And here we go. The result of about 36 hours of bread-making, we have here two oblong (batarde-ish) long-rise sourdough loaves. Started with 1 kilo of flour and 720ml of water, so I ended up with two nice sized loaves.

The levain for this was started Tuesday evening (25g mature starter, 150g whole wheat flour, 150ml water) and then incorporated into the autolyse on Wednesday at 8:30am. Fermentation from 9am to 5ish pm with folds every 30-45 minutes, then shaped and let finish proving in the fridge overnight. Based on the dough consistency, I over-fermented by about 30 minutes, but it doesn't seem to have done much harm. I'll make sure to get a cross-section once they're cooled.

Baked at 465F in an oblong, enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, for 35 minutes with the lid on and 11 minutes with the lid off. I use parchment paper to transfer the loaf into the pan, which helps also keep the bottom from being so cronchy I can't slice it. These are lighter golden since again - personal preference from the person they're baked for - too crunchy is sometimes offputting, so I try to bake to the ideals of my targeted eaters!

I obviously didn't score the second loaf quite well enough and had a bit of a blow-out, but that's fine, it adds character, right?

These loaves are a gift to a friend, since my holiday meal today has been delayed to Sunday. I'll be making bread again Friday night into Sunday morning for my own family.

#Sourdough #Bread #LongRise #Fermentation #HeyItsBread #BreadDay #Baking