While You Were Sleeping.

Whole Wheat version of Rye Build with an overnight retard.

Mixing+Coffee&Toast.

A glimpse of my operation at home.

Scratch Baking Co.

Had an awesome bake last night.  Here's my favorite bread to mix, shape, bake, and most of all eat.  MICHE!

Rye Build

My boss Allison at Scratch lent me guidance with configuring this formula.  I'm beginning to better understand how to achieve the flavor profile I'm seeking.  For this, I wanted a sour loaf with a good tang.  I've been doing a lot of experimenting with using straight seed culture, but by creating a build I was able to preferment more of the flour and still achieve a strong dough.  I used a medium grind organic rye flour from Maine Grains and King Arthur Bakers Classic (organic) white.  This turned out so well I have a Maine Grains whole wheat version in the works this very moment.

Hearty Rye

Taking a day off of whole wheat.  Here's a 70% Maine Grains Organic Rye.

Formula:
Maine Grains Organic Rye 350g (70%)
King Arthur Sir Galahd 150g (30%)
Sea Salt 10g (2%)
Starter 200g (40%)
Water 350g (70%)

Mixing:
30 minute autolyse (leaven incorporated)
Stir in salt

Folding/Shaping:
3 folds on half hour
20 minute pre shape
Shape like country loaf from Tartine book, then make round
Risen in bread banneton

Baking:
Baked at 500 for 45-50 mins on hearth at Scratch Baking Co.

Maine Grains

Here is another go at 100% whole grain.  This time I used entirely Maine Grains flour from their Skowhegan Mill and upped the leaven amount.  Started out to be safe at 70% hydration, looked stiff so I added 10g more water to make it 72%.  It became so extensible from the long autolyse though, I practically lost all hope.  I heavily floured a kitchen towel and placed it in my basket, also dusted the exposed underside of the loaf in attempts to "dry it out".  I had some errands to run in town on my bike today and it sat in its final shape for nearly 4 hours.  The flavor is right on actually.  I'm almost there! I just need one of those wicker baskets with a couche lining, and maybe a shorter autolyse with only 70% hydration..

Formula:
250g Maine Grains Rye (50%)
250g Maine Grains WW (50%)
360g Water (72%)
200g 100% Hydration Starter (40%)
10g Sea Salt (2%)

Mixing:
Overnight autolyse of flour and water (2-3 mins)
Stir in Leaven and salt (5 mins)

Folding and Shaping:
6 folds on the quarter hour
15 minute preshape (tight)
Heavy hands and tight final shape into a round
Proof in well floured basket

Baking:

Lodge Cast Iron Dual Cooker
500 for 25, 450 additional 25 with top removed

100% Whole Grain

Attempting to make an overnight autolyse, 100% whole grain sourdough bread with the simple ingredients of flour, water, and salt. This was not a success...Maybe the dough fermented at too cool a temperature?  Thinking of increasing the leaven percentage..Any thoughts??

Formula:
400g King Arthur Whole Wheat (80%)
100g Arrowhead Mills Organic Rye (20%)
400g Water (80%)
150g Starter (30%)
10g Sea Salt (2%)

Mixing:
Overnight Autolyse with flour and water.
Stir in culture and salt.
3 hour (bulk) ferment with folds on the half hour
20 minute pre shape
3 hour final shape

Baking:
Baked on hearth ovens at work, 500 for 30-40 mins

60% Whole Grain

Conjured up this loaf of bread today.  Experimenting with a few different flour blends lately, hydration amounts have been up and down.  Pretty happy with this formula, might scale back on the white a bit and use Maine Grains 86% extraction in place and try to get hydration between 75-78%.

Scaling:
40% King Arthur Sir Galahad
40% Aurora/Maine Grains Whole Wheat
20% Maine Grains Rye
30% Leaven
2% Sea Salt
73% Hydration

Mixing:
45 minute autolyse(with leaven incorporated)
Stir in salt
3 folds on the half hour
30 minute preshape
4 hour final shape

Baking:
Lodge cast iron at 500 for 25 mins, 450 for additional 20-30 mins with top removed

Chazuettes

Baguettes

Whole Wheat Worries

I recently purchased a bag of flour from a local farm that had more chaff than usual and have been struggling with making whole wheat loaves. After sifting the flour, I wound up with about half of it being unusable germ and bulk that would only make a thick loaf for soup or hardy sandwiches. For the airy breads I want, I've had to use a mixture of King Arthur unbleached all purpose and the bulky whole wheat. I found that between 13 and 17 percent unsifted whole wheat was a prime mixture for a full and somewhat uniform crumb. 

