25 Comments

I can't wait to make this...so many of my favorite things (rye! cardamom! combo of chocolate and cherries!) combined in one loaf!

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Feb 9, 2022·edited Feb 9, 2022

Hi! regarding footnote 16-proof temp--I have a proof setting on my oven which supposedly holds temp between 80-95 degrees. Seems too hot! Do you like proofers, or do you think better to take it more slowly? When not using this feature I have a 64-67 degree environment. I see in the recipe to increase or decrease Levain accordingly. Do you have a preference in terms of final product?

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Feb 9, 2022·edited Feb 9, 2022

This is so helpful! Thanks! In footnote 15, re: the folds. One other part that can be confusing is what involves a fold. Some recipes (not necessarily yours) seem to suggest that a fold involves 4 quarter turns of a bowl. Others call that 4 folds. So specifying that procedure clearly, then saying repeat x number of times over y hours would be much clearer.

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What do you include as "pre-made ingredients" which modify hydration percentage? Obviously starter/levain should be counted, and in this recipe your rye scald, but what about the honey (~17% water) or eggs (~48% in yolk, ~88% in white) in other recipes?

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Great idea Andrew and great way to get some feedback. My thoughts:

- The footnotes were a clever way to do it, but reading in the e-mail (versus on wordloaf) I had to constantly scroll around, and then confused the steps of the recipe with the footnote.

- Temperature. I guess there's "ideal" temperature, which would presumably come from lots of experimentation, or "the temperature I used" which would give some indication of what to expect. My guess is it's easier and more precise to use the latter in most instances. And maybe a stock sentence that says there could be large variations at low ambient temperatures (say 64, like in my house) and high, say 75. In my kitchen, in the winter, I use a proofing box made from an old cooler and a thermostatically controlled seedling map. In summer, I just expect faster action.

- Good idea to use the % sign each time in the bakers percents. I've been experimenting through Daniel Leader's "Living Bread" recently, and he skips the % sign (although he does use "g" for grams in the weight column. I keep getting confused between the two.

I'm looking forward to trying this, though trying to fathom when I might eat it. Breakfast? Seems too sweet. Dessert? Hmm. Naughty snack...maybe!

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Feb 9, 2022·edited Feb 9, 2022

This seems like a relevant post to mention that I made a Sourdough Calculator web app, for fun. It's at https://sourdoughcalculator.shinyapps.io/calculator/ if anyone wants to check it out. It's free and there's no way for me to make money off of it or self-promote, in case that's a concern.

It works the way I like (of course), in that you set a total flour amount, hydration, and levain baker's percent and it calculates the adjusted flour and water weights. I believe that's also how you define your formulas, from the recipes I've looked at. It's otherwise fairly basic, and I might keep tinkering with it and add a few other features, but I'm not trying to replace some of the existing calculators.

If anyone is interested in sourdough calculators that let you save recipes, add more ingredients or different sections, I'd suggest looking at some others:

http://brdclc.com/ (saveable by bookmarking URL)

https://foodgeek.dk/en/bread-calculator/ (also has a DDT and other calculators, though I haven't tried them)

https://breadcalc.com/ (has quite a few saved recipes, though I haven't looked much through its features)

Oh, and my vote is that the footnotes are a clever way to add context without cluttering the recipe, though I'm partial to a footnote in general.

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thank you- this adds another layer of information, and understanding.

a question i have wanted to ask--when&why is sourdough chosen as the leavening agent vs commercial yeast? and is there a way to read your recipes and switch one for

the other? (namely commercial yeast for starter)

i understand this might not be a thing, given how specific a process/result a recipe creates/describes, but wonder if its possible?

*with no disrespect

intended given the work it takes to create a recipe a certain way*

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A wonderful primer on how to read, but also write, a recipe. Thank you.

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Dec 29, 2022Liked by Andrew Janjigian

I am truly confused about one thing - in all of your recipes. I understand Baker's percentages. What I'm wondering is why all your measurements in recipes are to the gram and not rounded up. for example, your "Best Sourdough" recipe calls for 852g white flour +94g ww i(total 946g) instead of starting with 1000gms of flour. I've been following Tartine's recipe for some time because it is intuitive for me to use round numbers. I'm sure you have a logical explanation. I'd love to understand.

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I am truly confused about one thing - in all of your recipes. I understand Baker's percentages. What I'm wondering is why all your measurements in recipes are to the gram and not rounded up. for example, your "Best Sourdough" recipe calls for 852g white flour +94g ww i(total 946g) instead of starting with 1000gms of flour. I've been following Tartine's recipe for some time because it is intuitive for me to use round numbers. I'm sure you have a logical explanation. I'd love to understand.

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Love the new footnotes. I'm confused about #17 though where you refer to #13. Should that be #14?

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I have several thoughts on this but don't want to repeat... find it hard to read the comments on the phone so will get back to you on this one later

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Mar 25, 2023·edited Mar 25, 2023

I think this is pretty clear. I would not have trouble following this formula, which I will, soon, because it sounds delicious!

I would suggest formatting that clearly separates the baker's percentage information from the formula ingredients and steps. A lot of newer bakers get confused by baker's percentages.

I think it's worthwhile reconsidering side-by-side baker's % and weight measure; it can help a newer baker get used to and learn the value of bakers %.

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