Sourdough Anadama Bread Recipe

It must be the weather. Things cooled down out here in my little patch of Kansas, enough to warrant turning off the AC and opening the windows to let the fresh air in. That doesn't do much for the state of greenery since most of it is pale to brown in color. Giant cracks have appeared in the lawn. Some of my peonies have lost much of their green and without copious amounts of rain in the immediate future, I may be better off to trim them back to the ground, weed thoroughly in the area, and hope for better conditions next year. There's nothing new to report on in the bird population except that we must be having more guests or heavier feeding guests at the feeders because I'm refilling more often.

I put my literary and baking shoulder to the wheel, gathering discipline enough to forgo a pleasant nap, and finished my formula for the Sourdough Anadama Bread. As I continue to research more recipes on the internet, there still seem to be none alike. Maybe that means mine could be as authentic as any I've seen so far.
The formula for my Horiatiko Psomi is next and I'll be pounding that out over the next week. For anyone not interested in an Anadama recipe, now is a good time to bid adieu and remember that comments, humor, and questions are welcome.

For the curious, the persistent, or gluttons for the punishment of wading through another of my formulae, here's the recipe. There may be some slight deviation in weights from an earlier post but don't worry, be intrepid, and adjust your water and flour as needed to get a workable dough. I'd appreciate any feedback from those willing to take a chance on replicating this formula, stating whether you think it good or bad.

Anadama Bread

Starter:
30 g seed starter
20 g rye flour
60 g AP flour
56 g water at 85F
Mix seed starter with water. Add flours and stir well to a thick batter, leaving no dry flour. Leave on counter to develop to peak for 8-14 hours depending on room temperature.



Soaker #1
90 g whole wheat flour
60 g water at room temperature



Soaker #2
70 g corn meal ( yellow is stated in most traditional recipes)
46 g water at room temperature.



After starter has been fermenting for 4 hours, mix soakers in bowls, leaving no dry flour or meal, and cover. Leave at room temperature.



Dough:
All of starter
Both soakers
230 g bread flour
150 g water at 85F
9 g kosher salt
30 g melted butter
30 g unsulphured molasses

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the molasses to the water and mix well to disperse the molasses through the water. If the molasses doesn't mix well with the water, warm briefly in a microwave and stir again. The temperature of the mixture should cool to less than 95F before being in contact with the starter. Add the mixture to the bowl. Add starter to the bowl. Add soakers in small pieces to the bowl. Mix briefly with a spatula or the dough hook then add the bread flour. Mix at first speed until you achieve a shaggy mass, usually less than 1 minute. Cover and autolyse, or rest, for 20-30 minutes.
   
2. Add the melted butter to the bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough. Mix at first speed for three minutes to blend all the ingredients. Adjust flour or water as needed, 1 Tbs at a time. Mix at second speed for 3-4 minutes. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer bowl but not necessarily the bottom of the bowl.
   
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead for about 1 minute. The dough will probably be a little bit sticky when handling. Shape into a ball and place into an oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat the surface. Cover the bowl.
   
4. Bulk fermentation is 2.5 hours. Stretch and fold dough at 50 and 100 minutes. At 150 minutes, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pre-shape in a ball. Cover with your bowl or a damp cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
   
5. Shape as desired, into a batard, boule, or a pan loaf. Pan loafs are traditional. The loaf can be proofed for about 2-2.5 hours at room temperature but an overnight retarded fermentation is preferable for best and most complex flavor. Remove loaf from the refrigerator at least one hour before planned baking time and use a poke test to check progress of the loaf.
   
6. Preheat the oven at 475F for at least 30 minutes with the stone, if using, on the middle rack slot.
   
7. Batards and boules should be loaded onto a peel or parchment paper on a sheet pan and slashed. Load into oven and immediately turn down the oven to 450F. Bake for 10 minutes and turn the oven down to 425F for 5 minutes. Pull the parchment paper and turn the loaf around. Continue at 425F for 5 more minutes then turn the oven down to 400F for the final 18-20 minutes. If using a pan, check brownness of the top at midpoint and lightly cover the top with aluminum foil if browning too quickly.
   
8. Bread is done when the internal temperature is 202-206F. Cool on a footed wire rack for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving.