Elsie_iu's blog

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

__________

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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Pressure cooked curried lamb & mushrooms fusilli

Bored of fish quesadillas? Tried fishcakes quesadillas instead :) With Edam cheese and ancho & guajillo chili sauce

Paniyaram and poha

Smoked almonds & green beans spaghetti in curry leaves pesto

Easter lamb meatballs with ghee roasted carrots & potatoes and hummus

Easter-inspired dinner: Roasted asparagus, spiced carrots and potatoes, mini peas quiche in spring roll wrappers, spaghetti in white wine garlic mussels sauce, and shio koji pan grilled pork collar chop (Not burnt! Trust me)

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

Over-proofed…

After being persuaded by Ian for times, I finally gave in and made some caramelized onion for bread. In case you’re wondering, nope, he didn’t mention about the part about Jinhua ham and shiitake mushrooms :)

Jinhua Ham Shiitake Mushrooms Caramelized Onion SD

Dough flour (all freshly milled except pearl millet flour):

120g     40%       Whole spelt flour

90g       30%       Sprouted white wheat flour

60g       20%       Whole white wheat flour

30g       10%       Whole pearl millet flour

For leaven:

7g        2.33%       Starter

39g        13%       Bran sifted from dough flour

39g        13%       Water

For scalded dough:

30g        10%       Whole pearl millet flour from dough flour

30g        10%       Hot water

For dough:

231g        77%       Dough flour excluding pearl millet flour and bran for leaven

193g     64.3%       Water

85g       28.3%       Leaven

60g         20%        Scalded dough

9g             3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g         1.67%       Salt

Add-ins:

60g         20%        Re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms, sliced

50g      16.7%        Onion, thinly sliced

27g           9%        Jinhua ham, cubed

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303.5g       100%       Whole grain

265.5g      87.5%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour except pearl millet flour, reserve 39 g for the leaven. Soak the rest, if any, in equal amount of water taken from dough ingredients.

Prepare the scalded dough by combining the pearl millet flour and hot water, set aside until needed.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 5.5 hours (26.5°C).

Prepare the add-ins. Heat 1/2 tsp of your cooking oil of choice (I used extra virgin peanut oil) in a pan. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until softened and caramelized. Pour in the Jinhua ham and a couple of tbsp of water (I used the leftover water from re-hydrating the mushrooms) to deglaze the pan. Remove the mixture from the pan when all the water has evaporated. Let cool completely and refrigerate until needed.  

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. Fold in the add-ins then ferment for 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Construct a set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark and 1 hour mark respectively. Fold in the add-ins at the 30 minutes mark.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 25 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. 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 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 the dough was fully-proofed, it had virtually no oven spring… Fortunately, the crumb still turns out quite open for a whole grain loaf.

I haven’t tasted the bread yet so I can’t comment on the flavour. The write-up will be uploaded afterwards. That said, the bread smells strongly of caramelized onion and shiitake mushrooms so it should be anything but bland.

Updated: The bread has a nice springy texture and seems particularly moist thanks to the mushrooms. Surprisingly, the Jinhua ham is pretty subtle while the mushrooms dominate. There is alluring aroma associated with the caramelized onions. For the bread itself, it has little, if any, sour and is mostly sweet from the sprouted grains and spelt. 

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Cheese stuffed potato mochi. Aren’t they cute?

Rava upma with assorted tomatoes and… curried fishballs? Errr… should be soya tikka :)

Home-fermented kimchi fried rice with tiny dried fish, Edam cheese and fried egg. This is good. I mean it.   

Brazilian-inspired dinner: grilled spicy chicken skewer & pork sausages, cinnamon rotisserie pineapple, chorizo & black beans, brussel sprouts, zucchini & yellow peppers sautéed with dried cranberries, onion seasoned fries and bulgur pilaf

White sandwich bread of the week: 15% masa harina 15% amaranth ciabatta with sun-dried tomatoes & rosemary

Extra: 20% toasted rye bagels

 Insanely chewy…

Thanks Ian for the inspiration!

The one thing I don’t like about whole grain bread is that it’d never be as chewy as white bread. That’s why I thought of putting springy fishcakes into the bread for added texture. Please hear me out before you turn away from this nonsense: fishcakes bread isn’t as strange as it might sound! If you don’t know this already, there’s actually a kind of popular Japanese-style fishcake bread. See? It makes total sense :)

50% Sprouted Red Wheat Fishcakes Sourdough

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Sprouted red wheat flour

90g        30%       Whole red wheat flour

60g        20%       Whole Red Fife wheat flour

For leaven:

8g         2.67%       Starter

31g       10.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour

31g       10.3%       Water

For dough:

269g      89.7%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

160g      53.3%       Water

100g      33.3%       Whey

70g        23.3%       Leaven

9g              3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

Add-ins:

60g         20%        Fishcakes (I made my own using frozen tilapia fillets)

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304g        100%       Whole grain

295g       97.0%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 31 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 4 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 15 minutes. Fold in the fishcakes then ferment for 3 hours longer.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 25 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. Retard for 10 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. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Since I was too impatient again, the crumb hadn’t quite set when I cut into it. It thus looked kind of compressed… The fishcakes gave rise to some interesting textures: the ones exposed on the surface puffed and crisped up slightly, while those buried inside stayed moist and bouncy.

