After trying a really high hydration bread that went well enough but not spectacularly, I came back to my standard 75 hydration. I wanted to use up some oil/water from a jar of marinated artichokes and some cheap flour that my father-in-law bought.
350g all purpose flour (Gold Medal)
50g buckwheat flour
100g starter
225g water
75g marinated artichoke water
The dough was a bit slow in rising, so I took it outside, and it quickly exploded such that I was on the verge of overproofing it. Then I overbaked it, which is why it came out a bit dark.
I pulled it out of the oven at 10pm. Just in time for a late snack – a couple slices with butter, and one more with olive oil and salt.
Even with the cheap flour and the mismanaged process, it was an amazing tasting loaf fresh out of the oven.
I know that my lackadaisical approach may be resulting in a ceiling to limit how great my bread might become, however the floor for these loaves are so high that I’ll take the tradeoff. This was not a spectacular loaf, but these three slices were better than anything I’ve ever bought from a store.
Baking bread can be an adventure, you just have to be ready to enjoy the journey.
