The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

January Baking-Pane de Campagne with Red Fife and a Rye- Barley Mash Loaf

Franko's picture
Franko

January Baking-Pane de Campagne with Red Fife and a Rye- Barley Mash Loaf

 

Pane de Campagne with Red Fife 75% sifted and Rye Bread with Barley 

The bread I've been making most often over the last month or so is a Country style bread similar to Robertson's Tartine CB that I've adjusted to suit my preference for a more sour flavour than his formula results in. The percentage of leaven is 15% greater than Robertson's 20%, and instead of using just white and whole wheat flours, it has a mix of AP, Red Fife 75% sifted, and Dark Rye flours, all of them organic. The combination of these three flours in the respective percentages of 75%, 15% and 10% seems to be the sweet spot for my tastes and makes for a well rounded flavour profile that I enjoy eating on a daily basis. Mostly it gets used in sandwiches but I like it for toast and preserves as well, making it a versatile bread for my everyday use. The dough has a 2 1/2 hour bulk ferment in the Brod & Taylor proofer at 76F/24C, with a stretch & fold at 60 and 120 minutes. After it's rested for a 1/2 hour it goes into the refrigerator covered until I get home from work the next afternoon, about 20 hours later. I have previously made this bread in only one day but the flavour result is nowhere near as deep or complex as when it's left for the long haul. That this long cold fermentation also accommodates my work schedule is a huge bonus for me since I don't always have time to bake on my days off. Other than that the procedure is much the same as for Tartine Country Bread, though I don't necessarily use a Dutch Oven when baking it off, simply because I don't always want a boule shaped loaf. The batard shaped loaves won't develop the nice dark caramelization that they would in a DO environment, but sometimes a batard shape is preferable for sandwich making. I guess I'll have to wait until I can build or buy a WFO to have it both ways. Until then, baking directly on the stone delivers a well flavoured crust, that if I've taken it at the right point (slightly less than full proof), will send shards of crust flying as soon as the knife bites into it. So far my brother, step-son, and his father-in-law have all tried it and loved it, but that's sort of like preaching to the converted since they like their bread on the sour side anyway. The Red Fife sifted used in this formula I realize has limited availability to most folks, but I think that a high extraction flour or a sifted whole wheat would work just fine. Having enough of the bran in small particles gives this formula a good deal of it's flavour, but doesn't create a coarse texture and mouth-feel, which I feel gives the bread a broader range of appeal...if you like your bread tangy to begin with.

 Procedure for Pain de Campagne with Red Fife 75% sifted 

  • Mix all ingredients for levain and ripen for 14-18 hours @ 70F

  • Final dough:

  • Autolyse the flours and water for 1 hour.

    Mix all ingredients except the salt on 1st speed for 3-4 minutes until dough is cohesive. Add the salt and continue mixing for 7-8 minutes on 2nd speed until the dough is uniform and well developed.

  • Bulk ferment at 76F for 2 hours giving 2 stretch and folds in the first 2 hours. Place dough in refrigerator over night, or for up to 18 hours. Remove from fridge and bring allow the dough to sit at room temp for 90 minutes.

  • Round lightly and rest for 20 minutes.

  • Shape as desired.

  • Final rise of 2-3 hours @ 78F or until slightly less than fully proofed.

  • Place on a floured or parchment covered peel, score as desired, and bake in a preheated 500F oven with stone or Dutch Oven. Use preferred steaming method if baking on a stone.

  • Reduce oven heat to 460 and bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the loaf for even colouring ( remove the lid if using a DO) and bake for 25-35 minutes longer. * Note* heavier loaves of 1600 grams or more will require longer baking times as will higher hydration loaves.

  • Turn the oven off, prop the door open slightly and leave the loaf in the oven for 20 minutes to cool gradually.

  • Wrap the loaf in linen and place on a wire rack for 12 hours or longer before slicing.

    The formula spreadsheet can be found through the link below.

     

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjicIp92YPCTdDZxVHFiMmRXQkFoVmZHWl9kZXZBcHc

