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There it is in all its glory. No before you think that I've lost my recently acquired knack for getting decent volume out of a loaf, this bread is actually supposed to have a low profile. In fact, most of the elements of making this bread lend toward that goal. First, it is a VERY wet dough, 80% hydration, where a standard dough is in the upper 60's. The second is an extremely high percentage of whole wheat flour. Up until now the whole wheat loaves you have seen have hovered around equal parts bread flour and whole wheat. This formula officially asks exclusively for high extraction wheat flour, a flour in which a small percentage of the bran has been removed. This puts it closer in spectrum to whole wheat (0% bran removal) than bread flour (100% bran removal). Because I couldn't get my hands on any high extraction flour I followed Hamelman's substitution suggestion using 90% whole wheat, and 10% bread flour. The higher whole grain content makes mixing to develop gluten a slower process thanks to all those sharp edges puncturing the gluten network. To counter this I gave the loaf an extra long autolyse, which gave the dough an extra boost of development without having to use the somewhat counterproductive mixer.
The third element contributing to the flatter loaf, and the most definitive is the shaping. Rather than a tight first shaping followed by a tight second shaping, this loaf only received a rough first shaping followed by a light second shaping, similar to the rustic loaves from early posts.
The final reason why this loaf is flatter is because:
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It's HUGE. Miche is a term for a large round loaf, emphasis on large. For the production version of this formula the suggested scaling weight is 5 pounds, and it's not uncommon for a miche to weigh more than that. The home formula is just shy of 4 pounds and it still nearly exceeded the width of my pizza stones. Another point of reference shot:
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And here is a shot of the crumb.
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I was curious to try the loaf as Hamelman insisted that the loaf be allowed to rest for 12 hours before eating, and stated that it's flavor would gradually change over the course of a few days. While I know this is common enough for large naturally leavened loaves with a high percentage of whole grain, I have a hard time waiting an hour to cut into bread so this was arduous. After letting it cool on a rack, I wrapped it in linen to rest the remainder of it's time. My initial impression was that it was a dense, highly acidic bread with a strong undercurrent of wheat. True to his prediction however this balance shifted over the course of the next 3 days, the sourness receding and the wheat flavor coming to dominate the impression. I went from shrugging over the results to loving them, it makes me more excited than ever to get to the heavy rye breads some of which require a 24 hour rest. Next week will be a light one again, as Whit and I are going to visit my new nephew, but I am in the process of baking as I type this, and will try to post the results while we are on the move. Who knows, perhaps I'll even bake out there!
-Vino
Here are the details from the bake:
Room Temp: 74.5
Water Temp: 51.8
Flour Temp: 75.6
Preferment Temp: 80.1
Final Temp: 75.7 (target 76)
Autolyse: 50 minutes
Mix: Standard incorporation + 2 minutes at speed 2, cut on bench, 2 minutes at speed 3
Bulk Fermentation: 2.5 hours with folds at 30, 1:15, and 2:00
Bench Proof: shape, 10 minute rest, shape, 2:15
Bake: ~45 min @ 460 degrees for 20 min then 420 for the rest
Steam: Spritzed bread, steamed on load and for 30 seconds after.
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