Well, I am happy as punch with the latest version of my multi grain challah bread that is baked at 450F and steamed in the oven for 20 minutes -verses the cloche.  But, I am disappointed I was not able to control my experiment to find out if the cloche or oven steaming method was better.  The higher temperature worked best for both but, this attempt, the bread rose much higher and faster than the Wagner Ware loaf even though  both were identical in every way.  The only thing I can think of is that the starter, which was the same for each, was more mature and stronger than it was the week before.

I noticed this time, during the levain build, it doubled in 4 hours instead of the 8 hours it took the last time.  This is a new SD starter that is less than 3 weeks old (started the sourdolady way).  When the loaf went into the baking pan it appeared to be exactly like the cloched loaf.  But, the version 4, did rise higher during fermentation and it also rose higher in the fridge during retard and rose higher after it was taken out of the fridge this morning - even thought the retard was 6 hours less and the final rise before the oven was 2 hours less.

All things considered, I think that either cloched or baked in a steamed oven, this bread works equally well both ways and it shows that that a fully mature and strong starter with a proper build is essential to bread making.  I had half a loaf of the clotched verion 3 to compare in the photos that follow.  The version 4 crum is far superior, lighter and open.  The crust is the same as the clotched.  I like the taste of the clotched better propably because it was hours longer in the making and developed more SD flavor.

I think I can reproduce version 4 and will figure out a way to slow it down and make the flavor a litttle better.

What can Ido to improve this bread now.  Autolayse the flour before adding the levain.  Cut down the amount of levain to extend the time.  lower the temp of the ferment and post retard?  Any thing else?

Here are the pics before retard.

After retard

After poor slash - My worse bread making skill by far

In the oven

20 minutes later steam comes out

Oven off and door craked open - temp 205 F

Version 4 twice as high as version 3

crumb shot and others

Before TFL came into my world, I had a multi grain, seeded, SD challah that I baked every week for my daily sandwich loaf. I called it my made up name Brachflachen Mehrere Vollkombrot. It was the standard; mix about 20 ingredients, kneed for 10 minutes let rise, punch down, let rise in the loaf pan, egg wash, slash and bake a 350 until 205 F. It took about 8 hours from start to finish - and I thought that was slow bread!! After finding out the slow bread was really 3 days - not 8 hours, I converted my old recipe to make it take nearly forever to make - instead of just a really long time :-) Now it is a 12 hour levain build, long S&F ferment, long retard and long after fridge rise bread. I really like the way it came out. Nice dark crispy, crunchy crust with Nijella and sesame seeds, soft, moist, small holed crumb with subtle SD taste that made great tasting toast too. It is still my favorite sandwich challah loaf .

The second shot of the crub says a lot about me and my foodie nature.  Home made; challah, dijon mustard, pickles, cheese, meat and home grown; lettuce and tomatoes.

The 3rd shot means it is home made Aranchello, Minneochello and Limochello time too !!!!!

I baked two sandwich breads yesterday - sandwich buns and a multigrain sandwich loaf. Kind of had a theme...

The sandwich buns are adapted from a King Arthur recipe. I added white whole wheat flour and milled golden flax (both from King Arthur). I have used the golden flax a few times and really like the nutritional goodness and the texture it produces. Pictures first, then the recipe.

For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in a humid
environment, the greater amount in a dry climate and something in between the rest of the time.

Using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer bowl, on the lowest speed mix all of the dough ingredients until they come together.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead on speed number 2 for 10 - 15 minutes to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough, and let it rise until it's nearly doubled in bulk - 1 to 2 hours.

6 to 8 ounces lukewarm water

1 ounce soft butter

1 large egg

7 ounces whole wheat flour

7 1/2 ounces AP flour

3 tablespoons ground golden flax

1 3/4 ounces sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon instant yeast

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about
3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

Lightly beat 1 large egg and 2 TBS water together and brush the top of the buns. Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.

