Pain au Levain

From King Arthur

Going to try making a batard here, also making the full recipe for 2 loaves

Levain

• My starter was slightly tired-looking, hope everything is cool
• Surprisingly stiff
• Started at 4:30pm. For a 12 hour ferment, that’s not a great schedule. May refrigerate for a few hours to slow it down.

Dough

• Seems ok. First fold at 45 minutes (12:30pm).
• Didn’t oil bowl, dough stuck a bit
• Left to rise a little longer than recipe calls for (~3 hours)

Pre-shape, shape

• Divided dough a little unevenly
• Made my bâtard premiere
• Batard is the smaller one. Put it in the fridge to retard, 3:45pm
• The big guy I made into a boule, proofing on counter, should be ready for baking around 5:45

Boule, shaping and scoring

Scoring:

Boule, baking

• Good oven spring! Scored a little too deeply and got a sort of flap coming up on one side.
• 20 minutes with cover on in dutch oven
• 28 minutes cover off (checked at 20, not quite dark enough). Outer crust looks good but slightly burnt on the bottom
• Internal temp 210F
• Cooling for 1hr30
• 9pm - cut. Not bad! Better crumb than last time, no gummy bits. Cooled for ~2+ hours.

Boule Results

Best yet! Spongy, wheaty, nice taste. Awesome toasted. Not tons of tang/sourness, but still delicious. Maybe the bâtard will be more sour?

Bottom of the crust is pretty black, was tough to cut:

Bâtard Results

• Shape wound up a bit lumpy and short, maybe need to score it in a crescent next time and taper it more
• Again, baked for 20 mins w/steam, 28 minutes without. Put on parchment on a baking stone.
• Used a 9x9” glass pan with towels + the cast-iron bottom of the dutch oven + boiling water for steam
  • Not quite as dark as the boule, but also not burned on the bottom
• Due to a bread surplus, didn’t cut this open for a day or two.
• Crumb is for some reason lighter. Good structure though.