Khorasan Sourdough

The flip side of getting my baking mojo back, is that I spend time researching recipes.  I found a great site with some excellent advice and took the recipe from there.  I tweeked it a little as regards to timing.

As for Khorasan Flour, I've used it before.  I had it a few years back when I used to go and pick up flour direct from Shipston Mill, when it was called Kamut Flour.  At the food show at Birmingham a couple of years back I was given a bag by Doves Farm.  This bag for this sourdough was on my last order from Shipton's Mill.

The recipe includes white flour, so I decided to used my first batch of white flour from Charlecote Mill.  I went out there on Monday, taking Rita out for a ride, to collect my local stoneground wholemeal flour.  Picked up a postcard and a bag of white flour too.  Mr S pointed out some little name right in the middle of the logo, and wondered whether that was the reason I bought the card! The white flour feels smooth, and is a lovely creamy colour.  Mr S has always liked the wholemeal from Charlecote as the bran is quite fine.

I played around with the thought of making a stencil using the Charlecote Mill Logo.  I had mentioned this to Karl...

 First thing yesterday I mixed  100g of white flour, 100g water, plus 50g of the rye sourdough.  At the same time adding more water and rye to refresh M.  Within a hour or so the starter was getting pretty active.

I had started the autolyse at lunch time yesterday, and baked this morning, so the loaves went into the fridge for the slow rise overnight.

Here is the dough having been divided into two, and just about to be shaped ready for the baskets after a 20 minute rest.

I'm pretty excited about these two loaves as there are several firsts for me here:

Khorasan Sourdough, Autolyse, only folding in the bowl, 2nd prove in the fridge, and baking straight from the fridge, making my own template, and

trying out a stencil.  I cut this carefully out of baking parchment, and am finding that after just two loaves, it is not resilient, so I shall have to think of something else to cut to shape, which I can wash and reuse.

A pity about the two big blisters on the side, I'm not yet sure how to avoid these.  I still want and need  to have more guidance on this and baking sourdoughs and am looking forward to having a 'master class' with Jessica from Bread for Life.  I am looking for fellow local home bakers to make up a little group for this.