[Bread making and bread molding]
Table of Contents
Date and Time: 2017.[September].[28], [21]:[17] [pm]
Location: Home (W. 23rd Street). Apartment temperature approx. 75 degrees fahrenheit.
Subject: Logging progress
I have been keeping notes in a hand-written notebook, since that is more convenient for me than updating the wiki constantly. As a result, this entry will encompass the last few days of work regarding learning how to make bread and consequently attempting a bread mold --the ultimate goal of this endeavor will be to produce a good and visible imprint of my item in the pith and then cast this imprint in sulphur wax in the lab (as per BnF 640's instructions --found in p140v_1 and p140v_2.
2017.[September].[18], [22]:[00] [pm]
First received the sourdough starter from Professor Smith. It traveled with me in my bag for the entire day since class earlier that morning, so the first thing I did when I got home is transfer it from the plastic container we'd been given to a glass jar. The glass jar has ounce measurements scored along the sides, so it's helpful for keeping track of growth. At the beginning, I had about 4 oz. of sourdough.
It had risen a few times that day due to its travels in my bag so I skimmed off the top and fed it with some flour (100g). Through the entirety of this process I will be using Heckers Unbleached All Purpose Flour. I chose this flour because I have used it before in other bakes and have had reliably good results. That being said I understand that the author-practitioner of BnF 640 would have probably used a much 'simpler' flour, as Heckers contains added vitamins for increased nutrition. I'm including the ingredients listed on the bag:
Unbleached White Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.
Nevertheless, is unclear to me whether the added vitamins have any effect on the baking process.
I also added room-temperature tap water (100g).
The smell of the starter immediately changed. Previously it had been rather sour, but once I added the flour and water it smelled much sweeter, almost like buttermilk.
I stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon, fearing that the bacteria might react in some way to metal, and had less-than-perfect results in incorporating the flour with no chunks left over.
At this point, I had set my starter on the kitchen counter and had assumed it would stay there.
2017.[September].[19], [11]:[00] [am]
I checked my starter and found that it had risen and fallen overnight! Moreover I now had 9oz of starter in my glass. I wanted to use this week to grow my starter so it could mature and the culture could 'settle,' so I kept feeding it --however, this in itself was a learning process. I had no idea how much I should feed it, how often, or if I should do anything else. What transpired in the days that followed was trial-and-error.
On the 19th, I skimmed off a couple ounces of the mix and added 6oz flour and 6oz water. Immediately, you can see I changed from using grams to ounces. While numerous websites and books clearly state that using weight as a measurement is much more reliable, I preferred using ounces, since I was more accurately able to know how much to add and how much I should add so the starter wouldn't overflow it's jar.
I mixed well, this time with a metal spoon as I was so dissatisfied with using a wooden one, and added a half teaspoon of honey. I felt as if the culture had suffered from the fluctuating temperatures of the previous day (in my bag) so I wanted to make sure it had enough energy to pull through. At this stage I still have very little clue what I'm doing, so I am overly worried about my starter staying alive.
2017.[September].[19], [22]:[00] [pm]
As I said, I was overly worried. I noticed that it had risen and fallen already, so I skimmed off all but 4oz and added 4oz of water and 4oz of flour. The texture of the mixture was, in my eyes, overly liquid, but I wasn't comfortable enough making changes yet.
2017.[September].[20], [12]:[30] [pm]
I was still seeing unsatisfactory growth; I didn't think it was as dramatic as it should be. I rooted around in my cupboards until I found a reliably warm spot. It's in the cabinet where I keep all my crockery --a light is directly underneath that cabinet, and keeps the space warmer than the surrounding environs. I would estimate it is at 79 degrees fahrenheit. So I moved my mixture there.
Once again I skimmed off all but 4oz of the starter, adding 4oz water and 4oz flour; this time, I mixed with a metal fork. I reasoned that any danger of exposing it to metal would be insignificant since it was only used to stir the mix and that wouldn't count as extended contact. The fork was way more effective at smoothly incorporating the flour and water into the mix.
2017.[September].[21], [13]:[30] [pm]
The cupboard move was a great success! The starter showed explosive growth, doubling in size overnight and subsequently deflating. However, the mixture still seemed too watery --this seemed off from the consistency I was looking at on websites about sourdough starters. So I simply added proportionally more flour to the mixture every time I fed it; 4 oz starter, 4 oz flour, 3 oz water. This also improved the starter's look significantly and I am more confident that I am on the right track.
