theLeif.org

I made a bread last night under much better conditions than the last one. There's a low pressure system in the Gulf and it's rainy and warmer. The dough didn't dry out like the last one for that reason and because I didn't refrigerate it.

Of course, it is a different recipe — I made a whole wheat / all-purpose / spelt / flaxseed blend — so I can't really compare my techniques. This time, though, I didn't knead as much before the first rise because I wanted the dough to be wetter. Kneading wet dough sucks, so I stopped instead of adding more flour. It rose for the usual 2 hours, covered. I preheated the oven to 375°F, punched down the dough, and kneaded it a few times. It definitely felt more elastic than last time. I shaped it and let it sit on the pizza peel on cornmeal uncovered for 20 minutes.

When time was up and I came back, the dough was big and puffy. I cut a few expansion slits in the top and dropped it in the oven on the baking stone next to a pan of water. The picture clearly shows the superior bread. I should point out that the little bread only has something like 2.5 cups of flour and oats while the large bread has about 3.5 cups. Still, though, it's obvious to me which one worked out better.

Lessons for today: make sure the dough stays moist while rising and knead before the second rise.

• 1½ c. warm water
• 2¼ tsp. yeast
• 2¼ tsp. salt
• ½ c. oats
• 1 tbsp. molasses
• ¼ c. ground flax seeds
• 1½ c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• ½ c. spelt flour