 This next loaf is one of my bread experiments gone uncharacteristically right on a first try for a pleasant change. Elizabeth David's 'English Bread and Yeast Cookery' is a book I've been reading off and on over the Fall, which I think had a lot to do with finally deciding to make a bread that uses barley as part of the grist. I've consumed a fair bit of barley over the years but mostly in liquid form, so shortly before the week of Christmas I picked up some whole barley grain at the local organic store to see if I could come up with a way to use it in a sour bread of some kind. The 'barley project' needed to be put on hold till after Christmas, as other more Seasonal matters took precedence, giving me some time to think about how to use the barley. Taking inspiration from some of Andy's/ananda http://www.thefreshloaf.com/blog/ananda  posts where he utilizes a “boil-up” as he calls it, for softening various grains before adding into his bread mixes, I thought this would be a good place to start. At this point I hadn't formalized a recipe, nor did I have an entirely clear concept of what I wanted or how to go about it, other than the boil -up. It's funny how sometimes it takes forever to come up with a formula concept, while at other times it can just come to you while watching a pot of water come to a boil. While I was watching the water and barley simmering away, softening and opening, I thought to myself that this eventual mash would be an excellent medium to grow wild yeast in....like for beer perhaps? One of those light bulb moments for someone who doesn't brew beer. Once the grains were soft enough to mash with a fork and had cooled to room temp, mature rye starter, along with a scant amount of salt was added to the mash. The plan was to let the mash ferment slowly over the course of a few days to build flavour, the addition of salt would help keep it in check and hopefully prevent a runaway fermentation. After 4 days at 70F in the B&T proofer, the mash had developed a distinctly (or stinky according to my wife) sour nose to it. Rather than push it any further and run the risk of contamination the mash was transferred to the fridge for safe keeping until I was ready to use it in the final mix. Including an altus in the mix came to me just the day before I'd planned to make the bread when I ran across a heel of Horst Bandel Pumpernickel in our freezer. I remembered having saved it for this very purpose and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to use it up. The mix itself went as it would for a typical high ratio rye bread, with little gluten development and a sticky paste to work with. With some minor adjustments for hydration it formed a slightly wet paste, but came together without too much effort. Bulk ferment was around 80 minutes at 81F/27C, then shaped, using the wet hands/scraper method to form it into a log shape then deposited into a 4 1/2”x 9 1/2” Pullman tin, sprinkled with barley flakes, lid on, and set in the B&T proofer for a final rise of 2 1/2 hours at 81F/27C.

Full formula and procedure below.

After 20 minutes in the oven the bread was giving off a noticeably beery aroma that gradually changed to a rich, roasted fragrance of grain and malt over the remaining course of the bake. At first taste the bread is just inside my sour tolerance level, but the flavour is fantastic! Malty, sweet & sour, with a moist, chewy bite to it, it's the sort of bread that delivers on all levels. I expect it will pair well with other foods once it's mellowed over the next few days and the initial sharpness has come in to balance with the other ingredients, but my guess is I'll be eating most of it just for it's flavour alone.

 

Wishing everyone the very best for the New Year!

Franko 

PROCEDURE

 

Mash

 

Combine the water and whole barley in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a slow boil, cooking and stirring till the grains become soft. Add the rye meal and salt, stir and allow to cool to room temperature.


Mix the rye and barley mash 4-5 days in advance of the final mix and allow to ripen at room temperature 70F/21C for the first 48 hrs, then keep in the fridge or at a temperature of 50F/10C max until ready to make final mix. Allow the mash to come to room temperature before including in the final mix, or gently warm on low in the microwave. The mash should have a strong sour smell when ready to use and longer ripening times may be necessary.

 

Sour

Mix the mature sour with all of the water and 50% of the rye flour and ripen for 14-18 hr at 70F/21C with the second feeding of rye flour at the midway point of the ripening period.

 

Altus

Soak the old rye bread in hot water and leave overnight. Squeeze as much water as possible from the bread, reserving the water for the final mix. The old bread should be of a high percentage rye bread, the darker the better.

 

Final Mix DDT-81-84F/27-28C

Combine all the ingredients except the sour and mix till thoroughly combined. Add the sour and continue mixing till the paste is smooth and uniform. Using wet hands and a scraper, work the paste on the bench by scraping and folding it over itself for several minutes, adjusting hydration as needed to achieve a medium consistency. The dough should be slightly on the wet and sticky side. Place the paste in a bowl and begin the bulk ferment.

 

Bulk Ferment

Ferment the paste for 60-90 minutes. Times will vary according to individual conditions, but the paste should show a small increase in volume during this period.

 

Shaping and Final Rise

Form the paste into a log shape and deposit in a 4 1/2” x 9 1/2” paper lined or well glazed Pullman pan. Smooth the paste evenly into the corners and along the sides creating a slight peak from the sides to the center of the surface. Sprinkle the top evenly with barley flakes, brushing with water if needed to make them stick. Begin the final rise at a temperature of 82F/27-28C with some humidity present. Allow the paste to rise to within 3/4”-1/2” of the top of the pan before sliding the cover of the Pullman over top. The final rise may take upwards of 2 1/2 hours and should be monitored every 30 minutes to avoid over-proofing.

 

Baking

Place the closed pan on a baking stone in a well preheated 500F/260C oven and bake for 10 minutes before lowering the temperature to 460F/238C. Continue to bake for 45-50 minutes then lower the heat to 375 for an additional 15-20 minutes. Check the loaf to see if it has pulled away from the sides of the pan. If not continue baking till it has. Remove the lid from the pan, turn the heat off and leave the loaf in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the pan before de-panning to a wire rack. Wrap in linen and cool for 12-24 hours before slicing.

