Sourdough_bread_with_chevre_and_thyme

It’s funny how some flavors you haven’t liked can be something that you learn to love.
The first time I ate chevre cheese, I did not like it at all. It had a very profound taste that I thought was quite horrible.
But then I was served a milder variant on a butter-fried bread slice with walnuts and honey drizzled all over.

I was hooked.

Today I use chevre cheese regularly in my cooking, but I have never used it in my bread baking.

Until now.

LET ME PRESENT MY SOURDOUGH CHEVRE AND THYME BREAD

Chevre cheese

I decided to use one of the first recipes I have published here on S&D, My best sourdough recipe, and add chevre and fresh thyme. I also chose to increase the hydration from 65 to 77%.
But baking with 77% hydration with flour with 11.5% protein content is not easy. It’s possible (I have tried), but it is a challenge. So I replaced half of it with a stronger flour with 13% protein content.
The amount of rye flour is the same as in the original recipe.

ABOUT FLOUR AND STARTER

175 gram Wheat flour, 11.5 % protein.
175 gram Wheat flour, 13% protein.
50 gram Rye flour, 8.2% protein.

The starter used for this recipe contains wheat flour and a small amount of rye flour. The hydration is 100%. I took out the starter from the refrigerator and refreshed it 8 hours before it was time to mix it into the dough.

MIXING THE DOUGH

Start by mixing flour and water. I heated the water to 86ºF/30ºC, and that gave me a final dough temperature of 79ºF/26ºC.
When you are sure that all flour is hydrated, let it autolyze for an hour.
It always amazes me how dough changes, all by itself. After one hour of autolyzing gluten starts to develop, and the dough will be smooth and less sticky. Without any kneading.
Now it is time to add sourdough starter and salt. Distribute the starter over the dough and sprinkle the salt all over it. I use to pinch the dough with my fingers, followed by some folding. Continue until all salt and starter are incorporated in the dough.

BULK FERMENTATION

After 15 minutes, it’s time for the first stretch and folds. It’s also time to add the thyme and chevre cheese.

Dough thyme chevre cheese

For this dough, I performed 4 stretches and folds in total, spaced out by 30 minutes. After that, I let the dough ferment untouched for 4 hours.
Some prefer to use the slap and fold method to build up dough strength, and if you are one of them, feel free to do so.
The temperature of the dough differed between 79ºF/26ºC and 81ºF/27ºC during the bulk fermentation. It was a day with a clear blue sky, so I only had to place it in a sunny window to maintain that temperature. Otherwise, I usually place the dough in the oven with only the oven lamp lit.
At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should be gassy with bubbles on top. It should have raised considerably, and if you shake the bowl, it should jiggle.

fermented dough

DIVIDE AND SHAPE.

Dump out the dough on a lightly floured working surface and shape the dough into a round with your bench knife. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Shape the dough into a boule or whatever shape you prefer. My favorite method is the one shown in this video.

PROOFING

I placed the loaf in a lined and floured banneton and wrapped it up in a plastic bag. For this recipe, I chose to let the loaf proof in room temperature for 1 hour and 15 minutes. But it was the finger poke test, not the clock, that determined when it was ready.
Never look too much at the clock.
Alternatively, you can let it proof overnight in the refrigerator.
The temperature in my kitchen was 22C.

BAKING

Preheat the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC.
Turn out the dough gently on a piece of parchment paper. Score it as desired and load it into the oven.
I used a combo cooker for this bread, but a baking stone or even an oven sheet works fine. Just remember to add additional steam to the oven if you are not using a combo cooker or dutch oven. The easiest way is to pour some water on a preheated oven sheet under the one you are using for the loaf.
Don’t skimp with water. Most ovens are designed to ventilate out moisture, so there has to be an ongoing supply of steam during the first 10 minutes.

After 20-30 minutes, it’s time to remove the lid of the combo cooker/dutch oven. You may also open the oven lid for a few seconds to get all steam out of the oven.
I had to bake the bread for an additional 20 minutes, 50 minutes in total before it was ready.

Sourdough chevre and thyme bread

CONCLUSION

There is something special about thyme. It has always been one of my favorite herbs and I have tasted thyme bread before, but this is the first time I tried it myself.
I was not disappointed.
I used fresh thyme for this chevre and thyme bread, as I have a surplus of it in my garden, but I’m sure it works fine with dried as well. Thyme retains its flavor on drying better than many other herbs.

The taste of Chevre was a bit more discreet. It was there in the background, but it was the thyme that played the leading role here.
Next time I will add more Chevre cheese.
The crumb is quite tight, but without being dense. At the contrary, I found it very airy and light.

As usual, a small amount of rye makes wonders. Here, it’s a nice complement to the thyme flavors, without being too dominant against the chevre.

I would say that this sourdough chevre and thyme bread is best suited to be served together with food. Perhaps a flavorful dish from Greek cuisine, with lots of olives and a glass of good red wine.
I think I gonna try that.