Elsie_iu's blog

Here is a simple formula that I have used after baking a few full-of-add-ins loaves.

30% Sprouted White Wheat 20% Barley Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole white wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted white wheat flour

60g        20%       Pearl barley flour

For leaven:

26g      8.67%       Starter

27g           9%       Bran sifted from dough flour

27g           9%       Water

For dough:

273g         91%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

100g      33.3%       Whey

140g      46.7%       Water

80g        26.7%       Leaven

9g               3%       Vital wheat gluten (can be omitted, I have used it because my white wheat has abnormally weak gluten)

5g           1.67%      Salt

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313g       100%       Total flour

253g      80.8%       Whole grain

280g      89.5%       Total hydration

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 2 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt and let it ferment for 20 minutes. Fold in the salt and ferment for 1 hour 55 minutes longer.

Preshape the dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. Retard for 16 hours.

The dough looked very under-proofed out of the fridge so I let it rise for 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

The dough had quite a low hydration level considering the grains used. I suspect this was due to the unusual performance of my white wheat berries. It also led to a slightly sticky and close crumb that should be more open if “normal” white wheat was used instead.

Onto the taste: this is the kind of all-round bread that probably suits the taste of most people. It is sweet and nutty from the sprouted wheat and barley but it is not as sugary as bread composed mainly of kamut and durum. It is also a bit tangy and yet it is hardly comparable to that you get with rye.

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100% white whole wheat YW flatbread

Shrimps and king oyster mushrooms fusilli in garlicky white wine cream sauce

Shahi soya chunks mixed vegetable curry with YW semola naan (those spongy, curry-soaked soya chunks are the best part!)

Pulled duck enchiladas with roasted peppers sauce and homemade 100% masa corn tortillas

Curried vermicelli mixed vegetables (daikon radishes, peppers and sugar snap peas) and mussels…Spicy in every possible way

No vital wheat gluten this time.

Porcini Mushrooms Cheddar 30% Germinated Red Rice SD

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole spelt flour

90g        30%       Germinated red rice flour

60g        20%       Whole Red Fife wheat flour

For leaven:

10g       3.33%       Starter

40g       13.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour

40g       13.3%       Water

For dough:

260g     86.7%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

100g     33.3%       Whey

132g        44%       Water

90g          30%       Leaven

5g          1.67%      Salt

For porcini sautéed mushrooms:

60g        20%        Diced king oyster mushrooms

1 tsp         -%        Dried porcini mushrooms, powdered 

1/4 tsp      -%        Onion powder

1/8 tsp      -%        Salt

1/2 tsp      -%        Cooking fats (preferably ghee)

Add-ins:

-g               -%       All of the porcini sautéed mushrooms

50g      16.7%       Red mature cheddar cheese

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305g       100%       Whole grain

277g      90.8%       Total hydration

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3.5 hours.

Make the porcini sautéed mushrooms. Heat the fats in a pan over medium heat, toss in the king oyster mushrooms and cook until caramelized. Put in the rest of the ingredients and mix until the mushrooms are well-coated in the powders. Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water or dry white wine. Remove them from the pan when the water/wine evaporates. Set aside until needed.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt and let it ferment for 20 minutes. Fold in the salt and the add-ins. Ferment for 1 hour 55 minutes longer.

Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 10 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

Remove the dough from the fridge to warm up for 30 minutes. 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

I’m not sure whether the bread was under or over-proofed so any comment would be appreciated. Neglecting the unimpressive look, the bread tastes pretty nice. After all, how could it be otherwise when cheese, porcini mushrooms and red rice are combined?

Germinated red rice is a really flavorful grain: it not only contributes sweetness, but also alluring aroma to this bread. I highly recommend you to give it a try if you can get it on hand. I guess you can also sprout red rice from scratch but I haven’t tried it myself.

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A couple of stir-fries

Minced mutton okra dry curry with naan

Coconut raisins buns

Spiced pumpkin pancakes

Roasted spiced orange duck with Brownman’s killer gravy :)

Cilantro Goat Cheese & Spicy Salami SD

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole red fife wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted durum flour

60g        20%       Sprouted kamut flour

For leaven:

10g      3.33%       Starter

35g      11.7%       Bran sifted from dough flour

35g      11.7%       Water

For dough:

265g     88.3%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

130g     33.3%       Whey

110g     36.7%       Water

80g       26.7%       Leaven

9g              3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%      Salt

Add-ins:

60g       20%       Crumbled goat cheese

30g       10%       Spicy salami, thick cut and crisped (weight measured before crisping)

9g           3%       Cilantro, leaves only

__________

305g       100%       Whole grain

280g      91.8%       Total hydration

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3.5 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt and let it ferment for 20 minutes. Fold in the add-ins. Ferment for 1 hour 40 minutes longer.

