The Fresh Loaf

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“Rauchmalz” from Germany and Gilchesters from Northumberland, UK.

ananda's picture
ananda

“Rauchmalz” from Germany and Gilchesters from Northumberland, UK.

“Rauchmalz” from Germany and Gilchesters from Northumberland, UK.

I made 6 loaves of Gilchesters’ Miche [2 had been sold before I could take photos], and 3 loaves of very delicious Rye Bread using the lovely Rauchmalz; sour but just balanced by the sweetness in the soaker.   I suspect this will behave like Franko’s recent loaf, and become less sour in the next few days.   The wind has been wild once more, and the wood a trifle damp.   Fires have been tricky to build!

 1.    Rye Sourdough Bread with a Dark Rye and Smoked Malt Soaker

 

Rye Sour build:

Day/Date

Time

Stock Sour

Dark Rye

Water

TOTAL

Friday 20.01.2012

21:45

50 [F25+W25]

275

475

800

Saturday 21.01.2012

16:30

800

300

500

1600

 

Material/Stage

Formula [% of flour]

Recipe [grams]

1a. Rye Sourdough

 

 

Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour

30

558

Water

50

930

TOTAL

80

1488

 

 

 

1b. “Scald”

 

 

“Rauchmalz” Bavarian Smoked Malt

10

186

Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour

10

186

Boiling Water

35

651

TOTAL

55

1023

 

 

 

2. “Sponge”

 

 

Rye Sourdough [from 1a.]

80

1488

“Scald” [from 1b.]

55

1023

TOTAL

135

2511

 

 

 

3. Final Paste

 

 

“Sponge” [from 2]

135

2511

Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye –finely sifted

20

372

Carrs Special CC Flour

30

558

Salt

1.5

28

Fresh Yeast

1

18.6

TOTAL

187.5

3487.6

 

 

 

% pre-fermented flour

30 + 20 = 50

-

% overall hydration

85

-

% wholegrain flour

70

-

FACTOR

18.6

-

 

Method:

  • Build the sour to the schedule shown above; make the Scald at the same time as preparing the final refreshment of the sour.   Cover and cool to room temperature overnight.   Make the Sponge first thing in the morning and ferment this for 4 hours.
  • Add the flours, salt and yeast [yeast is optional] to the sponge and mix with a paddle beater until thoroughly combined.
  • Bulk proof for 1 hour.
  • Line a Pullman Pan and other bread pans neatly with silicone paper and scale the paste into the pans, neatening off carefully.   Top with some crushed smoked malt and dark rye flour.    Attach the lid.   I made one panned loaf scaled @ 500g, one @ 1000g with the remainder used for one large Pullman Pan.   Dust the surface tops of the loaves with a mix of dark rye flour and rauchmalz.
  • Final Proof 4 hours.
  • These loaves can be baked in the dead wood-fired oven.   However mine were ready to bake at the same time as the Gilchesters’ Miche, so I baked them long and slow in the electric oven at 140°C with fan.
  • Cool on wires

 2.    Gilchesters’ Miche/Boules

Makes 6 loaves: 3  Boules @ 400g, 1 Boule @ 800g and 2 Miche @ 1200g.

Levain build:

Day/Date

Time

Stock Levain

Strong White Flour

Water

TOTAL

Friday 20.01.2012

22:00

40g[F25,W15]

275

165

480

Saturday 21.01.2012

16:35

480

475

285

1240

 

Material/Stage

Formula [% of flour]

Recipe [grams]

1. Wheat Levain

 

 

Marriage’s Organic Strong White Flour

25

750

Water

15

450

TOTAL

40

1200

 

 

 

2. Final Dough

 

 

Wheat Levain [from above]

40

1200

Gilchesters’ Organic Farmhouse Flour

75

2250

Salt

1.8

54

Water

56

1680

TOTAL

172.8

5184

 

 

 

% pre-fermented flour

25

-

% overall hydration

71

-

% wholegrain flour [approx 85% extraction]

75

-

FACTOR

30

-

 

Method:

