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Home » Forums » General Discussion and Recipe Exchange » Ingredients

How much dry yeast for Tartine bread formula?

November 29, 2013 - 10:18am 
I want to modify my Tartine bread formula to just use dry yeast and forego the wild yeast starter that I've been having so much trouble with (for now).   Does anyone know what ingredients to use (i.e., how much dry yeast, how much water, how much salt, how much flour) for someone who is using a cast iron combo cooker and wants a hydrated dough for a nice thick crust.   thanks,  Ken Nov 29 2013 - 11:03am
It'll hardly be Tartine

with commercial yeast. A good solution for you would be to look into Ken Forkish' formulas with commercial yeast. If you don't have the book and can't find a copy to borrow, check out the forums - I'm sure someone has posted one formula or another. I really enjoy his White Bread With 80% biga, which is basically an all-white flour bread with 80% flour prefermented in a biga. Nov 29 2013 - 11:39am
i agree

it won't be a Tartine bread but it should look good and taste good.    I'm thinking of getting the Ken Forkish book as well as a few by Peter Reinhart.   Just thought I'd try to make something in the interim.  Wish I could get my starter to float in warm water... that seems to be the big drawback. Nov 29 2013 - 6:38pm
See if your levain will float

See if your levain will float in warm water, mix 40g of starter with 200g of water and 200g of flour, allow it to ferment over night, it should float in the remaining 500g of water when you mix your final dough. Craig_the baker
Nov 30 2013 - 6:09am

I can tell you from personal experience that, even if your starter doesn't float, it won't make a difference. I have made several batches of delicious Tartine goodness with a starter that doesn't float. The end result is no different than when I did get it to float. Just look to see that the starter is good and active, doubling within a few hours of a feeding and you will good to go. Les Nightingill
Nov 30 2013 - 1:30pm
Starter not required to float

Chad Robertson doesn't suggest passing the float test with the starter, he suggests it for the levain. If the starter is fairly liquid it will never float, b/c it doesn't contain the gases, it releases them. The levain, on the other hand, is typically stiffer and rises into a sponge that should float when it's close to its peak of fermentation, b/c the gases don't bubble up, but are trapped.

Is your levain rising well? Dec 1 2013 - 7:39am
Starter now very active

I was letting the starter sit in the cabinet at room temp... I think mold was starting to form.  3 days ago I removed all the dried up stuff, got down to about 20%, and started feeding.   And it is really starting to become more active.  It is doubling in size much more quickly since I went to a twice a day feeding schedule.   I think I'll try using it again tomorrow. Nov 30 2013 - 4:54pm
4 grams of instant yeast

While you're sorting out your starter, you can add 4 grams of instant yeast to the Tartine recipe.   That's what I did for my modified Tartine bread with instant yeast.  Same measurements with regards to starter, flour, water, and salt.  Bulk ferment 3-4 hours, and proof for 1-1.5 hours, all depending on your room temp of course. +1 on the Ken Forkish book.  Recently picked it up, and it's really nicely done.  It focuses on baking in a dutch oven, so if this is your primary cooking method, it should be a match for you.  I appreciate the variations of the bread, as well as formulas based on home cooking schedules - weeknight, saturday, etc.  Follows how I need to schedule my bakes. Nov 30 2013 - 6:27pm
Cold proof

My wife does not like sourdough so I make my dough as Carblicious does except I cold retard the proof in the refrig after 30 minutes warm proof. Then bake right from the refrig in the AM, once the oven is preheated. Cold retard is one of the Tartine options and I think it brings out the flavor of the wheat. Also during the bulk ferment it is important to keep the dough temp at 75 to 78 as Forkish recommends.

BTW Carblicious, those are beautiful looking boules.

