I used Tartine's Ode to Bourdon quantities and types of flour but followed dabrownman's suggestions for getting a lighter crumb and better oven rise. Well, the oven rise definitely worked, however, the crumb was very similar to the one I got using Robertson's extended autolyse. This one was a tad lighter but not by much. This might have been my fault as I think I cut the bulk ferment by one hour and the retarded proof by 3 due to work commitments. Anyhow, here is what I did:
1. Sifted ww flour and white ww flour to extract the larger pieces of bran. I ended up with 250 g each of sifted flour for a total of 500 g.
2. Used all of the bran to make 3 builds of a levain, each 4 hours apart. Put into fridge for about 36 hours.
3. Pulled the levain out of the fridge and let it rest at room temp for 2 hours. No action so I put it into the oven with the light on for an additonal hour where it rose about 25%.
4. Meanwhile, I autolysed 500 g of high extraction flour (partially sifted flour from our local miller), and the 500 g of the sifted flour above as well as 70 wheat germ. The high extraction flour and wheat germ were right out of the fridge (where I store it) so I used 800 g of 110F water based on the 240 rule. This sat for 3 hours.
5. I added 150 g of the bran levain, 25 g salt and 60 grams of water. I pinched and folded until it was fully integrated.
6. I then did 3 sets of 30 French folds (slap on the counter and fold method I am guessing) 30 minutes apart and then 3 sets of 4-5 folds, 30 minutes apart as well. That took 2 hours. I then let the dough rest for another hour where it looked like it has risen about 25%. This was in a large bowl so it is hard to judge. I think I need to get a straight sided tub so I can be more accurate.
7. I divided the dough, shaped it loosely into rounds and let rest for a half hour. I then shaped it and put it in the proofing baskets what were dusted with brown rice and AP flour. The baskets were put into plastic bags and then into the fridge for a 9 hour proof. I had to unexpectedly go to work today even though I am retired. I substitute as an elementary school principal when needed. So the loaves got only 9 hours of proofing rather than the planned 12 as outlined by DBM.
8. Oven was pre-heated to 500F for 45 minutes. Loaves went into dutch ovens. Twenty minutes later, the temp was lowered to 450F. Lids were removed at the half hour mark, and then the loaves were baked uncovered for 20 minutes. I removed them from the DO and put them on the oven shelf for the last 10 minutes to colour more deeply.
The flavor was awesome and I do like the chewiness of the bread. I just wish I could get a much more open crumb. The Tartine 3 book shows a very open crumb and I am jealous I can't seem to achieve this with the similar flours that Robertson uses. I may cut back on the high extraction flour and include more AP flour to open things up. Here is the required crumb shot.
