This is a 100% whole wheat loaf I baked this week using locally grown Joaquin Oro wheat, a high protein, hard red spring variety. It was fermented with a sourdough starter (100% hydration for the bread geeks out there).
And thank you to Michael Pollan for inventing the somewhat crass #crumbshot hashtag. Look for more #crumbshots and a whole wheat bread baking e-book on Root Simple in the coming year.
I’d buy a bread recipe book. I always appreciate someone else doing the hard work of testing recipes for me, especially whole wheat sourdough! Woohoo!
Also, #crumbshot?! C’mon, it’s “daily bread”, don’t tale pictures of it! Just write down the recipes that work and sell ’em to me. 🙂
That is beautiful and as a baker myself I can appreciate the achievement of making a 100% whole wheat loaf with those lovely holes. Well done!!!
Book #3? Or only in ebook format
Probably only in ebook format (it’s expensive to ship stuff these days). But we’ve also considered some kind of special hard copy format. We’ll see . . .
That is a beautiful loaf. I have to ask this as I have been wondering for awhile. What is the connection of artisan bread and the holes in the crumb? I have visited family in France a number of times and do not see it there. And practically they are kind of a mess when trying to eat toast with butter and jam. Or making a sandwich for a hike. Where did this idea come from? I have spent time working with various breads and haven’t yet perfected the holes. Am guessing it comes from higher hydration doughs. In any case I will be looking forward to more info from you on your bread. Thank you
You get big holes if you use either white flour or commercial yeast or both. It’s a matter of style–some French and Italian breads have big holes. Northern European breads often have a denser crumb structure. A very skilled baker I met named Craig Ponsford does 100% whole wheat loaves with big open crumb. Personally, I prefer a denser crumb for the reason you state.
Was the starter also made from 100% whole wheat or was it a mix?
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