Plan-B
Well I'd hoped to be making Eric Hanner's latest rye bread http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18867/experimenting-rye as well as one of the levain recipes from Hamelman's book this weekend. I'd wanted to use the 2 new bannetons I'd ordered from TMB last week but it seems they shipped them via the postal service rather than UPS as requested....so I went to Plan B . I wanted some bread for the next day for sandwiches and didn't have the time to do one of the overnight levain builds so I just put something together on the fly. I remembered that I had some 7 grain blend in the cupboard and decided that'd be a good starting point. Quick and easy was what I was going for here so I kept ingredients to a minimum . I got a nice jump from it , good color and crumb, as well as a remarkably good flavor for the amount of time I gave it. Although I put it together somewhat randomly I did keep a note of the ingredient weights (except the water) just in case it produced a good loaf that was worth making again. I think it did, and I definately will make this one again. The recipe follows for anyone who'd like to try this Plan-B Multigrain loaf.
Franko
Ingredients
7 grain blend 300grams
soaked in enough warm water to just come level with the grain mix
60% whole wheat flour 250 grams
coarse dark rye flour 30 grams
hi gluten flour 50 grams * note- this is what I used, but regular bread flour would probably be OK as well if mixed longer
salt 5 grams
mature sour 40 grams
instant yeast 4 grams
*water 200 mls
* note- this is approximate since I didn't measure the water. What I wanted was a well developed medium soft dough. Take into account the soaking water for the grains in the total water percentage using 60% as a guide for total water.
Mixing
Soak the grain blend in the water for 30-40 minutes
Add the remaining ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix on 1st speed for 4 minutes. Increase to 2nd speed and mix for 4-5 minutes until the dough is well developed. You may have to mix it longer because of the seeds, which hamper the gluten development. Dough temp should be 72F Bulk ferment for 2 hrs in a covered bowl. Fold after an hour, and again in 40 min depending on gas development. Final rise approx. 1 hr, covered with a damp towel and sprayed with water once or twice during the rise time. Bake at 430F for 15 then lower the heat to 410F and bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Cool on a rack thoroughly before slicing.
and i can imagine it tastes good, too. I also just experimented with a 7-grain mixture (Pain a l'Ancienne with multigrain), soaking it like you did.
Karin
and nice slashing as well! Looks like a tasty bread to me from your crumb shot.
Larry
Thank you Larry,
I'm sort of on the fence about the slashing. One the one hand I like it because it did what slashing is supposed to do by creating a controlled expansion point in the rising loaf, and that it give the loaf a distinctive look. On the other hand I'd rather have made less aggressive cuts to it. Tough to judge sometimes with a new mix , but that's the beauty of it , you get to try it again until you get it right.
Thanks again,
Franko
Hi Karin,
Thanks. It honestly surprised me how good it tastes for what is basically a straight dough. I've been reviving my starter/mature sour over the last week or so and I think that that's the main reason for it having the flavor it does. Quite tangy with a good long aftertaste.
How are you healing after your adventure with the mandolin? If it's any consolation, I did almost exactly the same thing to myself with my own when I first got it. I was wincing as I read your post, nodding and thinking to myself 'oh ya, been there done that'. Such a hassle to have hand injuries when you work with dough every day.
Thanks again, all the best,
Franko
Thanks for your good wishes, Franko - it doesn't hurt anymore, it's just the annoying cut in the nail that keeps snagging - I'm going through a lot of band-aids just because of that.
It's funny, if you bake your own breads for a while, you have a hard time eating some quick, same day made bread you get in a restaurant (if you get bread at all). I found that I become more and more picky, a bread that had time to develop its flavor just tastes so much better.
Karin
Nice Healthy multigrain bread, Well done for a Plan B!
Khalid