Its a Boule!

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Fueling Around

Smoking Guru
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Dec 10, 2018
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FL winter, MN summer
I've been playing with different recipes and techniques for sourdough to satisfy my wife.
Well, got to 1/2% salt. Any less is no flavor. Any more is too salty for her taste.
A basic sourdough recipe of 500g bread flour, 30-60g active and soured starter, 340g water, and 2.5g salt.
Go through the autolyse, bulk ferment, and forming. Then into a cold banneton. Yes get the banneton in the freezer to slow down the ferment.
The next is a 3 day cold ferment. Wow does that make a big difference in the taste and texture. I do another forming after a day or so in the cold to pull the dough into a tighter ball. Wife wants a denser crumb so the butter doesn't run through the airy holes.
Score (cut) the dough before into the hot dutch oven. Scoring is done with a lame. No, not the gen y "lame", but the French Lame (blade) or a sharp thin knife.
boule-1.png
boule-2.png

Should have baked another 5-10 minutes. Wife was happy anyway
Sorry for the orientation. I rotate 90° and the posting often rotates another 90° so I gave up.
 
Now that looks good! I like just about any sourdough but prefer a denser crumb myself. Good work!
 
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Thanks everyone. I haven't been ignoring you.
I planned to do a confirmation boule on Friday and post results but things got in the way.
Wife wanted seafood bisque on Friday and that requires the dutch oven that also is the bread oven.
Saturday was already dedicated for sausage making. I did pull the dough into a ball again.
Today, I got a window, plus the outside temps dropped so I could chill the kitchen without spinning the electric meter more than the oven.
Here is the result of a 5 day ferment. Because it was denser from the reform it got baked an extra 15 minutes.
boule-3.png
We're bad and cut in before it completely cools. What is the point of baking bread if you don't get the first few slices fresh out of the oven warm?

Forgot to mention, I put about 1/8 cup of cornmeal on the bottom of the DO to shield the bottom from overcooking. Wife has TMJ and needs a soft crust.
 
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Nice . I did one today . Have one in the garage fridge fermenting , and did one the end of last week , and that's the scaled back version . This is more addicting than sausage making .
 
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Now that I got something my wife will eat is the sell. Been dabbling in sourdough for a number of years and didn't get her interest until now. Kids are gone from the house, but trying to make something they will enjoy from dad. Goal is to replicate the aroma memories from a trip to grandma's house. One of these year I will be grandpa to pass the memories.
Yes, very addicting.
Thanks everyone for the likes and comments.
 
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