Multigrain Sourdough
Yesterday was the same flour, with different levains. Today was different flours with the same levain (for the most part.) It was a very challenging day since the doughs were especially tricky to work with.
On the left is sourdough rye. Rye is a very delicate, pasty dough that moves really fast so you can't be too far away from it. But with the addition of sourdough starter it makes for an incredibly delicious loaf which is worth the effort!
In the middle is a sourdough multigrain loaf. This time we roasted the seeds prior to incorporating in the dough and the end result was even better than the yeasted loaf we made in Artisan 1. This is without a doubt the best loaf I've ever tasted.
On the right was a whole wheat sourdough. While it was fairly easy to work with I have to admit that the flavour was a little plain. We've made better loaves than this during the week.
Finally, the batard at the back is a 100% whole wheat sourdough made with pumpernickel starter. Now this is a complex loaf. It's a real pig to work with -- the fragile dough makes shaping very difficult without tearing the dough. But what flavour! It's complex, wheaty, with a strong rye overtone. This is a bread which I'd be proud to offer in my bakery once I practice the handling and shaping some more.
ONE QUICK NOTE: I've made a habit of offering my loaves to the folks that work at my hotel. I found out tonight that I've got quite a reputation! Everyone knows my room number because the cleaning staff have remarked about how the room smells very strongly of bread every morning. I'm so used to the smell that I hardly notice any more...