The Fresh Loaf

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August 7, 2023 - 4:25am
Kjknits's picture
Kjknits

Our everyday, 100% whole wheat, freshly milled sandwich bread

Posting my freshly-milled, 100% whole wheat sandwich bread recipe…this one is an adaptation of my everyday sandwich bread that I posted here way back in 2007. Unfortunately the photos in that post are broken, but it was a white bread with wheat bran added in for interest and nutrition. Once I got my KoMo Fidibus XL in 2014, I switched over to 100% whole wheat bread. My family never even minded, because the bread still came out soft, fluffy, and mild-tasting due to using white whole wheat. Make sure your wheat berries are golden and plump. I’ve had some bad berries that made dense, poorly-risen bread. Achieving a good elastic windowpane is key with this bread, as well. 

Makes four loaves, but recipe can be cut in half. We slice when cool and freeze until needed, removing slices and letting them thaw for a few minutes on the plate. 

3.5 lbs wheat berries (I like 1 lb kamut, then the rest in hard white wheat)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

4 cups water (cold or room temp…I use cold filtered from the fridge dispenser)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp instant yeast

4 tsp salt

Grind wheat berries. Put water, melted butter, sugar and yeast in bowl of stand mixer (I have a 7 qt Viking professional. If you’re using a smaller mixer, I recommend halving the recipe). Add a few cups of the flour and beat with the flat beater or dough hook at low to medium speed until well mixed. Add a few more cups of flour and the salt. Beat at low to medium speed until well mixed. Continue adding flour a cup or two at a time. If using the flat beater, switch to the dough hook when the dough gets thick. After the rest of the flour has been added, knead using the hook until the dough passes the windowpane test. Oil the bowl, cover and let proof for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Divide into four pieces (about 1.5 lbs each) and form each into a tight loaf. (I flatten, then roll up each piece, adding plenty of tension to the outside of the loaf as I’m rolling it.) Place in greased 9x5 pans, cover loosely, and proof for about 35 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375° while the loaves are rising. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until internal temp of 195° is reached. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack, covered with a kitchen towel.


August 6, 2023 - 7:04pm
camerjones's picture
camerjones

What I’ve been baking lately

Hello there,

 

It’s been a very long time since my last post, and I have no idea of what that even was.  Mostly I use The Fresh Loaf as a resource, and I must say I am always amazed at the detail in most of the posts. I myself am a rather haphazard baker, mostly making the same thing (Tartine style loaf) over and over. 

I’ve never really made a good ciabatta, a fact that always gnawed at me, and discovered a had a recipe that I has stashed away in my iPad notes that I had never tried. It’s the Ponsford ciabatta recipe, and it really worked amazingly well. Given the cost of bread nowadays, I plan to make this in large batches and freeze it since it defrosts so quickly.

The other bread I have made lately is the Pumpkinseed Rye from Stanley Ginsberg’s The Rye Baker, except it has no pumpkinseeds in it. Turns out my oldest son is allergic to pumpkinseeds, a fact I became aware of the last time I made this bread. I replaced it with sunflower seeds, and I love this bread. It’s roughly 60% rye, and has an amazing texture. I’d post a picture, but I have tried but have no idea how to do so. The upload process told my file was too big. Oh well.

I do have one question after all this.  I keep a firm rye sourdough in the fridge ala No Fuss No Muss courtesy of dabrownman (many thanks, by the way) but lately I have found I am getting a thin layer of white mold over my culture within about 10 days of refreshing it. Does anybody have a favorite container they keep a firm culture in?

 

Thanks very much,

Cameron

 

August 5, 2023 - 5:18pm
Kjknits's picture
Kjknits

Sourdough hamburger buns




These turned out great. I made them 3 oz each. The recipe is from Farmhouse on Boone, but I forgot the egg in the dough and my timeline wasn’t the same as hers. I made the dough with my active starter yesterday afternoon, let it sit on the counter until about 8pm, then put it in the fridge overnight. This morning, I took it out and let it sit on the counter. Around 1pm, I shaped the rolls, then let them sit until around 4pm. Baked for about 18 minutes at 400°. 

I’ll leave the egg out every time I make these in the future. They were the lightest, softest, but still sturdy buns of my baking dreams. So good!

