A Maple-Bran Sourdough and Some No Knead Experimentation

I haven't been borrowing any recipes lately, just working on some of the now usual freestyle loaves that I think will work out or are the fortunate but not originally intended results of a "learning experience". This first loaf got going from having an opened bottle of some amber maple syrup in the refrigerator and some wheat bran crowding the downstairs beer fridge. There's some rye chops in that fridge that need to be part of an experiment as well.

In order to improve the dispersion of the goodness of the maple syrup, I put it in the main dough water and sent it through the microwave as I heated the water up to 85F. The bran soaker was 100% this time around. Because I mixed by hand, it didn't get spread evenly. A 1/4 tsp of IDY was added because I thought the bran might cut down on the oven spring by cutting gluten strands but I'm not sure that was ever going to be a problem after using a soaker.  In any case, the result speaks for itself and the bread is good.

Starter
120 g at 100% hydration

Soaker
44 g wheat bran
44 g water

Main Dough
306 g bread flour
54 g hard red whole wheat flour
230 g water at 85F
25 g medium amber maple syrup
8 g kosher salt
1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

The second loaf was an experimental loaf as well. I wanted to take another try at the no knead method. Due to my deviations from the usual process, I ended up with something that didn't  quite live up to my expectations. First of all, I used some Wheat Montana Natural White AP which has a higher protein content than most APs. Then I lowered the hydration down to 70% rather than the normal 75%. Finally, I could have used a longer proof since I probably used too little yeast for the method.

It didn't turn out to be a disaster though. There was a soft, sweet interior crumb that's pleasing. I found that shaping the dough while it was still cold was quite easy. I don't know for certain that it will be as easy with 75% hydration and a lower protein AP but if it doesn't look like it will stay shaped enough for a batard, it can always be used for a flat bread.

270 g WM Natural White flour
30 g semolina flour
6 g wheat germ
212 g water at 85F
6 g kosher salt
3/4 tsp IDY

It certainly is Spring outside my window here on the Middle Coast. The Chanticleer pear tree is blooming, the peonies are starting to sprout up with vigor, and a variety of daffodils are spreading an enormous volume of cheers for Springtime. The garden's soil is much too wet and cold to be worked but I may take a shot at clearing a small patch for some leaf lettuce. I certainly have enough packets in seed collection that I can chance losing a small row to frost. The flower beds need some weeding and a careful eye for anything that might look like it's a tree seed that sprouted. Mrs PGs Rose of Sharon bushes spread a lot of seeds every year and every year I find something to complain about them. There are some eighteen bags of brown mulch for the flower beds that need to be spread in the next couple of days before I go back to Walmart for more.

As long as I'm going to pick up the mulch, I might as well pick up that 10# bag of KAF AP flour while I'm there.

Comments, humor, and questions are welcome.