Sourdough Bread Take Two

This time around I made it with Aki the organic rye berry and pineapple juice starter. (By this time Aki had been converted to a white starter.)

1 1/2 cups of starter
1/2 cup rye flour
3 cups unbleached AP flour (maybe more or less depending on the hydration of the starter)
1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast (for insurance)
1.5 cups water
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt

Sunday night:
1. Take a little starter and feed it about 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon rye flour and water. I do it approximate and eyeball the consistency. I left it out about four hours at room temperature, refrigerated it overnight, and then took it out to monitor. The reason why I did this was because on Sunday morning I threw out most of the starter and fed it in the morning. I didn't allow the starter to double. I only left it out a few hours and then stuck it in the fridge. Later that night I had an urge to make sourdough and my starter was not exactly ready to for another feeding.

Monday evening 6pm
2. I poured the starter into the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer. I added slightly warmed water and whisked it until it was a liquidy.
3. I added honey and whisked while the water was warm.
4. I added 1/4 teaspoon of yeast for insurance. I wanted to make sure the bread rose since the I didn't feed the starter correctly. I was more interested in the taste of the bread than in remaining a wild yeast purist.
5. I added the rye flour and mixed.
6. I slowly added AP flour a cup at a time until the dough was stiff enough to handle. The dough was still fairly moist. I read that larger holes are achieved from wetter doughs but you often get a flatter bread as a result. How to compromise? I baked it in a cast iron skillet so it wouldn't spread out more than the perimeter of the skillet.
7. Knead for about 4 minutes on setting 2 of the Kitchenaid.
8. Let it sit for about 30 minutes covered in the mixing bowl.
9. Add salt and knead another 4 minutes.
10. Place in an oiled boil that is flat and wide enough to allow folding without having to remove it from the bowl.
11. Let the dough ferment at room temp for 2 1/2 hours with folds at 50 and 100 minutes.
12. Shape the dough into a nicely rounded boule and divide into smaller pieces to make smaller boules. I did one big one in a 9 inch cast iron skillet lined with parchment. If making several loaves, divide dough and then let it rest about 20 minutes before shaping.
13. After shaping, cover dough and let rise for 1 1/2 hours at room temp and then refrigerate for up to 16 hours. I shaped, let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, and refrigerated the entire cast iron skillet. I covered with a large plastic bowl. I don't like to use plastic wrap much and avoid it whenever possible.
14. In the morning, preheat oven to 475 degrees. While the oven is preheating, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Also boil a pot of water in an oven-proof pan and fill a spray bottle with water.
15. When oven is preheated and water is boiled, put the pot of water on the first shelf of the oven. Bake the bread on the second shelf. Turn down the heat to 450 degrees. Generously spray the loaf with water about every five minutes for the first 20 minutes of baking. The pot of water should boil during the entire baking process.
16. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. (Depends on the size of your loaves.)
17. Let cool before slicing. (Something I never do.)

Loaf right out of the refrigerator.

I wanted a little more blistering. The blisters are present but really small. I guess I have to refrigerate it longer?

I never wait for the bread to cool before slicing.

I think the dough was a little too wet because the bread was too moist and almost gummy. Not gummy like the no-knead bread but definitely a little gummier than I would like. After the bread cooled, the gumminest went away and was perfect. The entire loaf was gone by the end of the day.