  •  Build the levain, see description above.
  • For mixing, first of all mix on first speed for 3 minutes with a hook attachment, then autolyse the Gilchesters flour with the water for 1 hour.
  • Add the levain and the salt.   Mix on first speed only for 10 minutes.   Dough Temperature Calculation worked out as follows: WT = 3[DDT – FRH] – Leaven Temp – Flour Temp.   3[26 – 1] – 20 – 20 = 35.   Water temperature required at 35°C.   Retard overnight.
  • Bulk prove the dough allowing it to reach DDT of 26°C.  
  • Scale and divide as above.   Mould round and rest for 15 minutes.   Prepare bannetons, re-mould dough pieces and set to final proof.
  • Final proof DDT maintained at 26°C, for 3 hours.
  • Tip each loaf out of the banneton onto a peel, score the top and set to bake on the sole of the wood-fired oven.   Small loaves bake in half an hour, next biggest takes 40 minutes and the biggest loaf took around 50 minutes.
  • Cool on wires.

You’ve seen the Gilchester loaves a lot now.   I was amazed at the tolerance within this dough, as I managed to maintain proof at 18°C throughout a  6 hour period, following on from overnight retard and 2 hours in bulk.   Firing the oven today in the wind was a bit of a nightmare!   The rye loaves are new, and the taste is fantastic.   I bought the smoked malt some time ago; it is a brewing adjunct really, but I saw Franko’s recent post:

 http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/26796/january-bakingpane-de-campagne-red-fife-and-rye-barley-mash-loaf and was reminded of an ingredient I had in the cupboard which needed a good use.

The formula is spiked with yeast as my rye sourdough has been struggling of late.   Some of you will know that I use Bacheldre Rye Four and it is very thirsty.   I have been experimenting with a stiffer sour, hydrated at 100% recently.   This has not been a success.   I have returned to 167% hydration, and, hey presto!   My rye sour has now returned to its full activity.

A few photos attached:

Tomorrow I have a meeting with the Press, who want to run a feature in Thursday’s local paper.   Fantastic timing as I do the first Farmer’s Market the following day.   I am now booked to deliver a talk and demonstration for our local Food Festival in September as well.

It has been a busy week and weekend, with a Consultancy project on Friday which needed writing up straight away.   Next week the MSc in Food Policy starts once more, and I have lined up laminated yeasted pastries, scones, foccacias and some more bread for the Market, along with 3 back-to-back meetings all day on Tyneside on Tuesday.   Busy Busy!

All good wishes

Andy

Comments

varda's picture
varda

When am I ever going to catch up with you (never, by the way.)   I love the Gilchester Miches, and I'm not surprised they moved so fast that you didn't have time to photograph them.   And now smoked malt soaker!   I'm supposed to go watch a football game right now, so I'll have to study this later.   Terrific baking!  -Varda

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Varda,

I'm noting that you've been on the site 5 weeks less than me, but you've still managed to fill 7 pages up with your blog...that's exactly the same as me, so you must have caught up!

Thank you for your generous comments, it's a pleasure to hear from you

Best wishes

Andy

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

Hi Andy, you made me really curious! How sour and smoked does that malt taste? Does it affect the taste of the bread significantly?

Beautiful breads!

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Nico,

The sourness comes only from the rye sourdough portion, although the soaker was added to that to make the sponge.

BUT, just like Franko's loaf, the bread tastes entirely different eating it today than it did yesterday.   I guess I should not have cut into it so soon, but I wanted to try it with the roasted vegetables I had for dinner last night!   Today the sourness has mellowed and the smoky flavours all come flying through.   It's really lovely in the mouth, and soo moist too.

A lesson to be learnt and retained for sure

Very best wishes to you Nico

Andy

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Andy,

Echoing Nico's questions about that smoked malt. Do have any idea what it's smoked with...wood, peat? Since making the Rye & Barley Mash loaf I've wondered about the possibility of smoking the mash as is done for Scotch Whiskey, but need to find some suitable peat, which may prove difficult in these parts. Had to look twice when I noticed you'd included fresh yeast in the Rye bread, wondering what your rationale for this was,  becoming clear as I read further down. I've never had much luck with a stiff rye starter either, which one would think would'nt pose a problem considering how fermentable whole rye flour is. Why it thrives in a soup and not a batter is still a mystery to me...any ideas? Thank you for including links to the Rye & Barley Mash Bread in your post, very kind.

