Back to basics

I've decided to try some radical changes to see if I can make a better loaf.

The first is to increase the amount of dough I make. This is because my new tin is bigger than I had been using. It seems there is no such thing as a standard 2lb loaf tin. So, instead of using 500g flour, I am now using 700g.

The second is to return to a wholemeal/white mix rather than the oaty white that I am a bit bored of.

Finally, I am trying the most basic bread recipe possible - just flour, yeast, salt and water. No oil, sugar or vitamin C.

Here is what I have tried tonight:

400g wholemeal (Doves Farm strong wholemeal bread flour)
300g white (Waitrose Organic strong white bread flour)
465g water (this came from a cooled kettle so it was not warm but not as cold as tap water)
21g salt (Saxa table salt)
14g yeast (Doves Farm Quick Yeast)

The precise salt and yeast amounts were just the same baker's percentage as I always use.
I started with 450g water but added more as the dough was very dry. I suspect that other wholemeal flours might need even more water based on previous experience of Doves Farm wholemeal. I didn't use warm water as the dough went straight in the fridge. Slowing the rise down doesn't seem to be a problem when I won't be baking until tomorrow night.

I kneaded the dough in the usual way. It was less sticky than usual, probably due to the lack of oil. After about 12 minutes I was very happy with the windowpane test - it was much better than I have ever seen, even with white flour. Hopefully this is a good sign.

We will have to wait and see how the dough does overnight.