For the following days (September 22, 23, 24, 25) I continued this routine of keeping 4oz of my starter and adding 4oz flour and 3 oz water. No problems. Have achieved reliable growth and deflation. The molding assignment is due soon, so I'm starting to think of how to actually USE the starter...
2017.[September].[26], [11]:[30] [am]
This is one day after class, so I started to prepare to bake bread. The instructions on bread molding definitely encouraged individual study, so I started looking for bread recipes --and felt TREMENDOUSLY overwhelmed. I have never baked bread before.
So I started by moving my starter into a clean jar to better track its growth, and added 6oz flour and 5oz water to 5oz of starter to have enough for baking.
2017.[September].[27], [11]:[00] [am]
In class, we were referred to a previous student's bread molding entry, and I found it immensely helpful (Xiaomeng Liu, Breadmolding, Feb. 03 2017). Liu linked to a website which had transcribed several 18th century bread recipes, and I decided to use those as a jumping off point, while cross-referencing those with modern recipes which are much easier for me to understand. I have the good fortune of having a mother who is a skilled baker and has a plethora of bread books at her disposal, so I definitely took advantage of this.
Like Liu, I decided to work from the pain du common recipe. I chose this not only because it was the easiest for me to comprehend, but also because it seemed like the simplest recipe, using the simplest ingredients. Considering the author-practitioner's use of bread for molding (that is, that it was not for consumption), I figure he would not have wanted a fancy or complicated recipe, and would have most likely used ingredients which were readily at hand. The Pain du Common recipe, as listed on the website, is as follows:
"And for the Making we will first speak of common Bread, which will be that much better, the more flour there is; nonetheless, if you want to make a good sort of Bread for Valets, you will put in the Mill four minots of rye [or coarse] Wheat and a minot of Barley; (which is about enough for a Batch,) and have it sifted with the large Bolting Cloth.
From this flour, you will take about a Minot at ten o'clock in the Evening, and will put it with leavening, which you will cover well with the same Flour.
To soak it, in Winter, use Water as hot as you can bear on your hand; in Summer, it is enough that it be a little warm, and thus in proportion for the two other temperate seasons.
The next day at the break of day, put the rest of your Flour with leavening, and knead all this, working your Dough for a long time, keeping it rather firm; because the softer it is, the more Bread you will have, but also it will last you less time, as more is eaten when it is light, than when it is firm.
Your Dough being well-kneaded, put it back in the Bin, turning it over, and push your fist into the middle of the Dough, until the base of the Bin, in two or three places, and cover it well with bags and covers.
When at the end of some time (more in Winter, and less in Summer) you look at your Dough, and you see your holes completely closed up; it is a sign that the Dough has risen enough, you can have the Oven warmed by a second person, (because it is almost impossible that one alone can be spread between the Oven and the Dough) you will divide it into pieces, and make them about sixteen pounds each, or a little more; then you will form this dough into loaves, and lay it on a Tablecloth, making some space between each loaf, lest they touch in swelling.
Your Oven being hot... take out the Firebrands and Coals, lay some lit Coals on a side near the mouth of the Oven, and clean it with the maulkin which will be made of old linen, which you will moisten in clear water, and twist it before scrubbing, then you will block it up to let it bring its heat to bear which will blacken the bread and a little after you will open it, to fill the oven as neatly as you can, putting your largest Loaves at the rear and along the sides of the Oven finishing by filling it in the middle.
...The bread being put in close the Oven up well, and seal it all around with moistened cloths, to keep the heat in well: four hours later, which is about the time needed to cook large Loaves: take one out to see if it is cooked, and particularly on the underside, what is called “having some Star”, and tap it with the end of your fingers: if it resounds, and if it is firm enough, it will be time to take it out, if not leave it still some time, until you see it cooked, experience will soon teach you: because if you leave it in the Oven too long after it is just right, it will redden inside and will be disagreeable.
When you have taken your Bread out, rest it on the side that is most cooked...
Let your Bread cool, before enclosing it in the Bins, where you will always rest it on the side..