I'm interested to hear any updates on how the flavour changes on your rye loaf over the next 3-4 days. If it does what the R&B did you're in for a major flavour bonus my friend. Good to see plans are humming along nicely for you, making for busy but exciting times in the days ahead.

Cheers Andy,

Franko 

ananda's picture
ananda

Anna, Franko,

This is where I bought the malt:

http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Rauchmalt_Smoked_Malt_3kg_Crushed.html

Best wishes

Andy

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

there has to be a place here in the States, surely  :)

Franko's picture
Franko

Thanks Anna for the info and link. Never used beechwood and have no idea what it smells like. 

Franko

AnnaInNC's picture
AnnaInNC

he suggested a google for "Smoked Malt" and/or purchase from this site for state-side delivery:

http://stores.mdhb.com/-strse-122/SMOKED-MALT--fdsh-WEYERMANN-for/Detail.bok

good to have friends in far places :)

Anna

 

 

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Anna,

Thanks for posting the links

Best wishes

Andy

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Franko,

You can buy Crystal Malt here: http://beermaking.ca/beer3.html

Looks like a really great beermakers site and you can get rye malt too!

I'll cover flavour changes in response to Nico if that's ok; suffice it to say that it tastes like a complettely different bread today!!

Yes, I could have trusted the rye sour to go straight back to it's formerly happy self; the small yeast spike was insurance, but not really needed in the end.   Lesson here?   If it aint broke, don't try to fix it!

Really good to hear from you

All good wishes

Andy

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Andy,

 Many thanks for sending the brewing link, it's exactly what I've been hoping to find... and a Vancouver based company to boot! Somehow I missed this site (or it's relatively new) the last time I did a search for crystal malt, but I'm very very happy to include it in my list of suppliers. Might get that Borodinsky made after all.

It's quite remarkable isn't it, how dramatically different the flavour can be from one day to the next in this type of rye bread? The HB Pumpernickel I made last year did change flavour somewhat but nowhere to the degree the R&B Mash did. Would you say the same for the Rauchmalz Rye V your own HB?

Sorry that I neglected to mention previously how terrific your breads look, but I guess I've become so accustomed to seeing top quality baked goods on your posts that it slipped my mind at the time.

Best Wishes Andy,

Franko

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Franko,

Of course now I'm thinking back to the HB [I must make that again soon!!!], and remembering if I used the long steaming technique to bake it, then I had to leave it 2 days before cutting into it anyway, as the crumb only settled after that length of time.   I just cut into this loaf sooner than I should have done.

As ever, many thanks and best wishes

Andy

ananda's picture
ananda

Sorry Franko, but for some reason my reply to your comment has appeared lower down in an odd place in the thread

A

I just give up on this!!!

PiPs's picture
PiPs

You do sound busy Andy,

Great to hear about the publicity ... Hope the market goes really well for you. How many loaves do plan on baking for it?

The smoked malt sounds like a perfect addition to the rye loaf .... so it's a sweeter flavour?

All the best ... hope the weather clears for you

Phil

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Phil,

The weather has indeed cleared, with the winds blowing through.   It's so clear that it was announced on the news tonight that there was a possibility of catching the Northern Lights over Northern England and Scotland tonight; would love to see that!

See comments made to Nico and Franko above, but the rye loaf was quite sour yesterday, but just mellowed today with the smoky accents coming through; it's not sweet at all really.

Journalist and photograper came out this morning.   The edition of the paper goes out Thursday, and the Market is Friday!   I reckon I'll have around 30 - 40 loaves plus some foccacias, scones and laminated yeasted pastries.

All good wishes

Andy

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Lovely loaves, and as Varda said, its difficult catch up with you..I wish you the best of luck, Andy!

ananda's picture
ananda

Thank you very much for your kind comments Khalid, they are much appreciated

Best wishes

Andy

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

Hi Andy,

You have really exciting things going on these days.

Rauchmalz & rye, I can almost taste it.

Funny the issues with your stiff rye starters.

I am keeping  80%HL and 200%HL rye starters - both working well, usually being refreshed once a week.

But I noticed that the stiff starter tends to get hungry much sooner than the liquid one.

Best Wishes,

Juergen

 

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Juergen,

I am pretty sure you would love the smoked malt and rye combination.   It's Auerman 3 stage as opposed to Detmolder.

