The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Whole Rye Whole Wheat Loaves

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Whole Rye Whole Wheat Loaves

After an extremely challenging work week, I needed to get my mind back to home.  Nothing does it more for me than a few country style whole grain loaves.  I tried this formula for the first time, and was pretty happy with the results.  Will make some nice veggie sandwiches for today's picnic in the park.

Comments

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

for your Dad?  Nice open crumb for a 50% whole grain bread at 68% hydration.  I still would vote for 75% hydration though:-)  This bread has to be tasty.  Well done John.  Enjoy the holiday in the park with the family.  I'm not leaving the house.  It's hotter today and yesterday is was 119 F.   Maybe it is time for flat bread on the blackened CI griddle....

Nice baking.  Your Dad should be happy with this bread.

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Not quite sure if I will be sharing these particular loaves with the pops.  I still have another day and a half off of work left so I might decide to bake another.  Maybe I will try the hydration increase you suggest.  The problem is, I am not too expert at adjusting hydration levels in relation to salt and other ingredients yet.  I think I will make this one a few more times and then move onto adjustments.  But I agree with you, it would benefit from the higher hydration for sure.

Flat breads sound good.  Tonight making chipotle chicken tacos (torillas sadly pre-made).

Didn't last long at the park.  This west coast Canuck doesn't do well with humidity.  It went from a week of rain and cold to 91 degrees and sunny in one day.  However, I can sit in the extreme dry Arizona heat for hours and hours.

Happy eating, whatever you decide to make.

John

ananda's picture
ananda

Great handling of the fermentation here John,

The formula is on the money too,

Best wishes

Andy

 

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thank you Andy.  It was quite amazing actually.  The temperature in my 'fermentation room' was bang on for all steps, with no adjustments needed eg. windows, heating.  With that kind of co-operation and steady temps., it makes it much easier to accomplish a successful bake.

Happy baking.

John

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Those look great John.  Your crumb and scoring look perfect.  Did I miss something?  What formula are you using?

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Hi Ian.  Thanks a bunch.  I used a Hamelman formula I found called Whole Wheat Whole Rye Bread.  I was craving this kind of crumb and whole grain flavour. 

John

varda's picture
varda

It looks fantastic.  Guessing that bread is in the new edition of bread?   I don't think I have it.   -Varda

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Hi Varda and thank you very much for your comments.  I actually found the formula on the internet and do not own the book so I would not know.  If you are interested in trying it, please do let me know.

Happy baking.

John

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Those are beauties, John. What a great way to take your mine off work! The crumb shows perfect fermentation, as Andy said. I have baked this recipe before (it is in the old copy of bread), and it was delightful and satisfying.

Excellent outcome.

-Khalid

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Hi Khalid and thank  you.  Actually, your old post is what I stumbled on and it inspired me to try this formula.  Your first attempt looked so tempting, I could not pass it up.

Happy baking.

John

evonlim's picture
evonlim

rye lovers.. John and Khalid. those are pretty wonderful loaves. as Ian said marvelous crust, shape, crumb and scoring. it is not easy to handle rye dough.. still haven't got that confident touch yet. this is inspiring,thank you John for sharing.

happy baking

evon

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thank you Evon.  Yes, I have to say, rye is my favourite type of bread to have around the house.  I love levain/sourdough breads, and baguettes as well, but there's no other bread I would rather have around home more than rye.

I am by no means great at handling rye dough.  This particular dough however, seemed to co-operate during all steps.  A well fermented dough provides an easier to handle dough during shaping.

Happy baking.

John

breadsong's picture
breadsong

bread, lighting, plating with the egg, chive and tomato!
Makes me hungry looking at it!
:^) breadsong

 

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thanks breadsong.  Go eat something Canadian then!  Some sockeye salmon on the grill sounds about right :)

John

PiPs's picture
PiPs

Beautiful breads John,,

Proofed to perfection - what a crumb!

Love the last photo of your lunch!

Cheers,
Phil

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thanks a lot Phil.  I was quite happy with how the crumb turned out as well.  Still getting the hang of rye breads.

Happy baking.  Glad to see you back at home and baking for yourself and your family.

John

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

As a note, I did autolyse the wheat flours for 30 minutes prior to adding the rye sour, yeast and salt.  I had a forum post regarding this issue, unsure whether to autolyse or not.

John

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

I remember that post.   Came down to: autolyse wheat, sour the rye.  Beautiful!  

Mini

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thank you Mini.  I can not say that if no autolyse was done, that it would have made any difference.  Maybe next time as an experiment I will try without.

Also, as happy as I was with the cruumb structure, the slices turned out a bit on the dry side a few days later.  I think I might up the hydration next time, as others had suggested.  What do you think?

John

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Oh, and are you a fellow Canadian yet?

John

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Will be there soon enough!  We have nice weather here and I'm getting my berries picked.  Up the moisture if you can and/or let the WW soak a little longer before blending in the rest ingredients.  

I was so relieved when I cut open my 100% rye this morning.  No more over active enzymes!  Used a regular (ha!) loaf pan and had a very wet dough.  It is after all 104% with rather refined rye... looked more like toothpaste than toothpaste!  Got my walnuts into it and got my old long fermenting times back.  I was only going to bake one loaf before flying but then I found 50g of hemp seeds...   Maybe I can squeeze in another loaf?  Add a little einkorn flour?  I got whole spelt berries too!  

