Elsie_iu's blog

I’ve always liked the nuttiness of barley bread. It thus bothered me a bit when I couldn’t find whole barley anywhere… That’s until recently, I discovered some hull-on barley in a tiny Indian grocery store. Of course I ended up sprouting it for this week’s bake. Since the hull is inedible, it was sifted out and discarded after milling.    

30% Sprouted Barley Sourdough

 Barley hull sifted out

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 29 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, about 3.5 hours (29.5°C). Roughly combine all dough ingredients. Ferment for a total of 3 hours. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 and 30 minute mark.  

Shape the dough then put in into a banneton directly. Retard for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Score and spritz the dough then bake straight from the fridge at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

It was boiling hot in HK in the past week so my home almost reached 30°C. I had to let the dough ferment at room temperature for 3 hours to suit my schedule. Unsurprisingly, it was beginning to degrade at the time of shaping. Thanks god it still turned out fine (read: not liquefied…yet)!

Updated: The bread is a bit too dense for my liking, probably due to the high percentage of gluten free flour. That said, it's still much lighter and softer than 100% rye bread. Pearl barley is relatively mild so it didn't really shock me that sprouted barley has a subtle flavor as well. To be honest, I might not be able to detect its presence if I weren't the one who baked it. Its flavor might better come through when used with white flour. Moreover, this bread is quite sour thanks to the elevated temperature. This has certainly masked the delicate characteristics of barley further.  

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Double shrimp & mushroom seaweed fried rice

Eggplant, soya chunk & mushroom coconut curry with paniyaram

Smoked salmon, seasoned soft-boiled egg & napa cabbages with homemade semola “ramen”

Spinach, mushroom & tuna lasagna with herby tomato sauce & provolone piccante

Ethiopian-inspired dinner: Doro wat & injera, mixed dal, green beans & cabbages in tomato sauce, and shrimp oil toasted rice

White bread of the week: 40% mixed grains SD (10% each red & white wheat, spelt & rye)

Provolone Piccante… again? Yup, last week’s bread tasted so good that I want Provolone in my bread for another week. Although I’ve kept the cheese, the rest of the formula is completely different. However, that’s still saying a lot considering how afraid of boredom I am. This bread is inspired by Danni’s and Alan’s takes on Maurizio’s cinnamon raisin bread.

Cinnamon Thyme Provolone Piccante 20% Germinated Red Rice SD

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 38 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, about 4 hours (27.5°C). Since I was out for dinner, it was retarded for 4 hours.  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients. Ferment for a total of 2 hours 10 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 and 30 minute mark, and fold in the add-ins at the 45 minute mark.  

Shape the dough then put in into a banneton directly. Retard for 8.5 hours.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

The cinnamon did lengthen the bulk but not by much. I’d say the dough took 20 minutes longer to rise in the bulk than usual, which is less than 17% in this case. Amazing aroma filled the kitchen while the bread was baking and it stayed for another few hours. There was decent oven spring and the crumb is moderately open.

Updated: This bread no doubt has a sweeter scent than last week's. The half a tsp of cinnamon comes through well yet it's no over-powering. I like sweet & salty combo and this one is no exception. The thyme is subtle but it complements the cinnamon nicely. The bread has a balanced sweetness-acidity flavor. It has an exceptionally crispy crust thanks to the fat of the cheese. 

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Smoky refried black beans, cheese & cilantro quesadillas with yogurt. Yum…

Spaghetti Carbonara with spicy shrimps

All beef meatballs with SD rye breadcrumbs in a pressure-cooked tomatoes sauce, served with farfalle

Cahr Koay Teow. Not exactly but close…?

Pressure-cooked beef shank and daikon radishes with rice vermicelli, shrimp bhuna, potatoes rendang, mixed veggies slaw in a tamarind sesame dressing, quick pickled daikon radishes

Lye pretzels. So much better than the baking soda and baked baking soda versions! 

For the longest time, provolone equaled provolone dolce to me. I use it as a sharper alternative to mozzarella. Only until recently, it’s aged cousin, provolone piccante was introduced to me. Oh what had I missed! Provolone piccante is true to its name: pungent, salty and just full of flavors. I’d even go as far as to compare it with 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano!

Provolone Piccante Fennel Seed SD with 30% Sprouted Kamut

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 41 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, about 4 hours (28°C). Since I was short on time, it was retarded for 24 hours.  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients. Ferment for a total of 2 hours 15 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 and 30 minute mark, and fold in the add-ins at the 45 minute mark.  