To make Townsfolk's Bread or Master's Bread, measure from the Flour what you want to cook, take the sixth part to put with leavening and make a hole in the Dough with the Fist, as for the common Bread: when it has risen, you will exchange yet as much Flour as you soak with this leaven and let it rise again and prepare it as above; when ready, put in the rest of your Flour with water in proportion, and let it all rise again, then form the Loaf, and handle it like the preceding one."
This recipe is very verbose (in no small part because it takes into account different temperatures and how that affects the bake). Simply put, though, this recipe explains how to make bread and the steps that are required. Still, I decided to look for something comparable in modern cookbooks which could guide me.
I settled on the recipe "French Country Bread/Pain de Campagne'" from Tom Jaine's Baking Bread at Home: Traditional Recipes from Around the World (Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 1996). The recipe is found on page 30. I have decided to transcribe an abbreviated version of it.
French Country Bread/Pain de Campagne
"The method used in this recipe allows you to make two large loaves of sourdough or leaven bread in easy stages over a period of two days. The process is quite lengthy, but it gets around the problem of regular feeding of leaven that often results in lots of bowls dotted around the kitchen. It's all much simpler in a bakery. There, the routine works steadily around the clock. But not everyone wants to bake daily, or indeed needs to.
This recipe, therefore, needs just one preliminary ingredient -- a walnut sized peace of leaven, stored in the refrigerator from the last time-- then takes you through to finished loaves[...]"
Makes 2 large loaves
Day 1: 10 AM
- walnut of leaven from previous baking
- 2 tbsp of cold water
- 1/2 cup (60g) unbleached white bread flour
Put the leaven in a bowl and mix with the water, then add the flourand knead to a homogenous dough with your fingertips. Put the dough in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap and let it ripen at about 75 degrees F. It will at least double in size.
Day 1: 5:00 PM.
- 7 tbsp (100 ml) tepid water
- the leaven from the previous stage
- 1 2/3 cups (200g) unbleached white bread flour
Add the water to the leaven to dissolve it, mix in the flour, and knead the dough on a floured work surface. Let it rise in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, at about 75 degrees F. It will at least double in size. It will have a definite smell, vinegary and sharp, but not overly strong.
Day 1: 11 PM
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) cold water
- the leaven from the previous stage
- 3 cups (350 g) unbleached white bread flour
Add the water to the leaven to dissolve it, mix in the flour gradually, then knead the dough on a work surface for 10 minutes. Let it rise in a bowl covered with plastic wrap at 50 degrees F overnight. It will at least double in size.
Day 2: 8 AM
- the leaven from the previous stage
- scant 2 cups (450 ml) water at 110 degrees F
- 5 3/4 cups (800g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp (30g) salt
Make a soup of the leaven and water, squeezing it between your fingers to break it up. Mix the flour and salt together, then gradually add them to the liquid, mixing the while. Mix to a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean, then knead on a floured work surface for 10 minutes, until smooth and resilient. Let the dough rise in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in a warm place (75 degrees F) for between 2 and 3 hours, until doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, punch down, divide in half, and mold each piece into a ball. At this stage, take off a walnut of dough to act as leaven for the next time. Put it in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. It will keep undamaged for at least a week, and can then be reactivated for another session of baking.
This bread can be risen in bannetons (rising baskets) or, with no further molding, on baking sheets. [...] (he talks more about bannetons)
Leave for a final rise, covered with oiled plastic wrap to prevent skinning. If you take a nut of the dough and put it into a jar or measure fileld with water at room temperature, it will rise to the surface as the yeast generate gases [...]. When that nut of dough comes to the surface of the water, then your bread is risen and can go into the oven. Rising should take 1- 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile,the oven to 450 degrees F.
Turn the loaves onto oiled baking sheets or a baking stone, slash them with a knife [...] and bake them for 45 minutes, spraying them with water 3 times in the first 5 minutes. If they do not sound hollow after 35 minutes, bake 15 minutes more at 400 degrees F. Cool on wire racks.
End recipe.
Reading both of these in tandem really helped me understand what I was meant to be doing when making bread. I'm including them in my entry to most thoroughly log my process and also just in case this helps a future student!
2017.[September].[27], [18]:[30][pm]
After feeding, I separated approximately 100g of starter from the 'mother dough' and stored both jars in the same cupboard overnight.
