Mike Nolan
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Report on Kassel Rye (Ginsberg, pps 332-335):
I was tempted to call 'no joy' on this recipe and not give much of a report; Ginsberg says it is technically challenging, and that certainly appeared to be the case for me, but I've never been one to gloss over my less successful bakes.
To start with, I'm not sure my new starter was fully ready for this recipe, though it looks and smells like the last one did. I'll give it a few more feedings before I try it again.
The recipe uses a 67% hydration sponge, so it should have been similar to the final dough, which is at 65% hydration. But it seemed quite dry, and it just sort of sat there overnight when it should have doubled in size. So, I added some more water and another teaspoon of starter and gave it another night. It was plenty active this time, maybe too active, I'll explain further later on.
Of course I subtracted the extra water from the final dough. It came together fairly easily, and the final dough weight was pretty much spot on. In retrospect, the dough might have been a little too slack, though.
The bulk rise instructions didn't exactly specify how much it should rise, though it did increase by about 50%. The final proof was done in a basket lined with my couche.
Here's what it looked like after proofing.
When I turned the proofed dough out onto the parchment, it flattened out a bit. Docking the dough didn't seem to deflate it much.
It bakes at a high temperature with steam for the first 10 minutes, then the temperature is lowered. After another 30 minutes or so the top is sprayed with water and it is baked another 5-10 minutes; spraying it with water is what is supposed to bring out a shiny finish that should have a red tint to it.
My steam setup wasn't working quite right, later I figured out that the tubing had gotten pinched a bit. I wound up squirting about 50 cc's of water by hand into the steam pan, but that means opening the door, letting at least some of the steam escape. I don't know how much impact that had.
After the top was sprayed with water, it still wasn't getting very dark, so I let it bake a bit longer. It was already pretty solid and the internal temperature was already 208, I think it may have already been overbaked by then.
Ginsberg says the recipe is fully risen when it goes into the oven, and I can confirm that was the case, as there was little or no oven spring. It did blow out a bit on one side, so it seems likely that the final proof needed more time, underproofed dough often results in a blowout as the water in the dough turns to steam.
The cross section was no more than 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 at the widest point, the piece below is 2 x 4 inches. I was expecting it to be more like 3 x 5.
I didn't weigh the loaf before cutting into it.
The crust is very thick and REALLY dense and hard to cut through. The inner crumb is fairly tight. It smelled very good, but the taste is well beyond what I'd call 'mild sour', and there's a slight bitter aftertaste. I'm tempted to attribute the sourness mostly to the sponge having sat for a total of 40 hours with twice as much inoculant and the bitter aftertaste to being overbaked.
I did double-pan it so the bottom doesn't appear burnt.
I'm OK with the bread, I think it is a bit too sour for my wife. The crust is too stiff to be used as a sandwich bread. The crust may be too stiff to toast.
So, what have I learned for the next time?
1. My starter may not be ready for prime time yet.
2. Don't give the sponge 2 days to rise.
3. Make sure it is fully proofed before prepping it for the oven.
4. Lower the oven temperature. (This is something I've noted in other recipes, and so have others baking recipes out of this book.)