The flavor of this bread is on the sweet side. It’s fruity but only slightly tangy thanks to the sprouted red wheat.

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Curried pulled lamb quesadillas with smoked Gouda and cilantro (50% masa harina). I almost cried while eating it…It was full-flavored…

Corn, cheese & black pepper pancakes (60% Masa harina 40% dark rye) with smoked salmon and a soft-boiled egg. Savory pancakes are totally cool :)

Xiamen-style stir fried vermicelli: my favourite Cha Chaan Teng dish! 

... with homemade Char siu 

Honey lemon pan grilled chicken whole leg, soft-boiled egg & grilled corn salad, enoki mushrooms & smoked Gouda baked spring rolls, and fried shallots & raisins rice pilaf

White (green?) sandwich bread of the week: 20% toasted buckwheat 10% red wheat 2% matcha

Roasted broccoli & lotus roots sandwiched lemongrass pork patties

Ok, I’m going to be honest here. I didn’t really want to make flatbread. However, given that I had no choice but to retard this bake for around 20 hours, I knew for sure it’d turn itself into flatbread anyway. Who cares about the shape when you need bread desperately? (What? You do?)

30% Germinated Red Rice & Purple Rice SD with Smoked Gouda

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

210g      70%       Whole spelt flour

45g        15%       Germinated red rice flour

45g        15%       Purple rice flour (Glutinous black rice)

For leaven:

8g        2.67%       Starter

36g         12%       Bran sifted from dough flour

36g         12%       Water

For dough:

264g         88%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

206g      68.7%       Water

80g        26.7%       Leaven

5g          1.67%       Salt

Add-ins:

30g         10%        Smoked Gouda cheese

For toppings:

-g              -%        Raw white sesame seeds

__________

304g        100%       Whole grain

246g       80.9%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 36 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 5 hours (27°C).

Roughly combine all dough ingredients and ferment for 1 hours 50 minutes. Construct 1 set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark and fold in the cheese at the 30 minutes mark.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Shape the dough, sprinkle some toasted white sesame on top, then put in into a banneton. Retard for 19 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. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

My apologies for the repetition: you really never have to worry about getting a close crumb with spelt :) It’s just so reliable for opening the crumb up and don’t forget we’re talking about whole spelt here! Despite being over-proofed, the crumb isn’t entirely bad.

If you like rice, I guarantee you’d like this bread. It’s the pronounced fragrance of rice, with the added sweetness and unique aroma of purple rice and germinated red rice. The smoked Gouda contributes a savory component which I always enjoy in sweet spelt bread like this.

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Black pepper & leek fried rice with homemade fishcakes, and Sichuan eggplant and home-sprouted bean sprouts

Korean fried chicken, mussels in fish broth, kimchi, broccoli & bean sprouts salad, and sweet & spicy dried sardines with walnuts

White sandwich SD of the week: 34% whole grain (10% each pearl millet & amaranth, and 7% each white wheat & rye)

Next time...Next time we shall see an ear!

Scrambled eggs, smoked ham, arugula, smoked Gouda & whole grain mustard

Smoked salmon, arugula, wasabi yogurt & toasted sesame seeds

Lamb koftas, pickled radishes, cucumbers & honey mustard

For every bread with sprouted kamut or durum I baked, I find its sweetness a tad overly dominating. This time, I paired Earl Grey with these sweet sprouted grains in the hope that the resulting flavour would be more balanced.

Earl Grey 30% Sprouted Kamut SD

Dough flour:

120g      40%       Freshly milled whole white wheat flour

90g        30%       Freshly milled sprouted kamut flour

90g        30%       Indian gold atta

For leaven:

10g       3.33%       Starter

25g       8.33%       Bran sifted from dough flour

25g       8.33%       Water

For dough:

275g      91.7%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

160g      73.7%       Whey

100g      33.3%       Water

60g           20%       Leaven

9g              3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

2.5g       0.83%       Earl Grey tea leaves

__________

305g        100%       Whole grain

290g       95.1%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 25 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 2.5 hours (27°C).

Roughly combine all dough ingredients and ferment for 3 hours 20 minutes. Construct 1 set of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes mark.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough 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. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

The dough was rather sticky, which I associate with the use of Indian atta and sprouted grains. For some reason, this bread felt very heavy out of the oven. The crumb was slightly sticky, probably because I cut into it too soon again…The crumb isn’t open but it’s acceptable to me for a low gluten loaf.

This bread has a hint of added bitterness from the tea leaves, which I find to be pretty pleasant. It also tastes a bit lemony, making it a refreshing loaf.