Shape the dough then put in into a banneton directly. Retard for 8 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Score and spritz the dough then bake straight from the fridge at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

The levain became very active, well, way more than I expected, after the retard. That’s why the dough was a bit over-proofed. I scored it very lightly to reduce the risk of collapse.

Despite the ripeness of the levain, the bread isn’t assertively sour. Rather, its sweetness-acidity balance is pretty close to my taste. As we all know, durum and kamut are the candies of nature. When sprouted, they can be too sweet (yes, that’s a thing to me). Using a mature levain definitely helps to balance out everything. Of course I wouldn’t forget about the provolone piccante and fennel seeds :) These pungent additions provide the touch of saltiness and freshness much needed in this bread. 

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German cured pork knuckle, whole grain mustard carrot salad, black beans, onion sautéed spinach, and pan-grilled corn. Knuckle and shanks are the most under-priced cut in my opinion! The meat is so juicy and you get all the tendon, cartilages and ligaments!

Thai-inspired shrimp soup (dipping sauce?) with fish cakes and 30% toasted buckwheat noodles

Baked hoki fillet with olive tapenade, mashed chopin potatoes (I adore this super creamy variety) and ghee roasted carrots

Shrimp molee with rava upma

Farfalle pasta salad in a coconut fish sauce dressing, with poached scallops & Indian mangoes

Provolone piccante & black pepper semola SD crackers

Jumbo shrimp gumbo, salty fried shrimp heads + shrimp oil, Caesar salad (?) with green beans, pancetta & provolone piccante, spicy roasted chicken drumsticks with tomatoes and carrots, and raisin bulgar pilaf   

50% rye caraway seed SD

Gajar ka halwa aka carrot halwa is a popular Indain dessert savored by many. Although I do enjoy its caramelly aroma, it’s overly sugary for someone like me who doesn’t have a sweet tooth. Therefore, I decided to transform it into bread form as always!

Carrot Halwa Sourdough with 20% Sprouted Golden Quinoa

Make the ghee roasted carrots. Heat the ghee and 3 green cardamoms over medium heat. Remove the cardamoms after the ghee is infused with their flavor. Pour in the carrots and milk powder then sauté over medium high heat, until mostly dry and caramelized. I got 26 g toasted carrots from 100 g raw carrots, 1 tsp milk powder and 5 g ghee.Make the ghee roasted carrots. Heat the ghee and 3 green cardamoms over medium heat. Remove the cardamoms after the ghee is infused with their flavor. Pour in the carrots and milk powder then sauté over medium high heat, until mostly dry and caramelized. I got 26 g toasted carrots from 100 g raw carrots, 1 tsp milk powder and 5 g ghee.

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 36 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, about 4.5 hours (27.5°C).  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the levain and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 2 hours 45 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold and fold in the add-ins at the 15 minute and 30 minute mark respectively.  

Shape the dough then put in into a banneton directly. Retard for 11 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Let the dough warm up at room temperature for 20 minutes. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing

Due to the low gluten property of this dough, the crumb isn’t quite open. However, it is exceptionally soft and moist from the moisture of the carrots.

Though the carrots can’t really be detected in the final bread, you can definitely taste the caramel flavor. The walnuts added some toasty aroma and crunchy texture, which I find indispensable. This bread is no doubt on the sweet side thanks to the caramelized carrots, sprouted grains and durum. The bit tang helps to balance out the flavor.

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Pulled lamb tacos. No more words needed.

Lotus root & king oyster mushroom SD pizza (50% spelt) with makhani sauce

Layered squash mozzarella bake

Quinoa jambalaya with pan-seared scallops

Smoked salmon & ivy gourd sushi rolls with wasabi yogurt. When you don't have cucumbers or salmon sashimi...

Shrimp & pork siu mai, steamed garlic ribs and glass noodles in louts leaves, lotus roots & bean sprouts salad in a Sichuan peppercorn infused mustard oil vinaigrette, fried glutinous rice with Chinese sausages, mixed veggies in a Jinhua ham & dried shrimp broth  

The bake was kept simple since it was exam period. We’ll have something less boring next week :)

20% Sprouted Ragi 30% Sprouted Red Wheat Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole Red Fife wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted red wheat flour

60g        20%       Sprouted ragi (finger millet) flour

For leaven:

6g              2%       Starter

32g       10.7%       Bran sifted from dough flour

32g       10.7%       Water

For dough:

268g      89.3%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

232g      77.3%       Water

70g        23.3%       Leaven

9g              3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

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303g        100%       Whole grain

267g       88.1%       Total hydration (I found that most millet varieties absorb little water)

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 32 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of water taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready. It was ready after 5 hours but I extended the time to around 6 hours for more pronounced sourness (28°C).  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 3 hours. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 minute mark.  