August 4, 2023 - 3:29pm
yozzause's picture
yozzause

BREWER'S BREAKFAST BREAD LOAF

Yesterday a fellow bee keeper and Fremantle Bee Buddy member made a batch of Stout!  it's amazing our similarities he is a Bus driver at the Palmyra depot as was I, he loves Stout as do I, Into Bee keeping as am i. Interested in Wine and vineyards as am i.  Any way i was interested in the Spent grain from the Wort process, i had used it once before when i obtained some from "Running with Thieves" boutique brewery. When i went and picked up the spent grain Stewart said he was also keen on trying to make a loaf using the spent grain so i said i'd email him a recipe which i duly did.The next morning i thought perhaps i needed to run the recipe that id put together whilst the Spent grain was still freshThe recipe is flour 500g (100) salt 10g (2) yeast 10g (2) olive oil 10g (2) spent grain 75g (15) Wallaby bread improver 2.5g (0.5) water 325g (65)Bakers% in bracketsBulk Fermentation time was 1 hour 15minutes with finished dough temperature of 26Ctotal yield 930g i made 2 small loaves.   dough after mixing completed   dough now nicely risen  another shot of the BF   the 2 baked loaves  the spent grain bits showing up in the loaf  The slice revealing the Spent Grain Footnote  i just reviewed my previous Spent grain post, https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/68312/spent-grain-stout-brew .   i also included STOUT in the liquid which gave a nice chocolate colour and malty finish  it also had the spent grain at 25%  As an interesting side fact to that post the Chef loved the bread  and i did hear that "Running with Thieves" (apprpriately named it seems)  approached the small bakery nearby to see if they could make the bread for them but were not interested, shame really because i could have probably got someone to do it for them commercially.  WOW That was 2 years ago.

August 3, 2023 - 4:42pm
Benito's picture
Benito

30% Whole Wheat Challah

I needed to get a challah baked quickly because we were hosting a last minute brunch for which I was going to bake a ham, cheese, mushroom, red pepper and onion strata.  So with little time to plan I bake this challah that relies on IDY for leavening.  I was surprised at the slight tearing that this loaf had between the strands.  At the time of baking the dough didn’t bounce back at all with the poke test.  This is usually quite a reliable sign that the challah is well fermented, but in this case it could have used a bit more time in final proofing.  Nonetheless the challah was delicious and excellent for the strata.  I cut the bread into cubes and allowed it to stale overnight, putting the strata together in the morning.






Procedures

 

  1. In the morning, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the IDY then water, then mix in the 4 eggs, salt, honey and oil then mix until completely combined.
  2. Mix in all the flour until it forms a shaggy mass.
  3. Knead the dough on the bench or in a stand mixer until it is smooth and there is moderate gluten development. The dough should be quite firm.  Mix until gluten is well developed.
  4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it tightly. Ferment for about 2 hours. It should approximately double in size. 
  5. To make one loaf, divide the dough into two equal portions, and divide each portion into the number of pieces needed for the type of braiding you plan to do, so divide each by 3 to make 1 six strand braided loaf.
  6. Form each piece into a ball and allow them to rest, covered, for 10-20 minutes to relax the gluten.
  7. Form each piece into a strand about 14” long. (I like Glezer's technique for this. On an un-floured board, flatten each piece with the palm of your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece to about ¼ inch thickness. Then roll up each piece into a tight tube. Using the palms of your hands, lengthen each piece by rolling each tube back and forth on the bench with light pressure. Start with your hands together in the middle of the tube and, as you roll it, move your hands gradually outward. Taper the ends of the tube by rotating your wrists slightly so that the thumb side of your hand is slightly elevated, as you near the ends of the tube.).  You can consider rolling each rope of dough in two different types of seeds at this point for a decorative effect, or only a few of the strands.
  8. Braid the loaves.  Braiding somewhat loosely, not too tight. 
  9. Place loaf on parchment paper on a sheet pan. Brush with egg wash. Cover well with plastic wrap (brush with oil so it doesn’t stick to the dough) or place the pans in a food grade plastic bag, and proof at room temperature until the loaves have tripled or quadrupled in volume. About 2 hours.
  10. If it's quadrupled and when poked the dough only springs back a little, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.  Gauge the dough again. Stick a finger lightly in the dough. If it makes an indentation that doesn't spring back, the dough is ready to be baked. If not, wait a bit more.
  11. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF with the rack in the lower third of the oven about 30 mins before final proof is complete.
  12. Brush each loaf with an egg lightly beaten with a pinch of salt.  I do this twice in total.
  13. Optionally, sprinkle the loaves with sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds.
  14. Bake until done – 30-40 minutes rotating half way.  If baking as one large loaf may take a bit longer, bake until sounds hollow or reaches 190ºF in the middle.
  15. Cool completely before slicing.