2017.[September].[28], [18]:[30][pm]
First attempt.
Taking the starter from the cupboard, I mixed 50g of starter with 100g of flour and 65g of warm water. The result was expectedly wet and sticky! But I had no idea what I was doing at the time, so after incorporating the mixture with a wooden spoon I let it sit in a metal bowl, covered with a cloth
I was extremely unsure at this point. The texture felt way too gloopy to be correct, and I was worried that putting it in a metal bowl might adversely affect the dough somehow. The proportions I decided to use were very small; bread recipes seem to call for a huge amount of ingredients to subsequently produce a huge amount of bread. This makes sense in a baking context, but not in a bread molding context. So I adjusted the measurements in accordance to what I saw in the recipes: there was an approximately a 1:2:3 ratio between the leaven, the water, and the flour. I did not sift the flour (diverging from the 18th century reference) since that was omitted from the modern recipe --hazarding a guess, this might have to do with the rougher quality of flour back then, before modern milling procedures which produce a standardly finer flour?
Admittedly, I was improvising at this point --but this batch was intended to be a test to familiarize myself with bread baking on a general level.
The 18th century recipe does not mention salt at all, whereas the modern recipe calls for salt on the second day, after the first rising. This is most likely because salt slows the production of yeast and makes the bread rise more slowly. I'm not sure why the 18th century recipe omits this ingredient.
Punching the dough (pursuant the 18th century recipe) seems just a trick to know when it has risen. I omitted this as well since I found it unnecessary, thanks to the visual documentation of the dough via photos.
I left the dough alone, covered by a cloth and in a kitchen cupboard.
The more I thought about it, the more dubious I felt about this dough texture...
2017.[September].[28], [16]:[40][pm]
The 28th (a Thursday) was unexpectedly, unpredictably busy, which filled me with dread. What had happened to my dough between the morning and the afternoon, when I was finally able to check it? I was feeling very uncertain about it, and thought I would most likely have to start from scratch....
When I got home, I found the dough had doubled its size! It was still very wet, and looked precisely like a hybrid of starter and bread dough. It smelled rather sour, and was still extremely sticky. Still, I figured I should see this through --in the spirit of experimentation. So I took out the dough and laid it on a floured countertop and began to knead.
The results were terrible. It was sticky and wet, like handling glue. So I started adding flour, gradually, incorporating it into the mixture. It took a while. I was adding it straight from the bag since my hands were so tacky and I couldn't get to any cups, so lost track of the measurements, but I would guess I added about a cup of flour.
(note the residue on the countertop... it was really like an adhesive at the beginning)
I kneaded it in the 'standard' push-fold-turn method for making bread, also adding warm water from the sink in handfuls. To estimate a measurement. I would say I added just under half a cup of water to the mixture at this stage.
Rather than focusing on precise measurements, I suppose I took a more 18th century approach and focused on the dough's texture and how it felt to knead. I worked the dough until it felt smooth, SOLID (as opposed to the gloopy mess I had tried to use earlier), yet elastic. I was very confident in my little dough ball, so I decided to let it rest for a bit to see what would happen...
I threw time-period awareness to the wind and covered the bowl in plastic wrap, then let it rest.
4 hours later...
Success! It had doubled in size and looked pretty respectable as far as bread dough is concerned. Also, the very first time I had let it rise, once I took off the cloth, it deflated instantly. This time, the dough was a lot hardier, and kept its shape once uncovered.
Given this development, I figured I might as well give baking it a try.
The 18th century recipe calls for a very hot oven, moist cloths, and four hours baking time!!! Similarly, the modern recipe called for a 450 degrees oven temperature I figured this was because of the massive loaf size, so I took some liberties in deciding the temperature, and once again took an 18th century approach to baking. I relied on experiential first-hand experiential knowledge and asked my mom (as previously mentioned, she's a very skilled baker) for general bread advice.
Q: Why do the loaves need water while they bake?
A: It's to create a better crust.
Q: So for the purpose of making a bread mold from the pith, it's irrelevant?
A: Seems like it.
Q: How long should I cook this for?
A: It's a small loaf? Set the oven to 350 degrees but put don't bother to preheat. The bread will rise a bit more and cook better with the gradual rise in temperature. Leave it in for at least 45 minutes.
