Susan, thanks for the quick response. Two simple questions: Was the overnight bulk at room temp or in the fridge? Also, approximately how long was the final proof and was it based on the size of the rise?
Dan - this loaf bulk fermented overnight – total bulk time from mixing until preshape was about 15 hours. I let the condition of the dough be my guide…the dough didn’t seem sufficiently “fluffy” or bubbly at 12-13 hours, the top of the dough not yet domed and smooth, so I let it bulk longer (by the way, I use a tinted pyrex bowl to bulk, not a straight-sided clear container). Also, the temps in our house are around 67 degrees, down to 64-65 during the night.
When the dough seemed ready I shaped the loaf, let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes, and then put it into the refrigerator for about 8 hours and baked it in the evening straight from the fridge.
- preheated oven and oblong clay baker to 475,
- lowered temp to 450 after placing loaf in oven
- baked with cover on for 25 minutes, cover off for another 13 (internal temp was around 208).
I often proof at room temp and bake immediately but in this case cold proofed. I wonder if that may be part of the reason I got such a good result. l should be more systematic about this and keep better records, a la Melissa!
Melissa - I think the even distribution you are noticing is a result of both laminating in the additions early-ish in bulk ferment (though after 2 stretch and folds, and followed by one more), and the rolling method I used to shape the oblong loaf – squish/stretch the dough out into a rectangle, then roll/fold from the far end about 3-4 times, using the heel of my hand to lightly press after each roll (if that makes sense). Kinda-sorta the way demonstrated in this video beginning at 6:26: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/videos/professional-techniques/techniques-for-the-professional-baker-4-shaping
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That video is excellent - thank you for sharing the link!
What I especially liked was the explanations for some things you don’t see in many videos … what fingers and thumbs are doing “underneath” the dough and why it is important.
I watched the entire video and will watch again. I’ve only recently been paying more attention to shaping and it shows particularly in the crumb.
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I agree with @anon66425146 – that was a great video. Thanks for sharing.
I just wish they somehow covered how to shape Chinese steamed pork buns (bao zi). Utterly off topic though it is leavened dough. I was working on them a few months ago with an appalling lack of success despite gluing myself to YouTube!
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I will be very grateful if someone can please convert the Pecan Cranberry variation into grams? Sorry forever newbie sourdougher here… 
I don’t work in cups either so have been looking up online cup conversions. Firstly every website is different and strangely enough the ounce option for the flour conversion doesn’t match anything. So here is a lovely no knead recipe I know works, which I’ll give you first, then we’ll convert it to something comparable to the original cranberry and pecan recipe.
No Knead Recipe
- 500g bread flour
- 350g water
- 10g salt
- 20g starter
- In a bowl mix the flour and salt. Make a well.
- Stir the starter into the water till fully distributed then pour the water into the well.
- Combine and form the dough.
- Bulk Ferment for 12-16 hours giving the dough one set of stretch and folds about half way through (although this can be done to your convenience).
- Once the dough is well risen, aerated, has a good matrix of bubbles and if you gently shake the bowl it jiggles then it’s done. Begin to watch it at the 12 hour mark.
- Pre-shape into a round and bench rest till relaxed then shape into a well floured banneton or prepared loaf pan and final proof till ready. About 1.5-2 hours.
- Bake.
Recipe says 16 hours but 12 seems to be closer to the right amount of time. At least for my starter.
Now let’s use that recipe as a template and convert it to a cranberry and pecan no knead with some whole wheat…
- 75g whole wheat
- 425g bread flour
- 350g water
- 10g salt
- 1/2 cup cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans pieces
- 20g starter
Since it’s a no knead just add all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix. Then add the water in which the starter has been dissolved into. Combine and form the dough till there are no dry bits left. Then the rest of the recipe is the same.
Thank you Abe for sharing!
For the Steel Cut Oats recipe, I have used rolled oats instead of steel cut with very good results. I’d say it was as tasty. Where it got really good is when I used farro grains instead of oats. Its nutty flavour and chewy texture added to the taste of this bread. In each case, I lightly toasted the grains in a dry saucepan.
Cool! Was the farro you bought par-cooked? Or did you soak it after toasting?
These are the grains I used. I did not soak them. I fried them as is, just as I did with the oats. These farro grains are pre-cooked as you can tell since they take only 10 minutes to cook.
The second loaf I baked was the 100% kamut. Your wonderful recipes are starting to rule my life !
I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Pre-cooked farro makes sense! I used whole wheat berries in this recipe, specifically emmer, a type of farro, and it needed a ton of soaking to not be hard in the crumb. Your farro has a more open and puffed look to it.
This Sprouted Wheat Berry Sourdough bread is a favourite of mine. I made it many times with excellent results each time. It is wonderful with beer and maple syrup. Thank you again, and while I have your attention, may I ask you a question? A friend of mine, organic farmer in Saskatchewan, is going to send me 35 kg of Rouge Bordeaux grains. I have never baked with this wheat and i saw you just posted about it. Is that a grain that can be milled weekly, just like let’s say red fife or hard red spring wheat, or is that a more specialised grains that can be used as an adjunct rather than as the main flour ? (I hope I make sense)
Cool. That’s a lot of rouge de bordeaux. It’s really delicious and I think you’ll enjoy it.
Rouge de bordeaux works well as the main flour in a bread and also the only flour in a bread. I enjoyed the 100% rouge loaves I baked. In the comments thread to that recipe post, people do talk about using it with other wheat varieties, and you might enjoy getting into those conversations. I’m looking forward to comparing the 50:50 rouge-turkey red hydration with what I used for 100% rouge.
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Melissa, Are you familiar with the Canadian Marquis wheat ? My friend will also send me a small bag of grains to test. Here is a bit of history about it : Marquis Wheat | The Canadian Encyclopedia
I’ve used Marquis in the past, maybe two years ago. I liked it too. It’s got a milder flavor/aroma than rouge de bordeaux and red fife. Pretty strong gluten development potential.
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I am back to this thread 6 weeks later. I just received my Bordeaux Rouge grains and I notice that here and there, there are grains that are still wrapped in their husks (maybe 2 or 3% of them). I often sprout grains and add them to my loaves, but the grains I have used so far were 100% without husks. Do you know if this could be a problem (as I imagine it cannot be chewed)?
The videos for these breads don’t show any slashing of the dough, nor is it listed in the directions, but most of the loaves people have posted, show that they were slashed. Beyond cosmetics, is this a necessary step? Also, I just ordered the oblong clay baker. Will these recipes be the right size for this baker? Thank you for your help.
Here’s an article with the why and how-to score dough:
For the oblong baker, any recipe with 4.5 cups of flour or less will work well. That is to say, don’t use more than 585g flour, especially if it’s oven-springy white bread flour.
I usually use 450-500 grams flour. Beyond that, as long as you’ve shaped your dough to fit in your oblong proofing basket, then the worst case scenario is that your bread lid lifts up a bit while baking.
Here’s a shaping guide that includes an oblong video:
Thank you so much for your help.