I was supposed to bake another baguette today, but thanks to a mistake I’ve made when preparing the sponge (I used spelt instead of whole wheat flour), I went to a totally different direction! Here is a "sunflower seeds & dried figs" loaf I’ve just baked. It’s gorgeous, with a fairly open structure and the delicious of sunflower seeds and sweetness of dried figs. The spelt gave it a velvety touch; I was afraid it wouldn’t rise much... but it did.
SPONGE (total 280g)
80g whole wheat starter @100% hydration
100g organic spelt flour
100g bottled water
DOUGH (total 898g)
280g sponge
100g whole wheat flour
300g organic unbleached white flour
15g honey
80g dried figs, cut in 8
60g unsalted sunflower seeds
8g salt
(hydration ~65%)
TIMELINE
WEDNESDAY
8h00 refresh starter
13h00 prepare sponge using starter
18h00 mix dough (flour, water and honey only), autolysis
18h30 add salt; knead for 8 minutes by hand, not much flour added
19h00-23h00 fold hourly, flattening the dough, gradually adding sunflower seeds & figs, rolling the dough
23h00 decorate loaf with figs, put in fridge in a pan with rolled kitchen towels
THURSDAY
7h00 pre-heat the oven (with the pizza stone at 2nd rack); put the dough at room temperature
8h00 slash; cook at 475F for 35 minutes, with water for 15 minutes, then with the oven door slightly open to let the steam out
The bread has a wonderful taste and a delicate, velvety, moist texture. Next time I’ll make this bread I’ll double the amount of honey and reduce the rising time in the evening. And since sunflower seeds aren’t nuts, my son will be allowed to bring a loaf at school in his lunch.
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