When I got home, the dough rose by roughly 50% rather than the expected 30%, likely due to the use of mature leaven. It was thus shaped right away and retarded for 11 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

Unsurprisingly, the dough over-proofed during the retard. I had really under-estimated how much the microbial population can grow in an extra hour. Guess the doubling rate is pretty high at 28°C… The purpose of using a mature leaven was achieved though: the bread is distinctively sour. That’s not say it’s lacking in sweetness, quite the opposite in fact, thanks to the malty sprouted grains and fruity Red Fife wheat.

Ragi is rather mild in flavor that I can’t really detect anything special it contributed. Also, it didn’t sprout very well so I’d consider toasting it prior to milling next time. The crumb can definitely be more open yet it’s not too bad being over-proofed.  

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Calamarata al Ragu di Pesce with pan-grilled baby cuttlefish. Feels so sophisticated!

Spaghetti in paprika lemon sauce with mushrooms and smoked duck breast

Mushroom, caramelized onion & mozzarella omelette

White bread of the week: 10% ragi 10% ragi porridge (dry weight) 10% spelt 

Hmm... Rather bland…

Green bread might be my favorite after yellow bread.

Pandan Candlenut 20% Sprouted White Quinoa Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole white wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted white wheat flour

60g        20%       Sprouted white quinoa flour

For leaven:

10g        3.3%       Starter

30g         10%       Bran sifted from dough flour

30g         10%       Water

For pandan-infused water:

5 strips          -%       Pandan leaves, frozen (freezing damages plant cells and softens the leaves, which eases the grinding process)

~190g      63.3%       Water

For dough:

270g         90%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

190g      63.3%       Pandan-infused water

60g           20%       Whey

70g        23.3%       Leaven

9g               3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

Add-ins:

30g            10%       Toasted candlenuts

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305g        100%       Whole grain

285g       93.4%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 30 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, around 4 hours (27°C).  

Make the pandan-infused water. Using a pair of scissors, cut the pandan leaves into small pieces then process them with 50g water in a blender. Strain out the fiber by filtering the mixture through a sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible with the back of a spoon. Add enough water to get a total volume of 190g.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 3 hours 15 minnutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold and fold in the add-ins at the 15 and 30 minutes mark respectively.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. Retard for 11 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Let the dough warm up at room temperature for 20 minutes. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

As hard white wheat is much weaker than hard red wheat and spelt, the dough wasn’t quite elastic or extensible. The fact that I over-hydrated it only made the situation worse. Fortunately, it didn’t lose too much strength during the bulk and managed to rise without excessive spreading.

I was torn between using cashew or using candlenut but finally settled on the latter as it has a milder taste. Pandan, sprouted white quinoa and sprouted white wheat are all delicate in flavour that cashew can easily dominate over them. The taste of the bread is sweet in a mellow way with hints of pandan undernote. I find it lacking in sourness personally but some would probably find this ideal.

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Shanghai fried noodles + green beans with olive pickles minced meat + pastudon (100% semola homemade “udon”)

Thai basil fried rice with a fried egg

Spaghetti in herb & garlic white wine sauce with eggplants and pan-seared salmon

Thai basil pesto rice vermicelli with pan-grilled baby cuttlefish, bell peppers and toasted cashews

Red curry risotto with shiitake mushrooms and a soft pressure-cooked egg

Mixed veggies Thai green curry, scrambled eggs with shrimps & bitter melon, pandan leaf wrapped pork loin, sweet & sour green bean, bean sprout & red pepper salad with toasted cashews, and served with plain white basmati rice

Conclusion of this bake: sprouted black quinoa really tastes amazing. Seriously.

20% Sprouted Black Quinoa 30% Sprouted Spelt SD 

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole spelt flour

90g        30%       Sprouted spelt flour

60g        20%       Sprouted black quinoa flour

For leaven:

10g         3.3%       Starter

35g       11.7%       Bran sifted from dough flour

35g       11.7%       Water

For dough:

265g      88.3%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

127g      42.3%       Water

90g           30%       Whey

80g        26.7%       Leaven

9g              3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

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305g        100%       Whole grain

257g       84.3%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 35 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until ready, around 3.5 hours (26.3°C).  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 2 hours. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. Retard for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Let the dough warm up at room temperature for 20 minutes. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

If your fridge is like mine, you’d know that even fridge temperature can be one of the variables in baking. My fridge changes temperature according to its mood, ranging from 0°C to 4°C. This past week, it decided that it’d function at close to the freezing point. How did I know? Well, the cucumber turned partially frozen at the top shelf and the dough was rock-hard after the retard… Despite being bulk fermented till quite proofy, the dough was a bit under-proofed eventually.