My index of bakes.

August 3, 2023 - 4:29pm
Kjknits's picture
Kjknits

Sourdough pretzels

These were pretty tasty. I used my KAB starter, KAB bread flour, and pretzel salt from Boise Salt Co. The recipe is from Little Spoon Farm. We have an all-time fave soft pretzel recipe from an Amish cookbook I bought at a craft fair, but that uses regular yeast and I wanted to use my new starter. These are equally good as our fave commercial yeast pretzels…maybe a little chewier? 




August 2, 2023 - 1:38pm
Kjknits's picture
Kjknits

New King Arthur starter is cracking

I am LOVING my new sourdough starter from KAB (KAF for the old schoolers). I got it in the mail a week ago and have made English muffins, crackers, a lovely no-knead recipe from Taste of Artisan (my fave regular no-knead recipe is from there as well), some dinner rolls (not special enough to link to), and some fab waffles. I should’ve taken more pics, but here’s the no-knead from Taste of Artisan. 


I need to practice slashing. I tried a (new, clean) utility razor blade but it wasn’t sharp enough…a lame is currently on the way to my house. 


The crust is thin and crisp and flavorful, and the crumb is moist but not gummy at all. Makes great toast and hearty sandwiches! Streamside lunch spot is optional. ;)

July 31, 2023 - 8:32pm
gavinc's picture
gavinc

"Singing" bread

I love to hear the crust "sing" when first out of the oven. Lovely crisp cracking sound.


July 31, 2023 - 5:59am
yozzause's picture
yozzause

toasted Lupin flakes and flour

i made a dough today using Lupin Flakes and Lupin flour @ 25% inclusion  but this time i toasted the Lupin dry on the stove top in a skillet stirring continuously making sure it didn't burn. 

The idea was to see how it performed and tasted, i also wanted to try the dough as a pizza base too,

so here we have a 2 hour bulk fermented dough ready to take

 scaled off at 750g for the loaf, 300gfor the Pizza, and 194g for the mini loaf

 topped with Jalapeno stuffed olives, spicy pork belly salami , swiss brown mushrooms, soft fetta and finely grated cheddar 

it disappeared real fast mind you it was lunchtime

 

The mini loaf which is handy to give away for taste testing and evaluation

 

The 750g loaf 

i think the toasting of the Lupin gave a nice nutty taste and aroma. really pleased with this but its very thirsty i added lots of extra water during the mix.

July 29, 2023 - 7:40pm
jkandell's picture
jkandell

Salzburger Weizenkeimbrot: a sophisticated rye

The new recipe for Salzburg Wheat Germ Rye by Markus Farbinger in Hamelman's Bread 3rd ed intrigued me, It's so different from the German detmolder ryes so close to Hamelman's heart. The bread involves a rye starter focusing on lactic prominence, a hefty dose of wheat germ, a cold pre-soak of just the wheat portion, and a mixture of aromatic spices (toasted coriander, fennel, caraway), along with toasted rye malt,.

Upon first glance this new bread seems close to the Russian tradition. I can't help but wonder if this kind of spiced malted bread from Farbinger's youth was either an inspiration for the famous Borodinsky, or itself inspired by it. Looking at the ingredients, in broad terms, you can see the two breads are in the same universe: 

In comparing the two, both have a strong coriander flavor. What's missing in the Salzburg is any sweet note: no sugar, no syrup, and no "sweetening" of the malt. The Salzburg Weizenkeimbrot uses a cold soaker, whereas with the Russian breads, the spices and malt are scalded with boiling water with some of the rye, then mixed with sourdough for a scalded sponge ("zavarka"). Here things are more straightforward: the coriander and other spices are given a cold soak with the entire wheat component (white flour, whole wheat and the wheat germ) several hours before baking.

Another distinguishing feature of Salzburg Weizenkeimbrot is its focus on lactic acid. Since my location in Arizona is currently 115F outside and in the 80s inside, I was attracted to the fact that the levain builds at 83-85F and ferments at around 82F--the temperature in my laundry room! Alas a silver lining to record heat, is I can experiment with lactic fermentation. 

