One of the secrets I've learned from you Len is that oil as an ingredient helps keep bread fresher longer. I made the connection with how well your Rye, Semolina, and Whole Wheat buns hold up. I've actually increased the oil a bit in some breads I bake and noticed the same result. Of course, I'm also using buttermilk, but the additional oil helps.
On Saturday, I baked Oatmeal Date Muffins for breakfast. It is a recipe that I adapted from The Los Angeles Times food section which printed it probably over 35 years ago.
In the afternoon, I decided to try the Climate Blend Sandwich Bread again and see if I could improve over my last attempt. I'm giving a detailed description, since I know Chocomouse has some of the climate blend flour to use.
I was going to use just 3 ¼ cups of the Climate Blend flour, which at 426 g would still be over the weight that King Arthur has for 3 ½ cups (402 g). However, I had roughly 3 Tbs. left, so I went ahead and used it for a total of 446 g. (Last time, I used 456 g.) I increased the water from ¼ cup (2 oz.) to 3 oz. (I know, I use grams for dry ingredients and volume measurements for liquids.) As I did last time, I replaced a cup of water with buttermilk. However, this time, I proofed the yeast in the water with about 1 Tbs of the honey, then added it with the cup of buttermilk and the remaining honey to the flour. I mixed it with a dough whisk, kneading a bit at the end, then let it rest for 15 minutes. In the original recipe, the liquid is added to the flour, then instant yeast is added after the hydration with the rest of the ingredients.
At the end of the rest time, I put the soft dough, in chunks, into the bread machine. jI sprinkled the salt (cut from 1 ¼ to 1 tsp.) over it, then started the dough cycle. I drizzled 2 Tbs. of avocado oil into the dough as it mixed. I checked the dough during the kneading cycle, and it had a softer, slightly stickier texture than the first loaf that I made, which is positive. After the kneading cycle finished, I transferred it to a 2-qt. dough bucket to rise, which it did within an hour. The second rise took slightly under an hour. Both rises were much better than when I baked the bread a couple of weeks ago. The bread needed just 35 minutes to bake. It smells wonderful, but it does have a couple air bubbles on the top, as well as one very large bubble.
I will add a note tomorrow on this thread, after we slice the bread at lunch, to report on taste and texture.
.