The flavor of this bread suits my taste well. It has a nice balance of acidity and sweetness, not having too much or too little of either. Both sprouted spelt and black quinoa contribute to sweetness and maltiness yet it’s the latter that makes this bread special. Un-sprouted black quinoa is slightly bitter, which is not necessarily unpleasant. However, the bitterness is replaced by nuttiness when sprouted, adding much depth to the loaf.

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Onion & pea biryani, and tandoori chicken drumettes

Homemade orecchiette and pan-grilled pork chop with 4 kinds of mustard (whole black mustard seeds, whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard and mustard oil) Mustard oil is totally cool!

Portuguese style salted fish fried rice

Lamb barbacoa pan-grilled burrito (with Mexican rice, grilled zucchini & cabbages, and cilantro, wrapped in a 50% masa harina tortilla). Juicy lamb + Lots of textures & flavors

Cinco de mayo feast: 16 ingredients mole with (disappeared) chicken, corn & assorted tomatoes salsa, spiced roasted grouper fish, homemade flour tortillas & fried corn tortillas , garlicky cumin mixed veggies, and pea rice pilaf

Kerala style lamb & potatoes curry with fermented rice & urad dal paniyaram

I followed most instructions of Maurizio with a few minor changes:

1. Using extra thick rolled oats instead of regular oats. Yes, Maurizio emphasized on using regular oats but I always use what I have on hand. Why didn’t I coarsely pulse them in my food processor? Well, who wants to dirt it up for 60 g of oats? Not me... Therefore, I upped the water for the porridge slightly.

2. Adding cold porridge to the dough. I made the porridge ahead of time and refrigerated it. The trouble of letting it warm to room temperature was just too much for me.

3. Subbing half of the whole wheat with spelt. To compensate, I held back 10 g of water (approximately 4.2% of dough hydration excluding porridge).

4. Upping the leaven from 15% to 20% to suit my schedule.

5. Reducing the amount of salt from 2.5% to 2.08%

(Almost) Maurizio’s Oat Porridge Sourdough

Dough flour:

168g      70%       Bread flour

36g        15%       Whole Red Fife wheat flour

36g        15%       Whole spelt flour

For porridge:

60g          25%       Extra thick rolled oat

125g     52.1%       Water

For leaven:

8g          3.3%       Starter (half rye, half whole wheat, 100% hydration)

20g        8.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour + extra whole wheat/spelt flour from dough flour

20g        8.3%       Water

For dough:

220g      91.7%       Dough flour excluding bran + flour for leaven

150g      62.5%       Water

48g           20%       Leaven

5g          2.08%       Salt (1.67% including porridge)

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244g      101.7%       Total flour (dough flour + starter, excluding porridge)

174g        71.3%       Total hydration (excluding porridge)

304g      126.7%       Total grains (including porridge)

299g       98.4%       Total hydration (including porridge)

First, I sifted out the bran from the whole grain flour (8 g) and supplemented with additional whole grain flour (12 g) to yield 20 g. Then, all leaven ingredients were combined and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours (28°C). 

Make the porridge by bringing the water to a boil and pour the oats in. I turned off the flame and let them sit for 20 minutes. It was then refrigerated until used.

Cooked porridge

After that, all dough ingredients except the salt were mixed for 1 hour psedo-autolysis. The salt and cold porridge were then folded in to ferment for 3 hours 15 minutes longer. A total of 3 sets of stretch and folds were constructed at the 1 hr, 1 hr 30 minute and 2 hour mark.

Incorporating the salt and porridge

The dough was directly shaped (no pre-shape because it didn’t need it) and put in into a banneton. It was retarded for 9 hours.

Shaped dough

Before retard

After retard

Unmolded, before slashing

The oven was preheated at 250°C/482°F. I scored and spritzed the dough, and baked it directly from the fridge at 250°C/482°F with steam for 20 minutes then without steam for 20 minutes more until the internal temperature reached 203°F. It was cooled for 1 hour before slicing.

The dough was a bit sticky but quite stiff, probably because I lowered the hydration and used extra thick rolled oats. It was way less extensible than my usual 30% whole grain dough so I reduced the set of folds constructed.

