Multigrain Struan help--it weighs a ton!
I made the Multigreain Struan from BBA yesterday. Yes, the bread was edible, however, something went wrong. I think I know, but I wanted to seek input from the pros in this community. I think the bread has potential, and from Peter's photogragh--it looks yummy, thus helped in my decision to try it. Here's what I did: In making my soaker and selecting multigrains to add to my struan bread, I used some teff flour and amaranth flour plus some rolled oats and cornmeal to the weight specified: 6 ounces. I don't have the teff and amaranth in grain form--is that what made my bread so dense? That would leave me pretty limited in my choice of grains to use (mostly flax, oats and cornmeal or millet, I suppose). Any thoughts? On a brighter note, I also made the BBA cinnamon raisin bread and it was wonderful! Super yummy! Just posted it on my blog today! http://veganthyme.blogspot.com
Too much non-gluten flour in the total flour mix. Whole grains react differently with the dough, the dough wraps around the whole grain. Flour mixes into the dough affecting the gluten matrix.
Mini
Thank you for your input--it helps me as I am a newbie at this! If you wouldn't mind one more answer (and I truly appreciate it)--I should use only "the grain" when I am making a soaker for a "multi-grain"--unless I pre-soak it or cook it a bit as he suggests. What got me off-track was the reading of the list of the grains in Whole Grain Bread Baking where Peter lists the qualities of each type of grain. I noted that Teff and Amaranth were not high in gluten, so I assumed this would not interfere with my gluten content--they were "Bob's Red Mill" ground grains. My conclusion from this: When a multi grain is "ground" it increases gluten properties? Thus, in the future I should seek out the whole grains for amaranth or teff say? Many, many thanks!
Using unground whole grain in a bread is a bit like adding raisins or nuts. It adds a crunchy texture to the bread in little bits that live within the dough. It matters little what the gluten potential is of these whole unground grains just as it matters not that the raisins or nuts have no gluten potential.
This is not to be confused with a low gluten grain like teff that is ground in to flour and added to the flour mix. Doing this lowers the overall gluten content of your dough by diluting a higher gluten wheat flour with a lower gluten teff flour. Here you are adding flour which is very different from adding an unground grain.
Jeff
Jeff--thank you for this information! Your explanation helps a lot! Clearly you have a much broader base of experience in this matter. I will keep experimenting and updating in my pursuits! The help and insight is much appreciated!