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

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

Remove the dough from the fridge to warm up for 30 minutes. 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

This is a re-attempt of this formula as I over-hydrated the dough at the first try. I really like this combination that it seemed wasteful for not sharing it. Nevertheless, this time I struggled with determining when to stop the bulk so the dough was under-proofed... It had quite a lot of fragile goat cheese, which hindered me to get an idea of its degree of fermentation by poking it.

The flavor is nice though. You know for sure it’d be sweet with 50% sprouted grains, especially when they’re kamut and durum, the candies of grains. The red fife wheat contributes to some grape-like flavor, which ups the complexity by giving the bread a bit of tanginess. Since I love to serve goat cheese honey and black pepper, I thought it would go well with sweet grains and spicy salami. The cilantro is not optional: the bread would be a tad heavy without it.

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Garlicky linguine with cabbages, spicy salami and seared scallops

Semola milk buns

Mixed vegetables Thai green curry with capelin, Spicy chicken drumsticks, and sweet & sour slaw with toasted cashews

Homemade dumplings (pork, cilantro and water chestnuts) I know they look ugly…

1^st way: steamed

2^nd way: pan fried

Japanese hot pot (enoki beef rolls, leek, fried tofu skin, Konjac Noodles and carrots), homemade udon, sugar snap peas, pea shoots & king oyster mushrooms salad with shio koji yuzu dressing, pan fried dumplings and oven fried potato croquettes

This is what happens when I combine my top three favourite flour in one bake.

20% Sprouted Quinoa 10% Barley Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

210g      70%       Whole spelt flour

60g        20%       Sprouted white quinoa flour

30g        10%       Pearl barley flour

For leaven:

10g      3.33%       Starter

40g      13.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour

40g      13.3%       Water

For dough:

260g     86.7%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

100g     33.3%       Whey

108g        36%       Water

90g          30%       Leaven

9g              3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%      Salt

Add-ins:

15g          5%        Toasted golden flaxseeds

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275g     90.2%       Whole grain

253g     83.0%       Total hydration

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3.5 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients and let it ferment for 15 minutes. Fold in the flaxseeds. Ferment for 1 hour 45 minutes longer.

Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 10 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

Score and spritz the dough then bake directly 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. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

It has been a while since I achieved bloom like this. Cutting down on the bulk time and hydration paid off: no sign of proteases overload this time :) The bread has a lightly blistered crust and a crumb that is considerably open.

I know it sounds like an exaggeration but this bread is so tasty plain that it should be eaten as it is. No, not even butter or olive oil. Sprouted quinoa and barley flour have a strong nutty sweetness so it feels like there is ground almonds/pine nuts added to the dough.

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First high percentage rye bread: 70% whole rye SD with 10% Alt Altus (half rye half whole wheat), 20% whole spelt and toasted walnuts (Very flavourful thanks to the Alt Altus)

Spinach, egg white and feta pie topped with pine nuts

Mom’s birthday dinner: pan-seared scallops with gingery roasted carrot puree, pan-seared steak with rosemary garlic pan sauce & roasted cherry tomatoes, pan grilled pork sausages with caramelized onion, and Caesar salad with 50% sprouted spelt croutons (so good!) and porcini risotto  

Spicy breakfast: rava upma with sauteed spinach and (baby?) king oyster mushrooms

In my previous toasted popcorn SD post, dabrownman offered the suggestion of sprouting popcorn to soften the grain. What a brilliant idea: sprouted grains always have superior flavour!

Spinach Feta SD with 30% Sprouted Popcorn

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole white wheat flour

90g        30%       Sprouted toasted popcorn flour

60g        20%       Kamut flour

For leaven:

10g      3.33%       Starter

40g      13.3%       Bran sifted out from dough flour

40g      13.3%       Water

For dough:

260g     86.7%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

145g     48.3%       Whey

106g     35.3%       Water

90g          30%       Leaven

5g          1.67%      Salt

Add-ins:

60g         20%       Crumbled feta cheese

30g         10%       Fresh baby spinach

__________

305g      100%       Whole grain

296g     97.0%       Total hydration

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 40g for leaven. Soak the rest (I got 35 g) in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the leaven, salt and soaked bran to autolyze for 15 minutes. Fold in the reserved ingredients then knead in the spinach and feta cheese at the 15 and 30 minutes mark respectively. Ferment for 1 hours 30 minutes longer.