Q: Should I slash it?
A: Just the surface. It helps the bread inflate
I decide to cook the bread on a flat baking sheet, however I put a silicone sheet atop it to prevent it from sticking. Obviously the silicone is anachronistic, however, I figured that 18th century sources would have either placed the bread directly on the oven base (made of brick/stone) or on a baking stone, both of which stick much less than on metal, so it seemed a permissible replacement to me...
Armed with this knowledge, I did as she instructed and put my bread in the oven at 8:15 PM. I was obsessively watching it in the oven through the glass. I now understand why past field notes stated that they felt very protective over their loafs since I felt the same way. After a while, I calmed down, but I took the bread out at 9:00 PM since it looked like it was getting golden on the top.
It might be ugly to look at, but I'm proud all the same. It looked very respectable, despite my earlier fumblings. Knocking on the surface, the crust felt rock-hard and it sounded hollow on the inside which, according to mom and both recipes included above, is a good way of knowing that the bread is done.
The final test was yet to come:
I sliced horizontally -- look at that crumb structure! Looks great for molding.
While my technique may have been a learning process and not necessarily accurate to the time period of BnF's 640 author-practitioner, I was pleased with the results.
So I decided to give the molding a go!
Pictured: A brass horseshoe crab-shaped bottle opener, a gold-plated tin cross, and a small egg-shaped stone. I shoved them into the pith with appropriate force and the pith was elastic and springy, and took the items well. Once I was confident they were in a good position, I let them be for the night.
I was hesitant to taste it since I worried that ripping the bread in any way would compromise the molds. Still, I snuck a little bite and it was... adequate. Edible. The texture was somewhere between a steamed bread roll, but it tasted tangy, like sourdough.
2017.[September].[29], [12]:[30][pm]
I had left the bread on the counter to cool and shrink around the objects, to create a better mold (as described in BnF 640). When I checked it, the exposed part of the bread was ROCK HARD. It was difficult to pry the objects from the pith. I had to use a tactical fork to extract some of them, while being very careful not to damage the mold.
The molds turned out great. The shapes were clear, even for the comparatively more complex horseshoe crab shape. Two items were metal which interestingly caused a verdigris-style reaction in the bread!!! The bread was dyed green, and the surface of the metal objects were slightly "stained" from either the sourdough, or the salt in the mixture, or both. Lightly touching the imprints, the dough was still 'moist.' I let the bread sit for the shapes to dry out, and set to cleaning the pith-encrusted objects.
Also, at this point the bread struck me as thoroughly inedible. I didn't try to cut it, since obviously the molds are what are important here, but considering this was meant to be bread, that is, an edible substance, I find it's worth noting.
After the bread was all dried out, I placed a paper napkin between the loaves and wrapped them together in aluminum foil and put them away. I don't think that putting them in a cupboard for a few days will have adverse effects given that my apartment is kept at a constant temperature and I will not manhandle them.
Final thoughts
I think the molds turned out well and will make for good wax casts in the lab. I wonder if the green stain will transfer to the wax?
I don't think I succeeded in creating an era-appropriate recipe given the modern implements I used. However, when I think back on my baking process, it was exceedingly easy, and the ingredients would have been readily available to anyone living in the 17th or 18th centuries. I merely used starter, flour, water, and salt. While this bread is not exactly delicious, it seems to have been effective for mold making, which, to me, the ultimate goal for this experiment... so perhaps it could be called a success.
I have made an attempt to write out what I actually did, in modern recipe format.
Bread for bread molding
100g starter
2 cups of flour (unbleached, all purpose)
1.5 cups water
2 tsp salt
This recipe makes bread with an excellently packed crumb structure, which is great for making molds. However, it is not great for eating.
Step 1: Combine the starter with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water. It will be very wet. That is fine. Don't even worry about kneading (apparently). Let it sit overnight, covered, so it rises.
Step 2: Check on your dough. Ideally the morning after first combining it, but it turns out that a full 24 hours afterwards should still be fine. It should have doubled in size. Take this dough and combine with remaining flour, gradually, until it reaches a more dough-light (less wet) consistency. Feel free to do this on a floured surface, but doing it in the bowl until it becomes more solid is fine. Either way, once this consistency is reached and it is easier to manipulate the dough, knead it using the push-fold-pull method. Add the salt. Also water gradually to incorporate the elements and so the dough doesn't get too dry. The dough should feel elastic and have a nice spring to it, but be smooth with no lumps. This process of re-incorporation and kneading should take between 10 and 20 minutes. Roll this into a dough ball and let it sit in a bowl, covered, so it rises, for 2-6 hours.
