Norwich Sourdough as a ‘thank you gift’

When you follow my blog, you see I bake almost all my loaves with recipes I find at other blogs. I like to have a look at what other home bakers bake and how it turns out in their kitchen. I have just a few books on baking bread and now I had the opportunity to get another book.

A while back I wanted to join Mellow Bakers when they choose The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard. It’s not a very expensive book and I was ordering the book with Amazon on line. At the end of the ordering session I discovered they wouldn’t send the book to Thailand. I still have no idea why they don’t send it. So, I didn’t join the Mellow Bakers with Dan Lepards’ book.

I forgot all about it until a friend of us went back to England for a family visit. Then I realized I could order a book and have it send to his mother. This was the opportunity; ordering a book, having it send to England and brought to Thailand. But which book to choose? I took it seriously and asked my fellow home bakers. The verdict was unanimous: Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread, is the book to have. ‘Not for beginners’, they all said. I’m baking for more than a year now and still I can learn a lot. 

With an address in England it’s easy to order a book. After a few weeks the friend returned and my book came. Off course I wanted to thank him and what better gift than a freshly baked bread to thank him for bringing back the book on BREAD.

I wanted to be sure and choose Norwich Sourdough. It’s a delicious good recipe I found at Susan’s Wild Yeast. Susan's Norwich Sourdough is adapted from Jeffrey Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough. I’ve baked this many times and in many variations. I decided to bake two loaves; 1 brown and 1 white. 

When we gave the loaves to our friend, his wife placed them on the table. Our friend’s wife is Thai and she doesn’t normally eat bread. She got a knife and cut some pieces to taste it. The biggest compliment was she couldn’t stop eating. I told her I was surprised, because she doesn’t eat bread. She said: ‘but this is really good bread, with a good structure and delicious taste’. Yes, we know this is how bread supposes to taste.

Off course I immediately started to read the book and it’s full of information; technical and recipes. There are 415 pages, so I have enough to read and a lot of recipes to bake. And enough to convert. Maybe next time mr. Hamelman will also use the metric system? My first impression is: ‘wow, Jeffrey Hamelman really knows what he’s doing. And he knows how to put it in writing too’. So, I’m happy!

Specifics
Name                               Norwich Sourdough
Adapted from                    Jeffrey Hamelman’s Vermont Sourdough
Yields                               2 big loaves
Dough temp.                     24°C
Levain build                      8 - 12 hours
Mixing                               3 + 4 minutes
Autolyse                            20 minutes
Fermentation                     2.5 hours
Stretch/Fold                      50 and 100 minutes
Shape incl. resting              30 minutes
Proof at roomtemp.            2 -2.5 hours
Prepare steam/bake           1 hour
Bake 230°C                        40 - 45 minutes

This is what I used:
Bakers formula                  %        grams
Flour                                100     1200

Water                               65      780
Salt                                  2.1     23

100% Mature Culture       grams
AP flour                            180

Water                              180

Final Dough
AP flour                            900
Medium Rye flour               120
Water                              600
Salt                                   23     
100% Mature Culture           360

Brown version 
Roasted Malt                      25

This is what I did:

The evening before (8 - 12 hours) I mixed the ingredients for the Mature Culture. I left it in a plastic container with a lid for the night in my kitchen.

Baking day:
The final dough: I added all of the ingredients, except salt, in the mixing bowl of a spiral mixer and mixed until all was well combined. After 20 minutes I added salt.

I mixed on first speed for 3 minutes and on second speed for 4 minutes. The dough should be supple, with a medium gluten development.

Bulk Fermentation: transfer the dough to a slightly oiled container, cover and leave for 2 – 2.5 hours. Stretch and fold the dough two times at 50-minute intervals.

Shaping: I divided the dough into two pieces and loosely pre shaped into balls. Covered with a towel and left for 15 minutes to rest.
Transferred them to the floured linen couche, covered with a moist towel and a plastic bag.

Proofing: I proofed the loaves for 2 – 2.5 hours. Because of the warm/hot temperature in our house I watch them to prevent over proofing.

Pre heating: I pre heated the oven to 230°C and placed the steam pan with stones on the bottom of the oven.

Preparing and Baking: When the oven is hot enough I boil water and pour it in a glass bottle with a long neck. I pour some boiling water on the hot stones and quickly close the oven door to keep the steam in the oven.
I place the loaves on parchment on a peel. Transfer them to the oven and quickly slide the loaves on the baking stone. After some minutes I add some more water to get more steam.

I baked the loaves 12 minutes with steam and quickly removed the parchment paper and the steam pan. I baked the loaves for another 33 minutes. Bake the loaves until they are nicely brown colored.

Cooling: Let the loaves cool completely on a wire rack.

I found the recipe of Norwich Sourdough on Wild Yeast
I send this to Susan’s YeastSpotting and to Bake Your Own Bread

What did you bake this month? Don’t forget to show it.