Baking bread

It appears that I do my best when baking breads on Wednesday, and Friday.

These were made this morning, using a seventy three percent hydration, and one hundred fifty grams of Einkorn flour, as below.

I feed the starter Tuesday morning, and, evening, then again, Wednesday morning, if I am going to bake sourdough bread on Wednesday. When the starter is well into its rise, I mix the flours being used; usually one kilo of all purpose, with one hundred fifty grams of Einkorn.

Next, I add seven hundred and thirty grams of water to the flour mixture, to achieve a seventy three percent hydration. That gets mixed together, covered with a shower cap, and left to sit for one to twenty four hours. That part is called the “autolyse”, which allows the flour to start relaxing, making it easier to knead, when the time comes.

Personally, I rarely use a recipe for sourdough bread anymore. I found, then learned, how to use the baker’s percentage formula to determine how much flour, water, salt, and starter I need to use to make a loaf that weighs x amount of grams. I am not going to explain it here, but if you are interested in what it is, and how to use it, check it out.

I like a hydration rate of seventy three percent because it is wet enough to give the bread some significant holes, but stiff enough that I can knead the dough by hand, and not have to use my stand mixer. The wetter the dough, the more open the “crumb”, you have in the finished loaf.

Aesthetically, the more holes, supposedly the better the loaf. Me? I do not want any of the toppings I am using to fall through too many holes. The loaves you have seen on this site work just fine for me, and mine.

To know what is in each loaf of bread I make, even, to go as far as the sprouting, drying, and hand milling of the Einkorn grains; having made each loaf entirely by hand, gives me the greatest joy imaginable. Few have had the courage to tell me what they think of the bread, but, in my heart, I know exactly what they are tasting.

And am very proud of it.

Japanese milk bread. Should be soft enough for Ivan to eat.

Now, until my Japanese Milk Bread has risen enough to bake, (also kneaded by hand for the first, and, last time, EVER), stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.