Part Deux

I'm realizing I never posted an interior shot of my loaf of Sourdough Rye Beer Bread. I've made this loaf thrice, and I'm always thinking of ways to improve it.

If you're playing along at home, this will be the second permutation of my version of Sourdough Rye Beer Bread. I used the recipe in the post I linked to above as my jumping off point, and I tweaked it, and the recipe I have presented below is the second tweak.

What I have fleshed out here is going to be my second permutation of this recipe. I tinkered with the ratios, by doubling the sourdough starter (and thereby lowered the volume of beer and bread flour, each by approximately 56 gm), and I'm hoping for the best.



Maven’s Sourdough Beer Rye (2nd Permutation)
Makes one large loaf, approx.. 2 pounds (It's not rocket science--give or take, 2 lbs)

 
Ingredients:
224 gm       Sourdough starter, unfed
280 gm       Beer of your choosing, room temperature
28 gm         Honey (Buckwheat honey, tho; tho molasses plays nice with others)
196 gm       King Arthur Bread flour  (plus extra as needed during kneading)
140 gm       Rye flour (light or pumpernickel)
84 gm         Buckwheat flour
15 gm         Sea salt  (I use Himalayan pink, because it’s what I have on hand)

1.    Approximately 12 noon the day before you want to bake: Set Up Levain:
Mix the first four ingredients up together, and set aside until you can see plenty of bubbles and activity. (3-6 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is)

2.    Mix In Remaining Flours:
Add remaining flours (I do this all by hand). Cover the bowl tightly and let autolyze/rest autolyze/rest 30 minutes.

3.    Add Salt.

4.    Knead:
Knead dough in bowl for approximately 5 minutes, adding more bread flour 1 tablespoon at a time within the first 5 minutes until the dough comes isn’t so sticky (point of reference: Not more than 4 T of flour—tho YMMV).

The dough should be somewhat smoother, but still tacky to the touch. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately another five minutes few minutes by hand, adding as little flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands and the counter. It should still be a bit sticky, but should feel smooth and clay-like.

5.    Warm/Room Temp Bulk Proofing:
When you’re done kneading, place the dough in a large, lightly oiled ceramic bowl or a large plastic container at least twice the size of the dough. Ignore it overnight--ignore it like a lover who forgot your birthday.

Note 1:  I use a Silpat mat to help with clean up.
Note 2:  If you have disposable, nitrile gloves, use them  (if you’re like me and can’t handle the sticky dough sticking to the hands).
Note 3: The warmer the spot you place your bowl of dough, the faster it will rise. (DOH!)
6.    Next Morning:  Stretch & Fold Cold Proofing:
In the morning, stretch and fold the dough about 3 times, and put in a loaf pan (sprayed with a bit of PAM) or a floured proofing basket, cover with a cloth or Saran Wrap and put in fridge. Ignore it all day in the fridge--give that fucker the cold shoulder like a lover you know is sexting someone else. IGNORE IT. ALL DAY.

7.    Prepare the oven and bake the bread:
2-3 hours before you want to bake the bread, remove from the refrigerator.  When ready to bake, put baking stone in oven (middle rack) and crank oven to 450º, and at bottom of oven or very bottom-most rack put a shitty old roasting pan to heat up.
Note: If using a proofing basket, gently turn it out onto a wooden peel dusted with flour or cornmeal.
8.    Lame/Slash The Top:
Holding a lame or sharp knife at a 45º angle to the loaf, draw the blade, about 1
deep, across the top of the loaf, beginning and ending 2 from the bottoms of the boule. Make 2 or 3 diagonal slashes.  Make fancy assed designed slashes, if that's your bag:)

9.    Ready The Implements For Steam:
(A)  Fill a 1 cup measure with ice cubes.
Have spray bottle of water at hand.

10.Baking The Loaf:
Quickly slip the boule off the peel and onto the stone, and toss the cubes into the hot pan on the floor of the oven. This will steam the outside of the loaf, allowing it to expand as it bakes.  Give the loaf and the walls of the oven a few (2-3) spritzes of water right before closing, so to increase steam.

11. Baking Time:
For 20 minutes: Bake the loaf without opening the oven, then reduce oven temp to 375
º.
For 35 minutes: Bake the loaf at 375
º, then turn oven off.
For 5 minutes: Leave loaf in hot oven (without opening door).
Remove from oven, and let cool in loaf pan 5 minutes.

Note: If you’re the scientific sort, an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle should read around 200º, the temperature at which the starches in the dough are set. 

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