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

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up at room temperature for 20 minutes. 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Since toasted popcorn flour is pretty sweet already, I guessed that sprouted popcorn flour can only be sweeter. Therefore, I upped the amount of whey in the formula and incorporated some feta and spinach for some tanginess and grassy flavor. This combination turns out great.

The crust is on the thin side this time. It didn’t develop a lot of blisters but it’s nicely crispy. The crumb is dense but not really unpleasant. It has a moist and mochi-like texture. Though the spinach and sprouted popcorn might have played a role in this, I believe the main culprit is the white wheat used. For some reason, flour milled from Breadtopia’s white wheat berries produces very weak dough. Gluten couldn’t develop properly whenever it is used. This has happened to me for many times already. My friend, who ordered the wheat with me, encountered the same issue. Does anyone notice this problem with Breadtopia’s hard white wheat berries?

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Mushrooms and sugar snap peas pesto linguine with pan grilled pineapples, cherry tomatoes and honey glazed salmon

Italian seafood stew, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts with bacon and cilantro parmesan pesto stuffed chicken roll

Two Japanese dishes

Lotus roots, garlicky green beans, bean sprouts, eggplants, tofu skins & eggs sweet potatoes noodles and Korean fried chicken with short grain rice

Leek & white wine carbonara (what?) with radishes, pan grilled leeks and sausages

Ok…this is not 100% Semola di grano duro since there is 4.76% whole rye/whole wheat flour in the starter. Though I think it is close enough, no?

Pane Tipo Altamura

Dough flour:

300g     100%       Semola di grano duro (re-milled semolina)

For leaven:

30g       10%       Starter (mine is half whole rye half whole wheat)

30g       10%       Semola di grano duro from dough flour

30g       10%       Water

For dough:

270g       90%        Semola di grano duro from dough flour

206g     68.7%       Water

90g         30%        Leaven

5g         1.67%       Salt

__________

315g      100%       Total flour

251g     79.7%       Total hydration

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours.

Roughly combine the flour and water under dough ingredients, autolyze for 1 hour. Knead in the salt and starter, let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 30 and 60 minutes marks. Ferment for 1.5 hours longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 8 hours.

Remove the dough from the fridge to warm up for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

Score and spritz the dough then bake at 250°C/482°F with steam for 15 minutes then without steam for 20 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 203°F. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

This bake was inspired by quite a few bakers (David, Breadsong and Brad). Tom introduced Pane Tipo Altamura to me as he brought it up in our conversation. I was curious about the taste of 100% durum bread and was intrigued by its golden crumb so I gave it a try.

I have likely over-proofed the dough so the scoring doesn’t really show. However, the crust developed quite a lot of blisters, which is pretty shocking to me. It makes me shiver after staring at them for too long…not that I am complaining.

The dough felt quite stiff so the crumb isn’t too open as I have expected. The bread has a bit of chew despite its moistness. It is subtly sweet with very little sourness.

Have a bright week!

True: it looks embarrassingly ugly. 

Also true: it tastes phenomenally good.

30% Sprouted Quinoa Almonds Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole spelt flour

90g       30%       Sprouted quinoa flour (I used a mix of white and black)

60g       20%       Whole Red Fife flour

For leaven:

5g        1.67%       Starter

20g      6.67%       Bran sifted out from dough flour

20g      6.67%       Water

For dough:

280g     93.3%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

245g     81.7%       Water

45g          15%       Leaven

5g          1.67%      Salt

Add-ins:

30g           10%       Toasted almonds, halved crosswise

__________

302.5g      100%       Whole grain

267.5g     88.4%       Total hydration

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 20g for leaven. Soak the rest (I got 7 g) in equal amount of water taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 and 30 minutes marks. Knead in the almonds at the 45 minutes mark then ferment for 3 hours 30 minutes longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 10 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F.

