Country loaf – 80% hydration w/ 25% whole grains

I broke out my old cam for some pics. This is pretty much the “Tartine method” as far as general ethos, but a bit different:

– 400g water

– 375g Kirkland organic APF

– 50g fresh milled whole wheat

– 50g fresh milled Kamut

– 25g fresh milled rye

– 10g salt

– 100g levain (~1:10:10, 50/50 APF and Kamut, built the evening before)

In the morning when the levain was about ready, I mixed the water and flours for a half hour autolyse, and kneaded it for a few minutes to build strength. After the autolyse, I added the levain and salt and kneaded it for a few minutes in the container. After 15 mins, I did kneading and slap and folds for a total of 10 minutes until the dough was fairly smooth. I then did six sets of coil folds, 15 minutes apart, until the dough felt pretty strong. I bulk fermented until it rose about 50% at a dough temp of around 77/78 F. I did a preshape like a pizza ball on the counter, followed by a final shaping into a batard. It then proofed in the fridge overnight. I baked it at 450 F in a Dutch oven with a few ice cubes with the lid on for 20 minutes, with the lid off for 15 minutes, and then for about a half hour completely out of the Dutch oven.

I am really happy with how this loaf came out. I had a month of really poor bakes recently and I think the issue was my starter; it was either getting too cold in the fridge and I wasn’t feeding it enough prior to baking or it was possibly acidic. Never doubt the power of a strong starter!