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Garlicky zucchini fusilli with mozzarella omelette & roasted red pepper sauce

Spicy bulgar pilaf with grilled leeks

Braised beef shank with carrots and dai kon radish, five spices sesame flaky YW flatbread, Veggies in broth, stir fried vermicelli, and grilled pork cucumber bean sprouts salad

Fully-stuffed :) SD naan (half ww) with sheep’s milk cheese

White sandwich loaf of the week: 30% Indian gold atta:

Smoked duck breast, cucumber & mozzarella

Fried egg, melted mozzarella & caramelized cabbages

OK… Can we all forget about the crust and focus on the crumb instead? I was hoping that the weak dough would gain some strength itself with time… Yet it didn’t. Oops…

50/50 Red Fife & Spelt Walnuts SD

Dough flour (all freshly milled):

150g      50%       Whole red fife flour

150g      50%       Whole spelt flour

For leaven:

12g            4%       Starter

44g       14.7%       Bran sifted from dough flour

44g       14.7%       Water

For dough:

256g      85.3%       Dough flour excluding flour for leaven

221g      73.7%       Water

100g      33.3%       Leaven

5g          1.67%       Salt

Add-ins:

30g        10%        Toasted walnuts

__________

306g       100%       Whole grain

271g       88.6%       Total hydration

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 44 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 4 hours (24°C).

Roughly combine all dough ingredients and ferment for 2 hours 30 minutes. Construct 3 sets of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour mark.

Preshape the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. 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 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 crumb is quite open despite the collapsed structure. You never have to worry about getting a close crumb with spelt bread :) Taste is sweet for a loaf with no sprouted flour. There is only mild acidity, which is probably owing to the use of Red Fife wheat instead of regular red wheat.

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Cold soba noodles salad with pressure-cooked soft-boiled eggs, roasted veggies and grilled baby cuttlefish

Mapo tofu with steamed rice

Thai glass noodles salad with pressure cooked sauries, lemongrass baked chicken, mixed veggies with shrimp paste and turmeric coconut basmati rice

This is an extra loaf of mainly-white SD to make sandwiches for lunch at school. This week’s had 10% rye and 20% red wheat:

Gotta work on building dough strength...Tons of blisters but no ear :(

Lemon thyme mushrooms, caramelized cabbages & grilled halloumi

Smoked chipotle egg salad & roasted broccoli

It’s been ages since I last baked a porridge loaf so I’ve decided to bake one again. This is the first time I worked with amaranth flour. I went for bagged flour since it’s 4 times cheaper than buying the grains and grinding them myself… Despite that, its flavor has really surprised me.

25% Amaranth 15% Sprouted WW Oat Porridge SD

Dough flour:

180g      60%       Freshly milled whole white wheat flour

75g        25%       Amaranth flour

45g        15%       Freshly milled sprouted white wheat flour

For leaven:

10g       3.33%       Starter

40g       13.3%       Bran sifted from dough flour (excluding amaranth flour)

40g       13.3%       Water

For scaled amaranth dough:

75g          25%        Amaranth flour from dough flour

75g          25%        Hot water

For oat porridge:

15g            5%         Extra thick rolled oat

15g            5%         Hot water

For dough:

185g      61.7%       Dough flour excluding bran for leaven and amaranth flour

150g         50%       Scalded amaranth dough, cold from the fridge

123g         41%       Cold water (3-4°C)

90g           30%       Leaven

30g           10%       Oat porridge, cold from the fridge

9g               3%        Vital wheat gluten

5g          1.67%       Salt

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305g        100%       Whole grain (excluding oat porridge)

243g       79.7%       Total hydration (excluding oat porridge)

Sift out the bran from dough flour, reserve 40 g for the leaven. If not adequate, supplement with amaranth flour.

Combine all leaven ingredients and let sit until doubled, around 5.5 hours (24.5°C).

Make the scalded dough and the porridge by combining the hot water with the flour and oat respectively. Let them rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour, then keep them refrigerated until needed.

Roughly combine all dough ingredients let it ferment for 3 hours. Construct 3 sets of stretch and fold at the 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour mark.

Shape the dough then put in into a banneton. Retard for 11 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. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

To avoid proteolytic degradation of the dough again, I kept everything cold. Moreover, I was being very cautious about adding more water. Thus, the dough was quite stiff, which is not what I’m used to. Next time, I’ll very likely up the hydration for easier handling and a more open crumb.  

I didn’t know what to expect about amaranth but I was guessing it’d be sweet. Wrong. It’s very sweet. Even sprouted kamut and durum are no competition for amaranth. This means huge because, remember, the amaranth flour I got is neither freshly milled nor sprouted. I also sensed a sunflower seeds note from it.

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Pizza time! 100% www SD pizza with Parmigiano Reggiano and homemade ricotta

Tangy cheese lightens a pasta dish…? Linguini in sun-dried tomatoes & rosemary zucchini sauce with Tomme de Crayeuse

Mexican rice, sautéed cabbages with cherry tomatoes, blackened swordfish, and… What is that burnt mess??

Ah, not burnt :) Ribs in a rich ancho & guajillo peppers sauce

Yogurt marinated chicken skewers with grilled veggies and Le Bleu d'Auvergne

Sumac hummus veggies platter with 50% www SD naan and grilled halloumi

And I’ve only noticed now: what a cheesy week!