Science experiment

They say sourdough baking is half art, half science. I am experimenting with French flour which is not as strong as English flour. I very slightly reduced the hydration level on the advice of Veronica. This week I used half wholemeal flour and half semi wholemeal flour both Type 110. I decided to make two small loaves instead of one large one and baked one in the Dutch oven (a closed casserole dish) and one straight onto the baking tray and created a plenty of steam in the oven with water in a tray.  I also let the loaves prove overnight to try to develop more sour dough flavour. The results were as follows: the loaf in the Dutch oven rose very slightly more with ‘oven pop’ than the one on the baking tray. The lid of the Dutch oven had to be taken off after 20 minutes to allow the top to crust. The one on the baking tray had to be covered with foil after 20 minutes to stop it catching. Leaving the dough to prove overnight has certainly made the bread more tangy. The loaves have split rather too much but that is either because the starter was not quite active enough or because the loaves were not fully risen when baked.

I had an early morning call from the health authority with more contradictory information and was composing a letter to the mediator to complain to try to sort out Mrs TT’s health certificate but then the same person phoned me back to say that, in fact, the information I had received the previous day was correct and the certificate should arrive in the next 10 days. I will keep the mediation letter I have drafted as I have absolutely no confidence that this certificate will arrive given all the wrong information and delays that have been experienced over the last three and a half months!