Baking with Peter Reinhart
What's new in the Baking World? Peter Reinhart, representing Johnson & Wales University and the Bread Bakers Guild of America, held a two day (2/28/14 - 3/1/14) class at Alon's Bakery and Market in Atlanta, Ga. The focus of the class was Baking with Ancient and Sprouted Grains as part of the BBGA's "The DNA of Baking 2014" series. Also in attendance was Peggy Sutton of To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co., providing sprouted flours used in the baking class.
Sprouted flour? Sprouted flour is freshly milled from organic grains that are sprouted, dried and milled at temperatures below 110°F to maintain enzymes, vitamins and minerals produced during the sprouting process. Gluten Free grains and flours; Aramath, Black Beans, Blue Corn, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Garbanzo Beans, Lentils, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Sorghum, Yellow Corn. Gluten Grains & Flours; Barley, EInkorn, Emmer, Kamut, Rye, Spelt, Wheat. Website: www.healthyflour.com
The breads baked during the class were, 100% Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour (Master Formula), Casacara Seca Lean Dough, Sprouted Ancient Grain "Straun" Harvest Bread, Sprouted Flour Breakfast Focaccia, Sprouted Khorasan Bagels, Sprouted Whole Wheat Focaccia with Probiotein, Sprouted Flour Cornbread and Sprouted Rye.
The Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour master formula was very hydrated.
Flour 100%
Water 90%
Salt 1.55%
IDY 1.0%
Another benefit of the sprouted grain is a preferment is not needed. Since the sprouting of the grains frees up sugars similar to prefermenting. So a same day bake provides a full flavored loaf. But the taste difference is quite noticeable. If you've ever tried the mash process in Peter Reinhart's book WHOLE GRAIN BREADS you've tasted the sweetness the mash provides. With the sprouted flour, you'll find the sweetness along with other pleasant notes of flavor without having to mash the flour.
To say the least, all the baked products were fantastic, and meeting other bakers from far away places, both professional and serious home bakers, was a treat. So fellow bakers keep an eye out for Peter's new book due out in October.
Jim
Jim, thanks, I had seen that he is doing a book on sprouted flour and am looking forward to it. In my own experiments ( messing around ) I have treated sprouted whole wheat flour like regular whole wheat, but have problems with the bread collapsing when it comes out of the oven if I use more than 50% sprouted flour. I am sprouting the flour at home, then dehydrating it, then grinding it and it certainly gives the bread more sweetness, but it also makes it taste creamier as well.
I'm curious as to the color and texture of your sprouted flour.
The flour used in class was Super Sprout (TM) Sprouted Whole Grain from Lindley Mills of N. Carolina. The color was not the brownish color of regular whole wheat with dark specks. The Sprouted wheat was uniform in color and closer to a slightly blue gray cast although when mixed and baked it had the dark color of regular whole wheat flour. Though it doesn't mention in the brochure it was stone ground, there was a picture of a large stone grinding wheel.
Jim
I have sprouted, and then ground, spring red wheat, and winter white wheat. I don't notice any real color difference between sprouted and unsprouted once it is milled. I really liked the flavor of the sprouted white wheat - very creamy, but although I like the flavor of red spring wheat, I thought the flavor of the sprouted red spring was a little off. I only made that once, I have made a number of different things with the winter white and have loved them all. I wouldn't count my negative experience with red sprouted for much, since I may have messed it up.