The Imperfect Loaf

• 230g Matthews Cotswold YQ Population wholemeal flour
• 275g Matthews Cotswold Strong White Flour
• 470g Matthews Cotswold Churchill White Flour
• 505g water – 72%
• 14g salt
• 7g yeast
• 20g Olive oil

Instead of my usual half and half flour split, I wanted to try a loaf with one-third whole meal and two-thirds white flour. I was at the end of a bag of Matthews Cotswold Strong White Flour, so I added their Churchill White Flour, which I was using for the first time, and, which is, according to the miller, “a blend of high protein hard wheat sourced between Cotswold village of Churchill and Blenheim palace.” At 12.8% protein, this is a strong hard red spring wheat flour. They also say that “Churchill has a higher water absorption than standard strong white flour you buy in the supermarket,” and my hydration at 72% was ideal. (While Winston Churchill was born at Bleinheim Palace, there is no link between the name of the village and his family.)

I also wanted to add a bit of olive oil to the loaf. I used to do this often, but had stopped. Olive oil makes the crumb a bit softer, and makes the loaf last a bit longer. Unfortunately, my last loaf wasn’t eaten quickly enough, and I had to toss a bit of it. (Yes, there is other food eaten than just bread in my home.)

After 30 minutes autolyse, then about 12 minutes mixing in the Ankarsrum, dough was very stretchy. I did a few slap-and-folds and set it to bulk ferment for around 30 minutes; my kitchen was 23º.

After bulk fermentation, the dough was very stretchy, and I gave it a few stretches then put it in my pan. After baking, there was wonderful oven spring; so much that I can’t fit this loaf into the box that I use to store my bread.

The combination of a bit less wholemeal flour – 230g instead of the usual 350g – and the olive oil, aided perhaps by the high protein content of the Churchill white made this a truly splendid loaf. The crumb is excellent, the bread is chewy, and the taste is wonderfup. I may try the Churchill white in a 50/50 loaf next time and see how that works out.