Formula:

salzburg formula

Sourdough: Last build: 1:10:10 at 100%, 82-85F for about 4 hours. "The high hydration, warm environment and short duration all favor lactic as opposite to acidic flavors to develop."  [I used whole rye, and raised hydration to 115%. At 85F it took 6.5h to get light and fluffy. It was only slightly sour, with no sharp tang.

Toast, Blend and Soak. Several hours before mixing, lightly toast the spices and grind fine. Lightly toast the wheat germ. Lightly toast the rye malt and grind fine. [I used C90.]  Combine with all the wheat flours, and add an equal amount of water, and cold soak till ready to mix. I added a pinch of the total salt since my house is so warm.

Mix. Mix everything: the final water and sourdough, and soaked wheat, germ, and spices. Add in the last bit of rye flour and salt, and mix well.  [I used 40g less water in the final dough because I had increased the sourdough hydration 40g to loosen it up. And, again, I used whole rye instead of medium.]. No stretch and folds needed with rye.

Bulk Ferment. 40 minutes.

Pan and Proof:: Press into 8.5X10 loaf pan, with untoasted whole coriander seeds on top and bottom. Proof 45-60 minutes till it reaches the sides. 

Bake: Dock with holes down the center. 450F covered, then another 45minutes at 400 uncovered, then 5 minutes at 350. I let sit for 12 hours to cure wrapped a dishtowel before cutting to equalize the moisture. 

I used a loaf pan rather than free form, and I did not coat with the roasted starch glaze in the book.

Assessment. The bread tasted good. It had a moist firm but soft texture, the crust was dark but still somewhat soft after curing. The flavor wasn't as far from Russian breads as I'd imagined, definitely with a family resemblance. The lack of scald was noticeable, but not wanting. FWIW I didn't taste the toasted wheat germ at all--which surprised me. (Note to self: toast it a little more next time?)  The spices were equally strong as in Russian breads; If I had to summarize  it, I'd say it's overall profile as a muted, mellow Borodinsky, Moscow, or Litovsky rye. 

Aside from the background "lactic" rye odor and taste, the the spices were the main noticeable feature. I'm used to coriander, but I found the additions of toasted caraway and anise added a subtle sophistication to the whole loaf that complimented the sour notes. (These spices are common in German and Austrian breads but new to me.)  The relatively muted lactic acid mellow sourness again provided a more subtle background than I'm used to with the “in your face” more sweet-and-more-sour Russian and East European and German breads. In short. if Borodinsky and its ilk are breads of extremes, Salzburg Rye is a mellow, balanced, adult loaf. If I had to pick one word to summarize Salzburger Weizenkeimbrot it is "sophisticated".  

Take Aways for baking other breads:  

  • I need to play around more with personalizing my own rye spice blend. The one here is quite balanced (at 60% toasted ground coriander, 20% toasted ground caraway, 20% toasted ground fennel), and a nice change of pace from the straight raw coriander I'm used to. Most German spice blends have much less coriander relative to the caraway and fennel. Some add fenugreek or even cardamom. Which spices go with which breads? Will it work with wheat and spelt breads? Toasted versus raw?
  • Pre-soaking the wheat portion in an 80 or 90% rye is something I'm going to start doing. This allowed the wheat to form some gluten on its own, which was easier than trying to form the gluten later after it's mixed with a bunch of rye flour and water at the last stage. That small wheat portion needs all the help it can get! 
  • Using only the lactic stage of Detmolder is intriguing way to make the rye less sharp without sacrificing digestibility, and is worth exploring with other breads. (Reminds me a bit of the Italian method of "washing the madre".) Given my house gets into the mid 80s in summer I need to find breads that favor extreme heat like this one to adapt to the times. 
  • I also wonder how this bread would change with a more traditional two-stage Detmolder elaboration; Since Hamelman uses a long 14 hour at 70F at 83% refresh for his starter, the main difference would be elaborating the second (final) elaboration 1:3:3 instead of 1:10:10.  In other words, the "acidic" part would be a third of the final starter rather than a tenth.  My guess is it would be on a small distinction in flavor, and I'm even wondering if the two-stage Detmolder process is what Farbinger had in mind all along. Or maybe even a Berlin Short Sour?

 

 

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