Today, we baked our 3rd attempt at Charlie's Easiest Bread Ever, minus the seeds - my aunt was so tickled when it came out of the oven and we lifted the lid!
Gorgeous crust. Not sure why Charlie said it didn't look great when he tried it without the seeds. Maybe it's a bit commonplace compared with his more sophisticated loaves, but my aunt is delighted - she's sent photos to all her friends haha.
We followed Kevin's advice and reduced the yeast by half, so we managed to extend the cold ferment to 12 hr without the dough collapsing. After the first 3 hr, it didn't really rise further, but the extra time made all the difference flavour-wise. Even without the seeds, it tastes so much richer.
The schedule also works well for my aunt - pop it into the fridge at 7pm, pop into the oven at 7am the next day.
Kevin asked if our loaves might be over-hydrated, so after we finally cut this one open (waited 2 hr for it to cool all the way), we took a careful look at every slice. Those at the 2 ends are fine, but some slices in the centre do seem a bit pasty.
Whar do you think, Kevin, should we reduce the water by 10%, from 280g to 252g?
Actually my aunt said it was fine after she toasted one of the slices, but I'd like to get it just right if we can, so she can serve it proudly to her friends too ☺️.