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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

There were at least 4 factors I have thought of that might be responsible for the collapsed structure: 

1.      The omission of vital wheat gluten

2.      Weak and slack dough due to high hydration

3.      High enzymatic activities from sprouted and freshly milled flour

4.      Simply over-fermentation/over-proofing 

Or more likely, a combination of them…

Whatever, the bread still has amazing taste from sprouted quinoa. It is detectably nuttier than most bread I have baked in the past. There is only mild sourness but the sweetness is much more pronounced.  

What I like about sprouted quinoa other than its nice flavour is how forgiving it is, despite being gluten-free. The dough was easy to work with as it was just as elastic and extensible as composed of all whole wheat/spelt flour. Moreover, quinoa didn’t affect the texture of this bread adversely. Unlike buckwheat, Masa Harina, durum and rye, which often produce sticky/dry/sandy/cakey crumb, including quinoa in the formula still yielded moist and springy bread.

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Spiced rice with pan grilled veggies, baked grouper and roasted yellow peppers relish

Crab cakes (recipe recommended by dabrownman, I swapped 80% mayo with homemade yogurt and they turned out great) with quick pickled cucumbers, corn, orange peppers & cilantro salsa, baked spiced chicken drumsticks, penne in parmesan tomatoes sauce, pan grilled cauliflower, caramelized cauliflower leaves (…again…so you know how much we love them)

Paprika that has been sitting on the supermarket shelf for months shouldn’t be called “paprika” (you know, those sold in pretty little bottles) It has nothing to offer other than some red colour, contrary to the fresh kind, which is super pungent and smoky!

By the way, I'm calling this flatbread :)

A weeks ago, Tom (Toad.de.b) introduced Farina Bona to me, which is basically flour milled from toasted but unpopped popcorn. I love his idea of alt altus so much that I thought I had to try this flavor booster as well.

Warning ahead: popcorn is extremely tough to mill. I clogged my mill several time trying to mill it. It is suggested to use other varieties of corn. I have only used popcorn since it's the only thing I have access to. This was the second time I milled it. I was working with softer grains (i.e. spelt) for the first time that I was able to grind popcorn by mixing it with spelt. However, hard grains like wheat and durum were included in this time’s formula. I had to break all the grains into smaller pieces using a blender first, then mill on the coarse setting then again on medium and lastly on the finest one so that the mill didn’t clog.

15% Toasted Popcorn Sourdough with 30% Durum

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole White wheat flour

90g        30%       Whole durum flour

45g        15%       Whole toasted popcorn flour

15g          5%       Whole spelt flour

For leaven:

5g        1.67%       Starter

20g      6.67%       Bran sifted out from dough flour

20g      6.67%       Water

For dough:

280g     93.3%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

100g     33.3%       Water

180g        60%       Whey

45g          15%       Leaven

9g              3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%      Salt

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302.5g     100%       Whole grain

302.5g     100%       Total hydration

Prepare the toasted popcorn flour by toasting popcorns in a pan over low-medium heat. Do not pop them. Remove them from the pan to cool once they are browned and become aromatic.

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 20g for leaven. Soak the rest (I got 24 g) in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt, leaven and soaked bran, autolyse for 30 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients than ferment for 15 minutes. Construct a set of stretch and fold then ferment for 3 hours 45 minutes longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 11 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up for 30 minutes 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

The trouble of grinding popcorn is worth it in my opinion. The aroma of the resulting bread is out-standing even with the use of all the other whole grains. Popcorn also dyed the crumb into a lovely soft yellow colour which brightens my day.

It sprang pretty well in the oven with nice blistered crust. The crumb is not particularly soft thanks to the addition of durum and popcorn, which tend to weight down the dough. However, it still stays pretty moist and moderately open.

This bread is very sweet, so sweet that it kind of feels of eating popcorn :) I prefer bread with some tanginess so I’ll retard the leaven next time popcorn and durum are both used.

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55% rye 45% spelt pancakes with honey mustard and dill

Last week’s over-hydrated spelt masa harina SD with fresh grapes…

Roasted cauliflower & shrimp linguine in spicy sweet potatoes sauce

I’m not kidding! Those caramelized cauliflower leaves are addictive!

