Formulas. So important to any baker. So are parameters, a focus that has consumed me for a long time. In fact, over the past 12 years I have gone through as many different combinations of ingredients as I could. Along the way I have observed, photographed, written and filed the results fairly obsessively so that I could try and understand what happens when ingredients are combined in different ways. I don’t think of it as “winging it” because of this emphasis on recording what happens; measuring and noting every ingredients that’s added.Check out this post about parameters from Dan Lepard.

To a kilo of strong white flour…
1 litre of liquid makes a thick spoonable batter
1 1/2 litre makes a thick pouring batter
2 litres makes a thin pouring batter
750ml makes a very soft dough
650ml makes a medium soft dough
600ml makes a firm dough
550ml makes a very firm dough
500ml makes a very dry dough

Here’s what I found along the way. Add time to the mixtures above; anything from 10 minutes to 100 hours and changes will be observed.

Anyway, on my latest trial of parameters, I explored adapting a bread from Baselland, Switzerland. I  found a formula for it and, using the baker’s best friend BreadStorm, went to work. Here’s the formula.