Fresh picked cherries walked thru the door earlier.  Mil asked me what we should do with them, I told her first we were gonna eat about half of 'em and then decide what to do with what's left.  We made ourselves comfortable at the back fence and shot pits into the hay field like they were tiny baseballs.  :)  Life is good!  

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Huskies??  You do know we aren't in the Arctic here right? ;)  The 'ol stereotype American view of all Canadians living in igloos! :)

Sounds like a grand old time.  I am still searching for whole spelt berries.  Go figure, we grow this stuff a few provinces over and I can't find them!

John

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

and I was so looking forward to dust free lodging.   I think they have huskies where I'm going, now if they only rent extended stay igloos...     Hey, how does one paint an igloo?   (With Ice-o-tonic particles perhaps?)  

I cut up my rye loaf today and froze it in slices.  It is much lighter in crumb color than the rougher Chilean rye flour.  I can almost see purple around the walnuts!  

Mini

Isand66's picture
Isand66

What...no igloos!  Next you're going to tell me you don't sit around the house all day drinking beers and playing curling!

Very disappointing :)

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Does this look like igloo weather environment? :)

Curling?....not so much....Beer weather?  For sure!

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Hmmmm....is that your wife..if so I would gladly share an igloo :).

Do you have vineyards close by your house?  We have a bunch of them on Long Island around 25 minutes away.  I have some grape vines....alas in the 10 years I have had them I think I harvested about 5 grapes :(.  You won't be seeing my Sandman label any time soon!

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Ian, you bad boy!  Actually, it is me in my new bikini.  I will take that comment as a compliment ;)...Yes, it is her.  I haven't worn a two piece in years!

Wait, isn't Long Island very close, if not part of downtown New York?  How the heck do you have grape vines there?  I would think maybe the Hamptons, but not Long Island!  The pictures are actually in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, about 3 and half hours drive from here.  It is our summer playground region.  Vinyards, many lakes, orchards, desert-ish heat, lots of sunshine, boats...ahhh, I want to go right now.  We do however, have some smaller vinyards about 10 minutes away, but nowhere near the quality level of the vinyards in the Okanagan. 

Here's a few more of this beautiful region.  Yes, this place is a great passion of mine.

 

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Nice...you're one lucky guy:)

Uhm...perhaps you need to lay off the beer a bit...the Hamptons are in the East end of Long Island last time I checked...we have a ton of wineries on the east end of LI and the North Fork.

Ian

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

My apologies man.  My knowledge of New York comes primarily from Seinfeld. Kidding.

I should brush up on my New York though.  Well you are a lucky man yourself to be living there.  I hear it is nice.

John

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

from huskies to igloos.

See, that's what I'm asking, How do you paint an igloo to look like a wood built housing complex?  That is so cool!  You can't fool me with the bikini, I know you maple leaves have thicker blood.  Spotted the ice crystals on the water's edge. 

The stereotype probably keeps the state dwellers from migratory crossings. :)  That and the metrics.  Hubby says it's the bread in his area.  Says he can't find a decent french stick anywhere!  I hope he just means that he hasn't found some yet.

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Mini.  Enjoy those photos because that region is pretty darn close to where you will be living.  You lucky, lucky duck.  Your backyard will be lakes everywhere.

That wood complex is actually a residential/hotel complex on Canada's first native indian vinyard.  Even our native indians refuse to build igloos! So there :)

John

Isand66's picture
Isand66

I could of sworn I saw a Polar Bear popping its head out of the water where your wife was walking on the beach :).

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

That wasn't a polar bear, that was you, you skeevy little perv you :)

John

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Hey Noooow!

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

You know I love ya :)  Dedicated my pizza bake post to you..genius idea to use parchment.  Thank you so much for that.  Worked like a charm.

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Glad I could help.  I burned the bottoms of my last pizza bake because I didn't set up my grill correct.

Ian

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Also, what do you think of upping the hydration to 75% per dabrownman's nudging?  I don't have any objections, just hope the dough isn't too difficult to manage.

John

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

:)  If you are milling your own like he does, you can up the hydration even more.  And if it gets too wet, what is the worst that could happen?  

"No guts, no glory!"

Mini 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Last 100% whole grain bake was 90%  hydration - felt like 72%  Fresh milled whole grains suck the water up.  Next time 100% hydration.  Sifted out the bran to get to 78 extraction.  Autolysed the bran for 24 hours before folding it back in and atolysed the sifted 78% extraction flour for 3 hours.  No rye in the mix though - ww, spelt and farro only.  The autolyse is what allows the 100% hydration to be easy to handle.

golgi70's picture
golgi70

Really does look great.  Nice scoring, bake, and wonderful crumb.  I can only imagine it tastes great too.  And hence the low hydration, because it works.  Those rules of thumb sometimes get in our way.  

Great Baking

Josh

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Thanks Josh.  The taste was the best rye (non-Rugbrod) I have baked to date.  Out of the two loaves, one had a much darker bottom crust.  A happy mistake actually.  During the last few minutes of the bake, I started to barely smell burning in the air when I caught it in time and pulled it out of the oven.  It was ALMOST burnt.  Thus the happy mistake, as the crust tastes amazing.  I almost want to bake all of my rye loaves to this point in the future.  It gives just the faintest bitter note, but the taste is so strong and caramelized.

John