Yes, a big lesson in sour maintenance.   I've been asked before on TFL why I use liquid rye starter and the honest answer is that that was how I was taught to maintain it!   Having experimented with the alternative, I'm glad to be back on familiar territory!

Yes, there's a lot going on.   Do we get to meet up in Oxford in February then?

All good wishes

Andy

Juergen Krauss's picture
Juergen Krauss

Yes, Andy, I am looking forward to that very much,

Juergen

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

I must get back to working on high-rye breads in the pullman pan! I've yet to make one that delighted me. Yours look delicious.

David

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi David,

High Rye: keep it wet; hydration 85%, and mix only with a paddle beater would be my two bits of advice for you to adopt.

Of course you should get back to this; but I'm bound to agree with that suggestion am I not?

Very good to hear from you and thank you for your kind words

Best wishes

Andy

breadsong's picture
breadsong

Hello Andy,
What an intriguing ingredient that smoked malt is; the rye breads are so pretty with their crackled tops.
Thank you for the link to the Vancouver beermaking supply shop!
Congratulations on your press feature in the paper, and wishing you the best for your Farmer's Market and as you start your studies next week.
Glad to hear the winds have abated - it was howling here too, last week.
:^) from breadsong

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi breadsong,

Yes, I mixed the remaining few kernels of the crushed smoked malt with some coarse dark rye for the topping and was really pleased with the result.

The homebrew shop looks great doesn't it?

I'm guessing it's really cold with you too; our weather has been much milder than the last 2 years so far this winter, thankfully.

Yes studying is NOW!   Thank you for all your kind words

Very best wishes

Andy

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

was slow and weak and tasteless because...  the pH was too high?  Lack of acid?

I do change my approx. 100% hydration starter to a firm one, sometimes short of being called "dry crumbs" when putting it into long time refrigerator storage.  Starter yeast growth slows down and easily survives months of storage.  With a few wet refreshments to boost yeast numbers, it back to work.  I don't really measure my elaboration unless making more than one loaf but I tend to concentrate more on the consistency of the mixed starter.  It has to have enough hydration or my inner alarm bell knows it will take too long to ferment.  I will also make it wetter if I need it riper sooner.   I love a starter that is so predictable!  

Slowing down the rye starter by making it firm also means it takes much longer to ferment, the bacteria be hampered by lack of mobility.  Could it be the weakness noted using firm starters has more to do fermentation... it just wasn't ripe yet?  Solving the problem by adding more water makes it ferment faster, clear.    Which makes me wonder how different Juergen manages his starters that his firm starter goes thru food faster.  More yeast in it perhaps than the liquid one.  Or the liquid one has a more constant pH, with less gaps in the high and low readings than the firmer one.   

I do think the process is more complex than it looks.  I think if you are using a firm rye starter, it should be allowed to ripen and it should be given a reproductive cycle at a higher hydration before being used or that something similar is built into the recipe steps.  I think the little beasties need time to throw some genetic switches adapting to their new environment.  I also think the yeast need a certain hydration to form cell walls.  I see rye sourdough quirks as good solid foundation for survival in nature.  Tough little beasties!  Hard not to respect them.

Mini

 

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Mini,

Your simpler point about hydration is where I think the problem lies.

My Bacheldre Dark Rye Flour is exceptionally thirsy, with 100% hydration appearing as a very stiff paste indeed.

Everything you have written makes loads of sense and I am sure it has a bearing.   But the main factor to me is that without a certain amount of water, the flour will not hydrate properly, and that will slow everything down.

Many thanks for all these ideas

Best wishes

Andy

hanseata's picture
hanseata

and I love the idea with the Rauchmalz. I had Rauchbier before in Germany, it tastes pretty good, but I never thought about what it was made with, or that you could use the Rauchmalz in bread baking.

Happy baking,

Karin

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Karin,

Thank you for your kind words.

The Rauchmalz is apparently highly prized in Germany for use in brewing.   I used some in the hot soaker, and then mixed the remainder with some Coarse Dark Rye to use as a topping which looked really attractive.   One of my ex-students bought the very big loaf at the Farmers' Market!

Good to hear from you

Best wishes

Andy