Chinese curried squid…so tasty…

Steamed sticky rice in lotus leaves, Braised pork belly with chestnuts, choy sum in broth and roasted sweet potatoes

Eggplant moong dal (skinned mung bean) curry, rava upma (semolina pilaf) and spiced okra     

With some simple calculations, you’ll realize that the 123 formula creates dough with a hydration of roughly 71.4%. This is totally fine if you’re working with white dough but not so much for someone like me, who prefers baking with higher percentages of whole grain. That’s why I made a porridge with batter-like consistency to bring the hydration up to 92% :)

Purple & Red Rice Porridge Comte Sourdough

For porridge:

39g      20.5%    Freshly milled germinated red rice flour

39g      20.5%    Freshly milled whole purple rice flour

117g    61.6%    Whey

For dough:

190g       100% (3 parts out of 6)           Freshly milled whole spelt flour

127g          66.8% (2 parts out of 6)       Cold water

64g          33.7% (1 part out of 6)            Starter (half whole rye, half whole wheat)

9g           4.74% (3% of total flour)         Vital wheat gluten

5g          2.63% (1.67% of total flour)     Salt

Add-ins:

60g        31.6% (20% of total flour)        Comte, cubed

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300g 100%    Whole grain

276g  92%    Total hydration

Make the porridge. Combine the rice flour and whey in a small pot. Heat it over medium heat while stirring until thickened. Optionally, sift out the bran of spelt flour and mix it into the porridge to soften.

Roughly combine the porridge and all dough ingredients for the salt and leaven, autolyse for 20 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients then ferment for 15 minutes. Fold in the add-ins and ferment for 3 hours longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up for 20 minutes 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

I always get killer crust: thin, crispy and super easy to cut into, when cheese is incorporated into dough. As the dough was baking, the cheese melted and its fats fried the crust. The oven spring was not impressive but not too bad either.

This bread has an interesting texture. It’s soft and moist yet slightly chewy, resembling the texture of mochi. The altra crackly crust contrasts the springy crumb nicely.

Not only is the purple crumb captivating, its highly aromatic flavour is also worth mentioning. Purple rice, red rice and spelt together contributes sweetness in this bread. There is very little sourness and no bitterness at all so even sourdough and whole grain haters would approve it.

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Homemade whole wheat garlic chives dumplings

Pressure cooked red wine beef ragu

Pan grilled veggies with soft boiled eggs

Garlic & thyme potatoes

Although the daytime temperature is still above 25°C in HK, hawkers selling roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes are starting to show up on the roadside. Of course I cannot miss out the opportunity to them in bread.

Miso Caramelized Chestnuts Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

120g      40%       Sprouted white wheat flour

120g      40%       Whole white wheat flour

30g        10%       Whole toasted buckwheat flour

30g        10%       Whole toasted barley flour (I milled barley flakes)

For leaven:

9g         3%       Starter

18g        6%       Bran sifted out from dough flour

18g        6%       Water

For dough:

282g        94%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven

182g     60.7%       Water

100g     33.3%       Whey

45g          15%       Leaven

9g              3%       Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%      Salt

For caramelized chestnuts:

35g      11.7%       Roasted chestnuts

10g      3.33%       White granulated sugar

5g        1.67%       Red miso paste

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304.5g     100%       Whole grain

304.5g     100%       Total hydration

Sift out the coarse bran from the dough flour, reserve 18g for leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of whey taken from dough ingredients.

Make the caramelized chestnuts. Put a few tablespoons of water and the sugar into a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat from high to medium when most water has evaporated. Dissolve the miso paste in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water then pour it into the pot after the sugar has transformed to cinnamon-brown. Stir the bubbling mixture vigorously while adding in the chestnuts. Continue to heat it until it thickens and produces a shiny coating on the chestnuts.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 3 hours.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients except for the salt and leaven, autolyse for 20 minutes. Knead in the reserved ingredients than ferment for 15 minutes. Fold in the add-ins and ferment for 3 hours 15 minutes longer.

Preshape the dough then let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough and put in into a banneton. Retard for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven at 250°C/482°F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up for 20 minutes 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 cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

The dough behaved in a weird manner when I was trying to develop the gluten. It wasn’t really coming together so I got a bit nervous. The resulting bread does have a rather poor crumb structure but it could have been worse, so I feel like this was a victory already :)

The crumb is not as moist or chewy as my usual bread. It might be a result of the incorporation of buckwheat and barley or it was only one of the consequences of poor dough structure.

Despite the relatively disappointing crumb profile, the flavour is outstanding. Toasted buckwheat is strong and robust, which goes really well with the saltiness, sweetness and the slight bitterness of miso caramelized chestnuts.

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