That is exactly what this loaf is, chewy without the gummy and crunchy but easy to bite into.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and baking knowledge and the idea for using apple cider vinegar.

We do not have a sourdough version of this recipe, but if you at any moment feel like giving sourdough another try, we would suggest our mini boules:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…i-boulles/
or our sourdough pita recipe:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ough-pita/
People have commented that it was a good way for them to start their sourdough baking journey and get that first success that hopefully taste like you want more.

Enjoy your baking!

Again, excellent results with this recipe. I’ve had nothing but fails with my sourdough attempts, but this recipe is right on. I did a boule and batard and both rose so well! The crumb was open, moist, chewy but not gummy. Golden crunchy crust but not jaw breaking. I did a roasting pan over the water-spritzed bread (baked on a stone) but didn’t get the glossy, blistery crust I’d hoped for–but that didn’t effect the taste 🙂 . To try to get the sour taste we love I did swap 1 T. water for 1 T. raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and the flavor was good but not loud. I might try 2 T. next time. Thank you!

My flour only has 3 grams of protein for every 30 grams (10%). To remedy that, I bought wheat gluten and added about 3 tablespoon of that to the dough above. Is that wrong?

Any suggestion as to how much wheat gluten to add to my flour?

Thanks in advance!

Thank you so much Lili, for sharing your experience and making us part of your baking journey this way. You did very well with the tools and ingredients you had at hand.
And scoring is something you can keep practicing and get a chance to improve with each bake. A sharp blade and maybe a few of our tips will surely give you better results!
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…onfidence/
You can also experiment with the proofing, brand of flour you use, amount of steam..al these things can have impact on your scored loaf and the way it opens.

Above all, enjoy your baking moments and your home made bread.
It’s the best! 🙂

Unfortunately I still have not quite aced scoring – I’m going to get a proper lame to try and improve 😉

I’ve now made this bread twice and it is by far the best bread I’ve made – I don’t have a sourdough starter and don’t really have the patience and commitment needed to keep it going, so it’s been exciting to try a recipe with a poolish for the first time.

The first time I made the bread, it was exactly according to your recipe and turned out beautifully (both in taste and look!).

I thought you would like to know that even after realising after taking my poolish out of the fridge that I didn’t have enough white bread flour, it still turned out wonderfully!
I had already substituted 80g of the poolish for a mix of spelt and wholewheat bread flour based on a previous comment so was very nervous about needing to use more wholewheat flour instead of white flour. This is the proportions I ended up using:
– 300g white bread flour + 80g spelt/wholewheat bread flour mix in poolish
– 160g white bread flour + 140g wholewheat bread flour + 60g plain flour in the portion of flour added to the poolish. I had to add a tiny bit more water as well.

It still turned out deliciously! It is a bit less beautiful as I think the dough was a little too wet so it didn’t shape as nicely, but the texture is bubbly and chewy with a really nice nutty taste.

Thank you for making such a wonderful recipe that is actually very adaptable, even for a baking novice who doesn’t check their ingredients first 🙂

Best wishes,
Lili

Hello Melinda,
Yes, that is a great option. In fact, it is our preferred method and we keep bread in the freezer all the time. With this high hydration bread it is no problem at all. You can even slice it and take the slices you need out of the freezer.

Enjoy your baking!

Hello Heidi,
You can use the print option in your browser and then you will get the version without pictures and so on.

Enjoy your baking!

Hello Yusra,
That sounds excellent. Very happy the recipe is such a success, also with the addition of spelt and wholewheat. Very good to know, because we actually never do this.

Enjoy your crusty boules!

We think it will definitely get better with the lame and as for the flour, we would recommend trying a mix with the strong flour and type 55, equal amounts to start.

Have fun with this ‘mere a boire’ of possibilities!

Thanks for your reply!

I am in fact making a batch as we speak (there have to be some benefits to the lockdown!). Thanks for the tips, I do think my biggest issue is not going deep enough, but that is because my knife isn’t sharp enough and the bread is being flattened and tearing. I will sharpen it today and I have a lame on order so fingers crossed.

As it makes two, I might try one the usual method and I’ll put the other in the fridge straight after shaping and check how long it takes and if it scores better!

I read your flour guide recently and I do think that will make a difference- I have been using a supermarket bread flour (12% protein). I managed to order some stoneground flour last night from a local windmill: very strong canadian, strong UK/continental mix and t55. With those options available, do you have a recommendation for a flour mix?

I possibly add too much steam, so that is probably not my problem. The kitchen ends up like a hammam 😀

Thank you for taking the time to reply and your encouragement, and for giving me the bread baking bug, it gives me such pleasure.