The texture is typical of porridge bread: very moist and springy. The bread tastes rather flat compared with my regular bread. It’s slightly sweet but has almost no acidity. Of course it wouldn’t be fair if I’m comparing it with my sprouted and freshly milled 100% whole grain bread. However, its taste is still milder than my other 30% whole grain loaf. I guess the oats, which are pretty bland, muted the overall flavor…. Hmm…perhaps I should have toasted the oats…?  

Under-proofed :(

I’m aware that corn makes tasty bread after baking with toasted popcorn and sprouted popcorn. However, the fact that popcorn is so tough makes milling it tricky. Non-popcorn corn species is usually softer so when I saw finally spotted some, I immediately grabbed a bag :) That said, I still recommend milling it on a coarser setting first then re-milling it.

30% Sprouted Corn 20% Kamut Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

90g       30%       Sprouted corn flour

90g       30%       Whole white wheat flour

60g       20%       Whole kamut flour

60g       20%       Whole spelt flour

For leaven:

12g            4%       Starter

34g       11.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour

34g       11.3%       Water

For dough:

266g      88.7%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

163g      54.3%       Water

80g        26.7%       Whey

80g        26.7%       Leaven

6g              2%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

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306g        100%       Whole grain

283g       92.5%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour except pearl millet flour, reserve 34 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours (27°C).  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 2 hours. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark and 30 minutes mark respectively.

Shape the dough directly then put in into a banneton. Retard for 8 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Since the dough wasn’t ready for the oven, I let it proof for another 1 hour at room temperature. Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 15 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. Let it cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

Look at that bright yellow crumb! The stunning colour alone is enough reason to bake with corn regularly. This bread doesn’t have a very open crumb because of the heaviness of corn. Yet, it’s still moist and isn’t unacceptably dense. 

Since I didn’t toast the corn, this bread doesn’t have that cinema-popcorn-feeling experienced in my previous popcorn loaves. The sprouted corn takes centre stage but it isn’t as robust as most sprouted grains. Overall, this is a mild and sweet tasting (and looking!) bread with little acidity.

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Steamed shrimp, Napa cabbage and cilantro dumplings with extra chewy wrappers (25% Indian atta)

Pan-grilled pork collar chop with cheesy caramelized onion quinoa, in ancho & guajillo peppers sauce. Flavor explosion!

Cashew pea biryani, bharwa bhindi (spices stuffed okra), tandoori gobi (grilled cauliflower marinated in a spicy yogurt sauce). Another dish that doesn’t skimp on flavor! 

Pepperoni mozzarella SD pizza, tomato shrimp risotto, ghee roasted carrots & mustard oil roasted cauliflower leaves (hands down my two favorites dishes), mixed heirloom tomatoes, and pan-grilled rib-eye steak in a garlicky thyme pan sauce

Experimenting with sprouted rye...

30% Sprouted Rye Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

105g      35%       Whole spelt flour

105g      35%       Whole Red Fife wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted rye flour (wet sprouts were dried at 100°C)

For leaven:

14g       4.67%       Starter

43g       14.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour

43g       14.3%       Water

For dough:

257g      85.7%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

143g      47.7%       Water

90g           30%       Whey

100g      33.3%       Leaven

9g               3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

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307g        100%       Whole grain

283g       92.2%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour except pearl millet flour, reserve 43 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of water taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours (27°C).  

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven and salt, autolyze for 15 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients and ferment for a total of 1 hour 45 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark and 30 hour mark respectively. Fold in the add-ins at the 30 minutes mark.

Shape the dough directly then put in into a banneton. Retard for 14 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Score and spritz the dough then bake straight from the fridge at 250°C/482°F with steam for 15 minutes then without steam for 25 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 208°F. The crumb appeared very sticky when I cut into the bread after 2 hours, so I placed it into a zip-zag bag for 20 hours longer before slicing the rest of the loaf.

The crumb hasn’t really set even after 20 hours. It stuck to the knife when sliced and would benefit from toasting for a firmer texture. I thought of two factors that might have contributed to this. The first is the use of sprouted rye. Amylases supposedly have been denatured after being heated at 100°C but I can’t be sure. The second is that the bread was under-baked. My instant read thermometer was broken so I couldn’t check the temperature…

Despite the poor texture and crumb, the taste is not bad. It’s moderately sour and sweet at the same time. The sprouted rye gives the loaf a malty character, which can be noticed especially from its aroma.

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White sandwich loaf: 20% pearl millet 10% Indian atta

Over-proofed…