The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Whole Wheat, Teff, and Flax

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Whole Wheat, Teff, and Flax

I gave up on this bread completely not so long ago. The dough always started out OK, but by the end of the bulk ferment it would be extremely slack and sticky, and by the time it went into the oven it was essentially a puddle. 

After several attempts it became clear that it was simply not going to work so I trashed the paper copy and deleted the spreadsheet and that was that.  Two days later I happen across this Farine blog post and learn that teff flour will do awful things to bread dough (of this fact I have become keenly aware) unless it is cooked a bit first.  So simple!  I would not have thought to try that in a million years.  (I had forgotten about theTFL thread on this subject I had read.  During this whole process my computer was having some kind of disagreement with the TFL site and wouldn't let me look for help here.  It's better now:) ) 

So I gave it another go and, hey, it's a loaf of bread this time!  Still not the strongest dough, it is manageable at least. 

Now that I have a starting point it's time to start tinkering and asking questions.  First off, I wonder if adding the flax meal to the scald is helping, hurting or having no effect?  I will likely leave it out next time.  I think I forgot to add the salt to the scald, so that's another change to try next time.

 The hydration felt pretty good, I don't think I  would go any higher.

The mixing... the dough was pretty slack by the time I shaped, so I can't decide if I want to try being gentler next time or try to develop more strength.

Fermentation time was, I think, at about it's maximum.  I imagine the overnight scald helped speed things up - another reason I'm thinking about leaving the flax out of the scald next time.

So many questions, can you tell I think this bread could be better?  Still, it's pretty good.  There's an extra sweetness and nuttiness in this bread that works for me.  Definitely one worth tinkering with.

Marcus

 

Comments

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Looks like you got a pretty nice open crumb and good crust.  I have not tried this grain yet, but was also intrigued by the same post by Farine that you mentioned.  Will have to give it a go myself eventually.

Nice bake.

Ian

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Thanks, Ian, I am enjoying the bread, though there is certainly room for improvement.  Teff flour just isn’t much of a friend to wheat-based bread dough, structurally speaking.  I can see why it is traditionally used for flatbread!  I’ll have to try that one day.  Judging by the aroma of the scald I used here I imagine injera hot off the skillet would be a real treat.

 

Marcus

Mebake's picture
Mebake

And how beautiful they turned out! The signature of Marcus is all over them.

As Ian, I never tried Teff myself either. All i know is that it is a non gluten grain. Should be interesting flavor-wise, i'am sure.

I like the way you display your formula, simple and elegant. I failed to comment on your previous post due to being busy, but i congratulate you on winning the ribbons at your country fair.

All the best,

Khalid

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Thank you, Khalid, I appreciate the kind words. You’ve been doing much better at keeping up around here than I have! There is so much amazing work being done here I can’t even give all the posts a careful reading, much less a coherent response! A good problem to have, I suppose!

Marcus

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

of 84 this is a great four for diabetics too.  The minerals and vitamins it has are very high too. No gluten  so good for the in tolerant.    I'm really glad you posted this bread.  Yours came out very nice indeed.  I would be tempted to up the teff, cut back the WW some and add some  VWG or bread flour to get a loaf with more teff in it if didn't collapse :-)   I suppose it might want to baked in a tin when it gets more teff in the mix too?

Thanks for posting this bread and your recipe.

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Thanks, dabrownman, I remember reading somewhere that teff was loaded with good things not always found in grains (Iron?  Calcium?  I can’t remember but it was good whatever it was).  I didn’t know  it had a good GI score as well!  I think we are on the same page as far as where to go next.  I’m curious to see what would happen with less whole wheat so I think that change is certain.   I haven’t made up my mind about the flax yet… maybe whole flax seeds instead, hmmm… that could be good.  I hadn’t thought to tin it… at higher teff percentages that might be the best (only) option.  Decisions, decisions.  Whatever happens, I’ll be sure to post the outcome.

Marcus