Just a follow up... I've baked 4 loaves now with this method, and gotten stellar, IG-worthy loaves every time. A few new notes....
- I baked one loaf with 100% *bleached* AP flour, which is what I can get right now where I am. It STILL turned out perfect, and while the flavor was somewhat bland, it was actually probably a better choice if I were making e.g., PBJ sandwiches, and would be fine as a sandwich loaf.
- I was struggling with perfectly-browned tops, but scorching on the bottoms and a slightly too-thick bottom crust. Though my oven was the correct temp (I have an oven thermometer to monitor), the KAF team suggested dropping the oven temp 25 degrees - that made ALL the difference ... perfect browned tops AND bottoms.
- I prefer bigger pockets in the sponge, so tend to make a slightly higher hydration dough - about 5% more water gives me a bubbly, rustic interior, but the dough is sticky and best folded with one or two dough scrapers, rather than hands, to avoid a big mess.
May 12, 2020 at 6:56pm
In reply to I’ve been baking 100%… by Rebecca H. (not verified)
Just a follow up... I've baked 4 loaves now with this method, and gotten stellar, IG-worthy loaves every time. A few new notes....
- I baked one loaf with 100% *bleached* AP flour, which is what I can get right now where I am. It STILL turned out perfect, and while the flavor was somewhat bland, it was actually probably a better choice if I were making e.g., PBJ sandwiches, and would be fine as a sandwich loaf.
- I was struggling with perfectly-browned tops, but scorching on the bottoms and a slightly too-thick bottom crust. Though my oven was the correct temp (I have an oven thermometer to monitor), the KAF team suggested dropping the oven temp 25 degrees - that made ALL the difference ... perfect browned tops AND bottoms.
- I prefer bigger pockets in the sponge, so tend to make a slightly higher hydration dough - about 5% more water gives me a bubbly, rustic interior, but the dough is sticky and best folded with one or two dough scrapers, rather than hands, to avoid a big mess.