Once again I have joined the Bread Baking Babes in their monthly challenge. I had actually been looking at theperfectloaf.com’s Pain De Mie sourdough recipe recently. So after getting some clarification of the “rules” I set out to modify Maurizio’s recipe. I’m not sure the lavender added much, the miso may have overpowered it. There’s slight floral hint. I think I’d double the amount and steep longer next time. I used some full sodium dark red miso and I forgot to lower the sodium even more. So, the bread is a tiny bit salty. I like it. It’s better toasted than plain. You may lower the amount of Miso too, for a more subtle flavor. White miso will also be lighter in flavor.
I didn’t use my pullman loaf pan as I was afraid this wouldn’t turn out and I’d be stuck with a larger loaf of yucky bread.
Adapted from theperfectloaf.com
Ingredients
- 350g All-Purpose flour
- 37g Rye flour
- 50g Unsalted butter
- 29g Honey
- 32g Miso, about 2T (your choice, but low sodium if possible)
- 92g Whole milk (cold)
- 1-2 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- 170g Water
- 5g Salt (less if using full sodium Miso)
- 64g Mature starter
Directions
Cut butter into 3 or 4 pats. Let come to room temperature.
Combine milk, lavender flowers and honey and warm to just below boiling. I used the microwave. Steep for as long as you can, but at least 1 hour. Strain out flowers. Whisk in miso.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the flour, milk/miso mixture, salt and 145g water and until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
To the mixing bowl, add the starter & the reserved 25g water. Mix on speed 2 for about 6 minutes, scraping the sides as necessary.
Next, add butter one pat at a time to the mixing bowl while it’s running on speed 1. Scrape down the dough from the sides as necessary. Switch to dough hook and continue mixing until there is moderate gluten development. Somewhere around 5 minutes.
Bulk fermentation should last about 3-4 hours. I used my oven on proof setting. Do three stretch and folds at 30 minute intervals during the first part of bulk fermentation. You should see a noticeable change in the dough with some rise. You may see bubbles on the sides and/or top. Give it more time if the dough seems to be taking it’s time. Mine was definitely ready at 4 hours.
Take the dough out and put it on a floured board. Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan or an 9″ pullman pan.
Shape the dough for a loaf and let it sit for 30 minutes covered with a towel.
Shape the dough a second time and put it into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic. I used a plastic bag.
At this point you can let it proof again an hour or two for the final bake or retard it overnight in the refrigerator. I let it rise for an hour before putting it into the fridge. In the morning I let it proof in my oven on the proof setting for another hour and on the counter while the oven was heating. My oven heats slowly so it was another 30 minutes. There was noticeable rise. Use the poke test to assess the readiness of the dough.
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). I slashed the top of my loaf and put butter into the slash. In a pullman you wouldn’t do that.
Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature is 208°F (97°C).
Turn the loaf out onto a rack and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Kelly
That miso lent your crumb and crust a gorgeous color!
Scott Davis
Yes. Thanks.
Elizabeth
It looks great, Scott! (Ha. I should have typed: Great Scott! It looks great…. But, no doubt you have already heard that zillions of times.)
I’m a little surprised that the lavender taste got through the miso at all. But the floral hints in the bread are lovely aren’t they? And yes. Toast is definitely the way to go with pain de mie.
Scott Davis
Well I think I’m maybe a super taster. At least maybe an above average one. Never been tested but I detect rancid when others say it’s just fine. I can’t always identify what the taste is. Like at Japanese Fried Chicken place in Oakland it had some umami I could never identify. That is until I made shio koji and used it to marinate chicken. And the lightbulb went on. I looked into the restaurant and indeed they use shio koji as a marinade.
Elizabeth
You ARE a super taster! I’m close but not as close as you. I detect corked wine way before anyone else – to the point that others will look at me as if I’m out of my mind, drink a half a glass before suddenly saying, “Ewww! Oh, yes. This IS corked.”
Shio koji as a marinade, eh? We will have to try that!