Step 3: If the dough has doubled in size, take it out from the bowl and place it on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Slash the surface with a sharp knife. Set the oven to 350 degrees and put the bread in, don't worry about pre-heating.
Step 4: Baking should take about 40-45 minutes, but check that the surface of the bread has turned tan or golden brown. If you're not sure, take it out and knock on it. If it sounds hollow, it's fine. Take it out of the oven and don't wait for it to cool. Slice it (horizontally is good to get the maximum surface area) and immediately shove in the objects you'd like to make molds of. If they're metal, keep in mind they might stain the bread and/or come out with slight salt stains. Press the objects in really hard until they're in deep. Then, leave them alone.
Step 5: The next day, or after the bread is totally cool, you will notice the bread has 'shrunk' around them. That means it's ok to take the objects out. Do so.
Step 6: Cast in wax, etc.
Honestly, given that this bread is not for eating, were I to make this again I would exclude salt. Also, I would use larger proportions to produce a bigger loaf for a greater mold-making surface area.
2017.[October].[02], [11]:[11][am]
In the lab.
It was time to cast the molds. I worked with Reut Ullman on both the wax and sulphur station. At 10:52 AM we placed solid beeswax in a tin an on a hot plate, starting on the heat setting 3 but lowering it to 2.5 after 10 minutes so it could heat more evenly. It was already half melted by 10:55 AM and started looking like honey and had a strong beeswax smell. We added more beeswax pellets to the melting wax to have enough for all our molds so ultimately at 11:07 AM our wax had melted.
I was trying to cast a cross mold and a mold of a small egg-shaped object, unfortunately since baking my bread had cracked and become rather brittle. There was a hole at the bottom which made the egg impossible to cast, so I just filled the cross mold and let it be, without bothering to prime the bread with lard.
I had to tape my bread down since it did not have a flat bottom.
The sulphur took a bit more effort to melt. It started as a powder and I had to monitor the temperature closely so it wouldn't get too hot. Despite this it did start to coagulate a little so I had to take it off the burner so it cooled down to the appropriate temperature (115 degrees C? [double check]).
Above: melting the powder; cooling the overheated mixtureIt took just under 20 minutes to boil, longer than it took for others, since I had a LOT of sulphur to melt for my mold, which was quite deep.
Pouring and setting. I did not prime the bread mold with linseed oil.
We left it setting for a couple of hours, but both casts were VERY STUCK in the bread, which was now hard as a rock. I tried my best to pry them both out but ultimately had to leave it to do later since we ran out of time. I left the wax mold soaking in water overnight.
2017.[October].[03], [16]:[15][pm]
I snapped the wax cross because I manhandled it, then I believe some chunks floated away in the water and were thrown out. It was much easier to carve it out once it'd been soaked, but it was also really gross. The horseshoe crab was very hard to extract --the bread had cracked at the bottom, giving me an uneven cast, and the tail was thin and fragile and subsequently broke off.
This is what I ended up with. The horseshoe crab took about an hour, hour and a half, to extract, using dental tools and tactical soaking in water. As you can see, it's stained green from the green metal stain on the bread. The cross is completely broken and looks like the East coast of France.
Final observations:
While more treacherous, sulphur captures detail very well (like the practitioner notes in the BnF manuscript). I definitely think that priming the mold would be helpful, in both cases, and possibly also using fresher bread that hasn't dried out so much. Also, I think the cross mold suffered from being too shallow. The best casts seem to be made from deeper molds, since that appears to makes it sturdier. The horseshoe crab, for instance, was a deeper mold, and was sturdier (despite sulphur being more brittle). If I had to do casts again in the future, I would choose to do rougher objects in wax since it captures the shape well and it's easier to make (less safety precautions, etc)., but if I needed to cast details I would use sulphur.
Also, I've just noticed that technically I should be spelling sulphur like "sulfur" since it's the accurate term when speaking of chemistry. Will keep this in mind.