35% whole wheat sourdough bread

To make this bread was a real pleasure. After applying this new way of preparing the bread it looked to me like I discovered a new world. It looked like the dough was talking to me. It was telling me knead me more or stretch me more. It was the first time when I simply new when to stop as the dough was indicating that one stretch or coil fold was enough. It is amazing how I simply stepped away from using an automatic mixer in order to knead the bread manually just because it gives me more indications on what to do. 

 With every bread I do I learn new things. I know now just after the first mixing if my bread will be a wow one or a mediocre one. This entire learning process it brings so much satisfaction.

Comparing to my last bread, I reduced the quantity of whole wheat flour. The reasons behind this was to reduce the amount of crumble in the final loaf. 

Although I am simply in love with this airy bread I need to recognize the single disadvantage it has, and that is when you put some butter on (due to the big holes). I eat this only sometimes but I can understand the comments of some people on this aspect. For me this is the perfect bread and I am convinced that from now on, this is my style. For butter, you need a kind of brick milk loaf. I did many in the past but they are not on my top choices.

I would like to continue to challenge myself in baking bread with different quantities of different flours. But this, it will be continued in future posts.

1. [Day 1, Wednesday, 20:00] Take the sourdough out of the fridge and feed it in a new jar: 25g sourdough + 25g starter + 25g water. Keep the jar at the room temperature for 12 hours. Discard the remaining initial starter.
2. [Day 2, Thursday, 8:00] Feed the starter in a new jar: 25g sourdough + 25g starter + 25g water. Keep the jar at the room temperature for 12 hours. Discard the remaining initial starter.
3. [Day 2, Thursday, 20:00] Feed the starter in a new jar: 25g sourdough + 25g starter + 25g water. Keep the jar at the room temperature for 12 hours. Discard the remaining initial starter.
4. [Day 3, Friday, 8:00] Feed the starter in a new jar: 25g sourdough + 25g starter + 25g water. Keep the jar at the room temperature for 12 hours. Discard the remaining initial starter.
5. [Day 3, Friday, 20:00].  Take a big jar (~1000g capacity) and add in it: 40g sourdough starter + 40g water + 40g flour). From the remaining initial starter do not forget to build your main starter. Keep the levain jar at the room temperature over night. 
6. Immediately after, sift the whole wheat flour and save separately the bran. Pour 200ml boiling water over the bran and store it in a tight container over night a room temperature.
7. [Day 4, Saturday, 9:00] In the same big jar, that contains now 120g of starter, add 120g water and 120g of flour and mix to feed the starter for the last time. Very important, keep the sourdough in a warm place or even in the oven at 30-50ºC so it is ready for the next step in just 6 hours.
   Immediately after, in a big bowl, mix only bread flour, sifted whole wheat flour, moist bran, gluten powder and water.  Cover the bowl and leave the dough to stay on the counter for 6 hours, for the autolyse phase.
8. [Day 4, Saturday, 15:00] Add the levain over the dough and press it with your fingers straight down forming a kind of a matrix. Press the dough and turn it for 4 minutes until the dough becomes homogeneous. Cover the bowl and let it sit on the counter for 40 minutes.
9. [Day 4, Saturday, 15:45] Incorporate the salt and knead with the Rubaud method for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let it si on the counter for 40 minutes.
10. [Day 4, Saturday, 16:30] Take the dough out of the bowl, put it on the slightly wet board and divide it in 3. Stretch and fold each piece on the board and place them face up in squared glass bowl. Cover them with a plastic bag or a shower cap and let them sit for 40 minutes.
11. [Day 4, Saturday, 17:15] Take each piece out and do the lamination. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes back in the covered squared glass bowls . 
12. [Day 4, Saturday, 18:00] We start now a set of 3 coil folds performed straight in the bowl. Do the first coil fold set for the dough in each squared glass bowl and let them sit for 40 minutes.
13. [Day 4, Saturday, 18:45] Do a second set of coil folds in the squared bowls. Cover the bowls back and let them sit for 40 minutes.
14. [Day 4, Saturday, 19:30] Do a third set of coil folds. Cover the bowls back and let them sit for 40 minutes.
15. [Day 4, Saturday, 20:30] Shape the loaves on the lightly floured board. Place the dough face down into a well floured banneton. Repeat the proces for the remaining pieces of dough. Put the bannetons in plastic bags or covered with a shower cap and place them in the fridge for 14-20 hours.
16. [Day 5, Sunday, 16:00] Preheat the oven at 260-275ºC with a baking stone inside and a tray with volcanic stones under. It will take 45-60 minutes to heat properly the stone.
17. [Day 5, Saturday, 16:45] Take the dough out from the fridge, sprinkle some semolina on top of the bread to avoid sticking. Place a pizza paddle on top of the banneton and return. Remove gently the banneton and score the bread with an incision of 1-2cm deep along the bread. Slide the loaves on the hot stone in the oven. Take 200ml of hot water and pour it over the hot lava rocks. in the underneath tray. Be very careful as the steam is extremely hot. Also place a towel on the glass of the oven to avoid cracks in case water touches it. Close the oven (but don't forget to remove the towel before) and bake at 275ºC for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 220ºC and continue to bake for 30 minutes.