The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Reinhart's multigrain bread extraordinaire (BBA recipe)

hsmum's picture
hsmum

Reinhart's multigrain bread extraordinaire (BBA recipe)

I've baked this loaf a few times now and I really love the taste.  But it surprises me each time with it's moistness and chewiness.  Is this the intended result (maybe due to the brown rice?), or am I messing something up...and if so, what?  I do weigh the ingredients and get the dough to pass the windowpane test each time.  I allow it to double, then shape the loaf and allow it to rise just above the loaf pan --roughly double.  I bake it as per the instructions and don't slice it until it's cool. 

Karen

SulaBlue's picture
SulaBlue

"The many grains hold moisture so that, while the slices crisp up when toasted, they also retain a moist sweetness." (BBA, Pg 187)

I've always found brown rice considerably more toothsome than white. Whole wheat berries, bulgar wheat and pearled barley also have a very chewy texture. In short, I'd say it's supposed to be that way.

hsmum's picture
hsmum

Okay, thanks.  As I said, I love the bread --the texture is just quite different from other loaves I've made so far, so it made me wonder...

Karen

jj1109's picture
jj1109

I (and my family) found the formula in BBA to be far too sweet, and the dough turned out extremely sticky (possibly my flour). So I've halved the amount of sugar and increased the amount of flour a little, now it's perfect every time! I make two big loaves of that a week :)

hsmum's picture
hsmum

It is fast becoming our "family bread" too.  :)  Just so I'm clear, you halved the brown sugar and left the honey measurement the same? 

After my initial posting on this topic, I fell to wondering about the brown sugar I'm using.  I prefer to use "Demerra sugar", which is a darker brown sugar.  It's more flavourful, because it has more molasses.  But for the same reason, I realized it might very well tend to make the bread a bit chewier.  When I run out of this bag I'll get some regular brown sugar and see if it makes a difference.

I kind of like the sweetness, myself... but in the interests of better health, I will try your adjustment...tomorrow....next week....certainly this year.  :)

I do find the dough a tad sticky too, but I notice that he suggests flouring the table, unlike some other bread authors.  So yes, I probably add a bit too, until it's just tacky. 

Karen

jj1109's picture
jj1109

i'll post my tweaked formula when I get home from work :) It needs very little flour on the bench. All I do is mix it with my Kenwood for 6 minutes, leave it to rise double, shape, throw into tin, rise again, bake 190C until it's done.

jj1109's picture
jj1109

Multigrain soaker:

50% polenta
37.5% rolled oats
25% wheat bran
100% water

 

Final dough

100% Bread Flour
23.5% multigrain soaker
5.9% brown rice
4.1% brown sugar
2.2% salt
1.9% yeast
23.5% buttermilk
5.9% honey
35.3% water

This formula makes an excellent dough that needs very little flour on the bench when shaping. It's not as sweet as the original, which was much too sweet for my taste.

cheers

JJ

 

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Karen,

I agree that the Reinhart's multigrain bread can be a little moist. You might try lowering the heat 10-20 degrees for the second half of the baking time and add 5-10 minutes of baking time. The result will be to dry out the crumb. I would try this regardless of what you decide to do with the amounts of sugar.

The catagory of "Multigrain" is very interesting to me because the grains one chooses will determine the flavor to some degree. I'm always trying ways to create a deeper flavor by changing the combination in the soaker and rice. This is totally a personal and subjective analisys since the decisions are made based on the familys taste prefrences. One thing we agreed on early on was that we prefered the deeper after taste of wild rice over white or brown. I blanch it for a few seconds in a screen and cool before including in the mix.

Good luck in your hunt to improve the bread to suit your tastes. This bread type is a terrific way to involve the family and develop a taste you will all enjoy and remember forever.

Eric

hsmum's picture
hsmum

Wild rice is a great idea -- I'll defininitely try that variation!  Sorry, I have no idea what you mean by blanching it in a screen, though...??? And the lengthened baking time at a lower temperature is a good thought too.

A variation of this bread that my family loves is to substitute half of the cornmeal with milled flax.  Yesterday I tried it substituting all the cornmeal with flax, which is no doubt healthier...but I think we prefer the half and half mix for flavour. 

Now that I'm getting a bit of confidence in my bread baking, I'm really having fun with variations.  Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments.

Karen

 

 

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Karen,

Something I recently tried that was a nice surprise was to soak whole flax seed overnight or about 12 hours. I use a custerd cup and pour the desired amount and cover it well with water. The next day it is weird looking and feels gelatiness. The flavor is very pronounced. I have read and heard that whole flax seeds have no nutritional value because the are hard and don't digest. So, I used to get the ground variety which also adds a nice flavor. Recently since I discovered soaking them softens them up the health food store I frequent told me soaking makes them digestable. Sorry that is so long.

Anyway try a French bread with whole soaked flax seed. I think you will like it in the multi grain. BTW, That's how I experiment with my multigrain additives by trying them in a bland French mix first so I know how they taste.

Eric

hsmum's picture
hsmum

Oh I love the taste of flax; I know I would love it.  I sometimes snack on a spoonful or two of ground flaxseed.  Can't get enough of that nutty taste!  :)  That's a great thought to soak it; I'm sure you're right that that would make it digestible and whole flaxseed would definitely make a prettier loaf.

Quite an amazing plant, when you think about it.  Great taste, Omega 3 nutritional goodness, linen, and beautiful flowers!  My dad grows flax.  Growing up, I used to ask him to sow the field nearest our house in flax so that we could see it from our kitchen picture window.   A field of flax in bloom at sunrise is a gorgeous sight. 

Karen