Sourdough Miche — What is that?
Miche – what does that mean? It is a question we get a lot at the farmer’s markets ever since we started making our Sourdough Miche last year. The answer is not a simple explanation. In Europe, mostly in France, Miche refers to a large loaf of country bread, specifically sourdough. This usually had a mix of flours like wheat, rye, or barley so it was hearty and could feed a family for several days since it lasts so long.
Our Sourdough Miche is not that large but it does contain a mix of flours. In addition to using all-natural King Arthur Bread Flour, our miche contains Organic Rye flour from Carolina Ground Mills in Ashville, NC. It not only gives the bread a hearty, wholesome flavor, it imparts a beautiful color and allows the bread to last 4 or 5 days. It is like a mini version of the Pain de Campagne (Check out our menu for more details).
Like all our Sourdough Breads, we start with “the Mother”. For those who don’t know, “The Mother“ is a Sourdough starter that we feed fresh flour and water every day. On the night before we mix our Miche, we make a special “levain” using the “mother”, fresh flour and water. This ferments overnight, and in the morning, when it is ripe, we mix it ever so gently into the rest of the ingredients to make our dough.
This dough is then gently stretched and turned by hand on our bakers bench until it is fully developed and shaped. We do this so that the bread can develop the strands of gluten needed to hold it up under proofing and baking, without over-mixing and oxidizing the dough. You can see us shaping our miche in the video down below! This method of gently pulling the dough preserves the nutritional values of the grains and increases the shelf life of the bread naturally.
Once it is shaped, the loaves go into the walk-in cooler overnight to slowly proof (rise). During this process, the loaves will become much larger, and give the overall flavor more complexities. The slow retard (yes that’s the official name of this process) also improves the crumb and crust, making for more beautiful loaves!
The next morning, the 3rd day, we dust our distinctive initials into the top of the loaf and score it before putting them in the oven to bake!
Enjoy this bread with butter, jam, or paired with soups and stews! It makes great sandwiches and outstanding grilled cheese, or even bruchettas! Send us a picture of your own meal with our sourdough miche and we will feature it on our page!
Stay Crusty,
Chris
