I am back with the whole wheat loaf but this time I have opted for a lower percentages of Whole Wheat and substituted that with a higher percentage of White Baker's flour.

The below loaf is a 82% hydration loaf and makes a 1 kg large individual loaf.

As I have been trying to work on my interior crumb structure, I did a slap and fold to incorporate some air into the loaf as well as the lamination technique to build some structure.

Making bread is really interesting as different flours and ratio used can yield a significantly different loaf in the way it rises, the density of the loaf as well as how much water it can absorb.

I always have a good success rate with the 50/50 of whole wheat to white baker's flour ratio at 82% hydration but never really had a big open crumb, so I decided to change things around to reduce the whole wheat for less density.

Instead of going with my usually 20% Levain, I increased it to 33% just for the extra activity for my loaf to see if it makes much difference. The answer to that is: it didn't, although this loaf does yield a much softer crumb interior and this can be due to the percentages of liquid in the Levain for the increased amount! So, loafs after this batch will most likely go back to the usual 20%-25%.

RECIPE

This formula yields a 1 kg loaf

Levain

50 g 50% Mature Starter

100 g 100% Water (21 °C)

100 g 100% Whole Wheat Flour

Levain (1:1:1)

Final Dough Formula

400 g 80% White Unbleached Baker's Flour

100 g 20% Whole Wheat Baker's Flour

410 g 82% Water (reserve 20 g for incorporating later)

20 g 2 % Fine Salt

165 g 33% Mature Levain

Total hydration = 82%

100 g Levain

100 g Water 21°C

100 g Whole Wheat Baker's Flour

Estimated Maturing time = 5 - 6 hours

Mix all the ingredients together in a clear container and stir until well combined. Tie a rubber band around the level of the Levain to monitor the yeast activity.

(2 hours before Levain is estimated to be ready)

Mix Flour and water (reserving 20 g of the water to incorporate later)

Spread the mature Levain over the dough and sprinkle the salt over. Place some of the reserved water over the salt.

Rub and pinch in the Levain and salt, knead then perform the "Slap & Fold" to strengthen the dough. This process took me around 13 minutes. Once the dough is not as tacky anymore and the top starts look smooth, transfer the dough onto an oiled container.

Cover to rest for 30 minutes.

30 minutes after resting from mixing Levain and Salt

Lightly spray the work bench with some water (not too much or the dough can slide making it hard to work with).

Gently stretch the dough out to even thickness rectangle/square (it does not need to be too thin but try to get them as even in thickness as possible).

Fold the top 1/3 of the way to the center then fold the bottom part over to fully cover the top. Now fold the dough from the left side 1/3 of the way to the center and fold the right side over to fully cover the top.

Place into the oiled container and cover. Rest for 30 minutes.

Do the first coil fold on all four sides. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Do the second Coil Fold on four sides.

Place it back into the container and cover. Rest for 30 minutes

Do the third and final coil fold on four sides.

Place it into the container and cover. Rest for 1 hour until the dough have risen to 50% of its original size.

Shape the dough and tighten it. Transfer on to a well dusted banneton.

I placed the banneton covered at room temperature for another hour for a little rise before placing it into the fridge to retard overnight.

Note: I did a few additional folds during the shaping process as the dough was on a slacker side.

The next Day - 13 hours 30 minutes later

Preheat the oven together with the cast iron pot with lid in the oven at 220 °C an hour prior to baking.

14 hours 30 minutes after retarding

Remove the loaf from the fridge, place a parchment paper over the base of the loaf then place a board over.

Tilt the banneton over to release the loaf. Dust off excess flour. Score the loaf.

Carefully remove the hot cast iron pot from the oven, place the loaf into the pot. Holding the lid close to the opening of the pot, spray with water generously to create initial steam. Close the lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

After the initial 20 minutes, remove the lid and place the pot back into the oven for another 45 minutes and continue baking until it turns to your desired crust color.