The Solution is Dillution

200 grams ripe starter

557 grams water

865 grams white

138 grams unsifted whole wheat

18 grams salt

In a bowl was mixed 543 grams of water and the full starter. Then, pre-combined flour on top and gently mixed with a wooden spoon. Let mixture sit for an hour and added 14 grams of water and all the salt. Folded every hour for 3 hours and let sit covered at 60 degrees(f) for 9 hours. Spread on floured surface, quartered, shaped, and sit in floured couche for 2.5 hours before throwing into a 500 degree(f) oven with water thrown on the bottom. Baked until golden brown. Smothered with local raw butter, sprinkled with salt and cracked pepper, delicious. 

Baguette

Hello beautiful people,

This past week I have been trying to do baguettes but It just wasn't working out. I tried at first with a 70% hydration thinking it would need to be that much and then again but letting the dough proof overnight and nope. They kept coming out flat, no spring in the oven, and heavy. Needles to say I didnt take any pictures because they were just hard to stomach. But when all fails with bread there is always soup and stew to eat it with.

Looking through my pictures last night I found one of my 2011 trip to Bosnia. 

Yesterday I found some time to get a recipe modified and try a 65 percent hydration dough. I prepped the dough in the morning went through a fold each hour three times and stuck it in the fridge overnight. The dough was nice puffy and light. Scaled, shaped, preheated the oven to 550F, slashed and loaded.

I think one of my problems with the other loafs from last week was my baking. It was early, I was rushing it, didnt pay attention to the dough and it also much colder then ideal temperature for proofing (darn you vermont).

 Half Baguettes 

-220g of mature strong starter
-590g King Arthur all purpose white
-20g King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat
-400g water
-8g Sea salt
-3 Tbsp Olive oil (I always use the best olive oil, its just not something to mess around with)
- 3.14159... Love

1. The mix
Flour, water, Starter, and olive oil on low mix for 10 min with a 20min rest.  Add the salt last, mix for 3min and let it rest for an hour.

2. The Folds
Fold the dough into itself every hour three times. After the last rest period, cover with plastic and put into fridge overnight.

3. The Shape
Take out the dough in the morning, divide into fours and start shaping each one at a time. Here is a video on shaping.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdNRogR10nM  (skip to the 2min mark and just do the pre-shape) When you do the shape just loosely roll and stretch the loaves but make sure not to tear them. Let them stretch naturally. Make sure to not shape the loaves the way this guy does it in the video because he is beating on them so much. :( sad dough.
Put your baguettes on a couch or cloth that you dont care getting dusty or doughy.

4. Bake
Preheat the oven to as high as it will go (mine was at 525F) and let your baguettes rest while this is happening. Get your loading peel ready and your knife/lame clean.
Make sure you also have about a cup of water to toss into the oven before loading your loaves.
Slash your loaves and let them bake for 20 min at 475-500F. 

Enjoy!!

Miche de Chaz

 Hello dear friends,
As a collective of bakers and adventurers we are currently under the task of choosing a different name for our blog because there are plenty of yeast coasts out there. We love baking bread, riding bikes, adventuring, coffee, tea, crafting and all the great things in life. Soon we will be under a different name and might be posting more than just our baking projects. Here is a picture of a beautiful man and his Miche in Lyndon.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be posting my Baguette attempt which is in the fridge as we speak. Enjoy!!

Tinder Hearth Family

Here are a few pictures of a lovely family and bakery that makes my heart melt.
LOVE YOU BROOKSHIRE.

 Svetlana

 Sam doesn't know where to start

 That shiny gold visor is the secret recipe to the best pizza west of Italy

 Berto

 Pizza masters

 Crosint

Best Miche west of France