The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Whole Wheat Maple Syrup Oat Loaf

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Whole Wheat Maple Syrup Oat Loaf

All Is (not) Lost.. first let me say that I'm referring to this weekend's bake and the movie by a similar name - All is Lost with Robert Redford (100% rotten tomatoes in my book).

Last week I made a Honey Oat Loaf with all purpose, bread and a tiny amount of whole-wheat flour. This week I decided to use Canadian maple syrup as the sap is flowing in these parts and amp'd up the whole wheat flour and hydration as I always find that loaf a bit dry to handle. I also thought I should increase the hydration given the increased whole wheat flour content.

I prepared the overnight soaker using 70g flaked oats and 140g boiling water.  And fed my very active starter at the same time with 100% hydration using AP flour. I also gave the flour an overnight on the counter autolyse using 115g bread flour, 90g whole wheat and 20g AP flour (total flour 225g) with 165g of warm water (hydrated to 73%).

Including the water in the oats, the dough hydration was about 135%. I'm not sure if you calculate the hydration differently when using a soaker (anyone?).  

The next morning I combined the soaker, with 20g of maple syrup, 6g salt, 55g of levain and the hydrated flour.  It was pretty soft and sticky so I thew it into the mixer for five minutes at medium until I got a windowpane. The dough was very silky to handle. Over the next three hours I gave it about four stretch and folds. I then let it sit for about six hours until it doubled. I tried to be gentle but it mostly deflated as I poured it onto my bench. It was very tacky so my attempts at a good pre-shape were useless. I decided to pour it into a Pyrex loaf pan and threw it into the fridge.

This morning I brought it to room temp and in total it might have doubled again. I baked with the loaf pan on a pizza stone and added about a cup of hot water into a pan to steam the oven a bit. I baked at 450 for about 35 minutes or so to an internal temp of about 205 degrees. It was a bit tricky to get out of the Pyrex loaf pan and used knife to pry it out - is there a trick to getting a non-stick result in a glass loaf pan when baking a high hydration bread? I'd rather not use grease or the like on the pan. We had some for lunch today. Here she is:

Indeed, all was not lost. I'm surprised it turned out edible at all. The crumb is very soft and not too moist. The whole wheat flavor dominates and I don't get a strong sense of the oats and can't perceive the maple syrup. I would definitely dial back the hydration next time and I would probably double the maple syrup.

Comments

clazar123's picture
clazar123

As for non-stick on glass, I use a homemade mix of vegetable oil and liquid lecithin. No hard and fast measurements-maybe 3 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. lecithin. Mix it up and keep it in a jar. Brush liberally on any type of pan. I also throw down a coating of either wheat or oat bran or even oats instead of cornmeal. My fav is oats. Loaves pop right out of the pan and now I have delicious, toasted oats around it. But if you use oats on a non-panned loaf (boule or baguette), the oats NOT under the loaf and sitting on the pan  tends to burn. I always brush away the extra oats or my smoke detector goes off. :)  The lecithin/oil washes off any pan I have ever used with a little dish detergent.

Have fun!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thanks for the comment. I hadn't heard of lecithin before. Thanks for the advice.. !!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

sandwiches and toast.  I use non stick canola cooking spray on all my pans including glass and nothing sticks.  That is some nice bread!  Well done and

Happy baking 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Thanks.. Will do next time!

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Good call to put it in a loaf pan! I wouldn’t have thought of that. And your loaf turned out great. Nice crumb on it!

Next time, instead of prying it out, just turn the whole thing upside down and let it steam itself loose.  I had a loaf get stuck in one of my pots (that’s why I always use parchment paper now), and I destroyed the bread trying to pry it out. The bottom was stuck fast so I just left it and took pictures while I pondered how I was going to clean up the mess. Well, a while later, the whole bottom came loose by itself once it had cooled and the steam had condensed a bit. Now, if I forget the parchment and it sticks, I help it along by turning the pot upside down and it eventually comes loose. 

So to answer your question, you could line the pan with parchment paper. 

seasidejess's picture
seasidejess

That looks so yummy, with such a pretty, airy crumb. I'll have to remember the idea of panning and then refrigeration for an overly-hydrated loaf. Great recovery!