Multigrain Sandwich Loaf

I am currently in the process of  putting together a multi grain unenriched loaf, relying on the tangzhong method to keep it nice and fluffy. Here is the latest result from its prettiest side:

But this is what I would like to talk about: on the dark side of the moon this is what is going on

The bread has ripped in quite some places in a way that I have never seen before. It makes it all look even more rustic, and that is fine, but I want to know the cause.

Here are some pieces of info that might help:

Multi grain, with manitoba, rye, oatmeal, barley, whole wheat and malt powder.

Made using a water roux; the famous Tangzhong method (that I love more and more every day!)

Baked on 220 C in a dutch oven. 20 minutes with lid, the rest of the bake without lid. Was it too hot in the first 20 minutes?

A friend of mine baked the same loaf not using a dutch oven, but a little tin foil tent and had the same cracks going in his dough.

The dough didn't spill out or anything. The cracks look more like "dry cracks", something hydration related.

The formula is on the dry side, about 54%  AND there are quite some "heavy drinkers" in the mix, like oatmeal. Nevertheless the crumb is far from dry, and is actually remarkably fluffy (because of the tangzhong-method used)

Since the dough held quite some seeds, I added gluten powder, the formula called for 35 grams, which seems on the high side for a 1.1 kilo loaf. But I have never baked with it before, so I really don't know... Any idea?

Would love to hear back on this from you guys, thanks!

Freerk

I think I've found one of the greatest sandwich breads ever in this recipe! It's soft and delicious with a crispy crust, it takes hardly any time to make once you've soaked your beans, and it's a high protein bread with all the nutrients found in pinto beans.

I found a Pinto bean bread recipe on the Idaho Bean Commission website: http://www2.state.id.us/bean/recipes/getrecipe_action.cfm and I tweaked it a bit to use weight measurements instead of cups and to use instant yeast instead of active dry. I also added another proofing step and changed the flour ratios a bit. That website has more recipes for beans than you could ever imagine possible!

Anyway the bread came out better than I could hope. I think it's become my new sandwich favorite. It has a delicious flavor that only slightly reminds me of beans (although a bean flavor wouldnt have put me off - I love Pinto beans) and is very soft and springy. And I'm always trying to get more protein into my diet.

The Bean commision put nutritional values on their recipe page for a "serving's" worth of bread. I assume they mean per slice, since the values look comparable to those per slice for other breads. They will be slightly different now that I've fiddled with the flour ratios, but then, the recipe was hardly precise to begin with since the flour was measured in cups and the number of cups was not specific.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this bread as much as I have!

I did a free form loaf as well as one in a loaf pan.

Ingredients: 
430g warm bean water (that used to boil the beans)

36g honey

41g vegetable oil

473g cooked Pinto beans, pureed

12g sea salt

7g instant dry yeast

300g whole wheat flour

473g white flour

Preparation:

Soak your Pinto beans overnight and then cook them in a pressure cooker till they can easily be smashed between the fingers. Save the water. Remember that the beans will be much heavier once they are soaked and cooked, so be sure to prepare enough. After the beans are cooked, put them in a food processor and mix till fairly smooth.

Mix warm bean water, honey, oil, bean mash and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Add yeast.
Add wheat flour and enough of the white flour to make dough stiff but slightly sticky to the touch. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it passes the window pane test.

Place in an oiled bowl and let rise till three times its original size, about 1 hour. Turn out onto work surface and shape into loaves or place in loaf pans; let rise until double (about 30 minutes). Bake at 350F (175C) for 50 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf is firm and sounds hollow when tapped.

Nutrition Information

You can see the little bean skins add an interesting look to the outside of the loaf.

Crumb shot - very moist and shiny.

ready to be eaten - yum!

Finally had a chance to do one of Peter Reinhart's recipes, from Whole Grain Breads.  Did the multi-grain struan, since that's his signature bread.  Here's the result, lightly dusted with black sesame seeds.  Tastes as good as it looks! 

Alan 

here's the recipe I followed:

Whole grains: