The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Coaxing flavor

petercook's picture
petercook

Coaxing flavor

Hello All, I can't seem to get a real great deep flavor in my bread. I have used many different preferments with hydrations as low as 60% all the way up to 150%. I have tried fermenting them at room temp (65 degrees) and also retarding them in the frig. The rustic shaped loaf I make tastes ok but I want serious flavor. I have read Beranbaum, DiMuzio, and others. They all seem to conflict about hydration levels for preferments. I understand that it takes a long time to develop the enzymes and the bacteria that result in a good tasting loaf and I always follow instruction to the letter and when the loaf comes out of the oven it looks fantastic but the flavor I'm looking for is not there. I always use un-bleached A.P. or un-bleached bread flour (Gold Medal brand). My final dough is usually 65% hydration. ANY THOUGHTS would be much appreciated.

thomaschacon's picture
thomaschacon (not verified)

What are you comparing your expectations against?

The breads you're making might be as good as can be expected given your ingredients, methods, etc.

 

petercook's picture
petercook

As regards to what I am comparing against, difficult to answer with out sounding like a wise guy. I am comparing my loaves against all of the loaves that I have tasted in my life. That said, what I want is a taste that shouts WHEAT, old fashioned, real, honest bread. Also, I am NOT going for sour dough bread.  I am confused about Mellenos post. I don´t get all those number 1´s and 2´s.

petercook's picture
petercook

Thank you Melleno for all of the good advice. It had never occured to me that a bread made in one location might not work in a different location. Much else in your post for me to think about. One thing that I recently discovered is that just the tinyest increase in salt can make a HUGE difference in taste. Rather obvious I suppose but it had eluded me for years. I had been blindly following the advice of a well known baker/author and I was using 1/2 tsp of salt per cup of flour. When I bumped that up to 9/16 th tsp it made a huge improvement in taste. At least to me. What I currently am working on is a poolish and attemping to find the right amout of time to let it rest at room temp. The books say to let it go until it domes slightly and is just beginning to receed. I am using unbleached A.P. flour and an equal weight of water. 100% hydration. to this I add 1/32 tsp of instant yeast (no salt). I stirr rapidly for one minute, cover and let rest 13-15 hrs. What I am trying to do is develop as much homofermentive bacteria as possibe. 40% of my dough is poolish. Bulk ferment is about 3 hrs. Shaped small loaves proof for about 2 1/2 hrs. And I bake at 375 F for 22 minutes in a gas oven. As I said previously, the loaves are good but Í want that WOW factor.

ldavis47's picture
ldavis47

Petercook:

I am a bread baker by hobby but relate to your quest. There are a few things that Stan out for me. I want that deep wheat flavor you describe but also want the reddish crackly crust, an aroma that is sweet and wheaty, a crum that is stretchy and chewy, a mouth feel like custard, all done using only the basic 4 ingredients (flour, water, levining, salt). I am still looking.

Lloyd

Dragonbones's picture
Dragonbones

For more flavor, try adding a cup or two of old (previously fully fermented) dough. When you bake, set aside about a seventh of your dough, chop that into small balls, roll in flour, and freeze in a big freezer ziplock. Thaw then add these to your next batch, or, in hot weather, add them frozen to cool and slow your preferment if desired.  

Also, when eating your bread, save a bit at the end. Try toasting these leftover bits of bread, end pieces etc. until they're nicely browned and very dry, then cube them and pop them in a blender to make toasted bread crumbs. Store in a ziplock or other airtight container. Add some of these, like half a cup, in future batches.

Also consider adding a cup or so of whole (not white) rye, and/or a tablespoon (no more) buckwheat flour. I do all of these plus use sourdough starter, and there's never any shortage of flavor.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

and would prefer a different grain?  Maybe the characteristics you're looking for involve other grains or additions of other grains or malts with the wheat?  How do you feel about nut flours?  Potato water?  Ground seeds?  Herbs?  Spices?   

About that salt thing...  you really ought to try metric and find out which % of salt (to flour weight) you prefer.  Good gracious how the heck do you measure 9/16 of a teaspoon?   (that was a quip, right? :)   I bet if you weigh your cups of flour they come out different each time!  I love using metrics & a scale, the math is soooo much easier!  Takes the guess work out and I get the salt amount balanced every time!

Mini O