Notes from a small kitchen and a very old jar of starter.
The kitchen dropped to 17°C this week and my usual four-hour bulk turned into seven. I stopped watching the clock and started watching the dough instead: wobbly, domed on top, a few bubbles along the edge of the bowl. Those signs have never lied to me, the timer often has.
Swapped a fifth of the white flour for wholemeal rye. The crumb got tighter and the flavour deeper, almost nutty. It needs a little more water than you would expect, rye drinks it. Will bake it again with a longer cold proof.
Three pancakes in a row. Culprit in the end: over-proofed overnight in a warm spot. Lesson noted for the notebook: when in doubt, shorten the proof and bake it a little earlier than feels comfortable.
Nothing fancy: equal parts flour and water by weight, a spoonful of the old starter, and a warm corner. If it doubles in about six hours and smells pleasantly sour, it is ready to work.
The loaf I come back to when I want something dependable. Makes one medium loaf, about 70% hydration.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 450 g |
| Wholemeal flour | 50 g |
| Water | 350 g |
| Active starter | 100 g |
| Fine salt | 10 g |
I started baking a few winters ago and never really stopped. This page is just a notebook that happens to be public: what worked, what did not, and what I would change next time. No ads, no newsletter, no tracking.