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Aussie White Miche

by shiao-ping · More by this author { 2010 May 18 }

The Dough

Ingredient Weight Bakers Percentage

Flour (Laucke's unbleached bakers flour) 660 g 100.00%
White Starter @65% hydration 198 g 30.00%
Water 487 g 73.79% (hydration)
Margaret River pink rock salt 15 g 2.27%
Total weight: 1360.00 grams

Percentages are relative to flour weight (flour equals 100%). Flour from the Starter is not counted. See
How to read Baker's percentage tables.

Too much salt? Don't forget that the Starter also contains flour (usually half flour / half water),
compensating for a higher percentage of salt.

I smiled when I read Graham said that the only thing that he doesn’t like about his version of
Romano-Celery Sourdough was that “it is basically a white dough and can be interpreted as
having 'stodgy' mouthfeel by people that enjoy a more textured crumb, like myself.” 
Lately I have noticed that my son has been having less of my sourdough and that it coincided
with my experimenting with flour that has higher ash content and higher bran.  Flavour aside,
breads made with these types of flour are noticeably more chewy and less soft and spongy –
the so-called “more textured crumb.” 

 I wanted to give my kids a treat – I am making them an all-white sourdough.  Purists would
have a problem that I called my all-white sourdough a Miche.  Miche (and Campagne) are
normally made with some rye and some other whole grain flour.  The more whole grain flour
there is, the more you lose the soft and sponginess, and the more you gain the “texture”
(unless, perhaps, you increase the hydration to very high and add oil, other fat or milk, which I
am unwilling to do).  The more there is “texture,” the less it is appealing to kids?         

 I am absolutely loving the cooler weather now.  My white starter (for this Miche) which was fed
four times flour took 29 hours (!) to mature at room temperature, and how lovely it was so full of
bubbles and happy.  In summer, I feed my starter three times flour, so why in winter, I am
feeding it four times flour?  I should have dropped the feeding to two times flour.  But No!  The
little beasties are enjoying the slower and longer feeding.  And, in return, they are giving
me more flavor for my bread!

 I am calling my Miche an Aussie Miche because all of my ingredients are Aussie origin.

Starter

30 g white starter @ 65% hydration

120 g Laucke’s unbleached bakers flour

78 g water

I refreshed my starter at 4:30 pm and it was ready the next day at 9:30 pm (a 29 hour marathon
feeding) at room temperature ranging 15 to 20 C. 

All but 30 g was used for making the dough (30 grams were set aside for perpetuation).  Total
weight of my dough was 1360 grams and overall dough hydration was 72.5%.
Ingredients

 660 g Flour (Laucke's unbleached bakers flour)

 198 g White Starter @65% hydration
 487 g Water
 15 g Margaret River pink rock salt

Method

 (1) I diluted my starter with the recipe water, adding a little bit at a time, mixing thoroughly
before adding a little bit more, until all water was added.

(2) Mixed in the flour with a spoon for about a minute.  Autolyse 30 minutes. 

(3) Bulk fermentation (including autolyse) was 4 hours at room temperature of 18 – 20 C.  I did
four times double letter-folds in the mixing bowl during the bulk fermentation.

(4) Pre-shaped and shaped the dough into a round.  Placed the dough in a dusted banneton.

(5) Proved overnight for 7 hours (including the time that it took to pre-shape and shape the
dough and the resting time in between) at room temperature of 14 – 18 C.  (The next morning I
checked the dough temperature and it was 16 – 17 C.)

(6) I pre-heated my oven to as high as it could go, 250 – 260 C.  As soon as the dough was
loaded, I turned the oven down to 240 C.  I covered the dough with a giant stainless steel bowl
(which was not pre-warmed).  The dough was baked, covered, for 35 minutes.  Then, I removed
the bowl, and baked for a further 15 minutes, after which I turned the temperature down to 230
C, rotated the dough, and baked for a further 15 minutes.

(7) Cooled the loaf for at least one hour before slicing.