The formula spreadsheet can be found through the link below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjicIp92YPCTdEptQl82UWtwdzFiUExjY3BHWXh4eEE

 

Comments

ananda's picture
ananda

Happy New Year Franko!

I love the Country-style bread; your description of the finished loaf brings it to life as a bread anyone would just want to eat...now, in whatever form!

So, you hit the jackpot with the rye experimentation.   That looks amazing, and some level of aeration achieved in the final crumb too.   In guess the honey balances that sourness nicely?

Links for "boil-up"?   Try this one:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/25420/rye-sourdough-black-breads-hot-grain-soaker

Awesome!

Very best wishes

Andy

Franko's picture
Franko

And a Happy New Year to you as well Andy!

Many thanks my friend for the compliments on the loaves. In fact I didn't use honey in the mix for the rye/barley although I do have it listed in the formula ingredients. Instead I used some Birch syrup we've had in our cupboard since visiting Alaska a few years ago. It was one of those last minute decisions really meant to try and use the stuff up and create some needed cupboard space. It did a good job of keeping the sour balanced, and think without it or some honey included the bread would be too sour for my taste.

Thanks again Andy!

Franko

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Your rye experiment sounds like you were pushing the sour to the edge. 4 Days aging will do that. Glad you are enjoying the flavors. Happy New Year to you too my friend. Many good things to prepare this year.

Eric

Franko's picture
Franko

Thanks Eric!

It was initially on the very high end of my own 1-10 sour scale, but it's mellowed out considerably since then and other flavour nuances have become noticeable. Much like letting a wine breathe a for an hour or so before tasting, it seems. 

Happy New Year to you as well pal, and all the best for 2012!

Franko

varda's picture
varda

Franko, Great to read about your thought processes in developing your barley bread and it really came out looking great.  Of course, it seems that looks aren't enough to understand how flavorful this bread must be.   Your country bread looks wonderful too with such a nice bloom.  Great baking for the new year.  -Varda

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Varda,

Thanks so much Varda, all the best to you and yours for the New Year!

In many ways I just went along for the ride with the R&B loaf, to see where it might lead. Though I had the intention of making it a high ratio rye loaf of some kind from the outset, the 'how and what' didn't gel until the barley began to swell in the boil-up. The bread looks rather benign in the photo, but when the picture was taken it was one of, if not the sourest breads I've ever had. The Pane de Campagne is my go to bread these days for it's fermentation schedule and day to day versatility, and probably what I'll be baking and eating most often for weeks to come.

Cheers,

Franko 

Syd's picture
Syd

Great post Franko.  I love the pane de campagne.  Beautiful crumb and, I am sure, excellent flavour with such a long final proof.  I am with you on adjusting the baking schedule to fit in with your own.  That is exactly how I have to do it these days.  I usually work everything around the bulk ferment.  I make sure I have enough time to do a mix, autolyse and bulk ferment.  So 10 minutes for the mix, 50 minutes for the  autolyse, 2 to 2 and a half hours for the bulk ferment and a half hour for a pre-shape and final shaping.  About 3 and a half  to 4 hours in total.  Once I make sure I am able to stay at home for that amount of time, I work backwards.  I take my leaven out of the fridge 4 - 5 hours before, because that is how long it takes mine to be ready.  (I normally let it double after refreshing and before refrigerating. Providing it has just been fed in the preceding three days, it should triple again in 4 to 5 hours, once out of the fridge).  I don't need to be at home while the leaven is ripening.  I only need to be there for the bulk ferment.  After the final shaping, I drape the excess cloth from the banneton liner over the dough ( I have loose squares of cloth for liners and they are cut purposefully large so that the excess can more than cover the rising dough), cover it with a plastic  bag and pop it into the fridge until I have time to bake it.  That could be anything from 12 to 24 hours later.  I find about 16 to 18 hours in the fridge is perfect.  If the weather has been warm and there is rye in the formula, I don't even need to do any more proofing: straight from the fridge onto the baking stone.  If, however, it is colder and the dough less lively, I might have to final proof for an hour or longer out of the fridge.  It is very rare that I have enough time to see a loaf through from start to finish in a single day.  But I don't worry any more. I just bake when I have time and I love the dark colour and the blistering effect that a long proof in the fridge produces.

Best,

Syd

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Syd,

Good to hear from you Syd, how have you been?

I'm glad you enjoyed the post and thanks so much for your generous compliments, very nice to hear.

I think our procedures are quite similar, other than that you shape before the overnight retard and I shape after it for the final rise. If the ambients here were what you have in Taiwan I'd probably use your method. In fact I have done it that way when we're having a good hot summer here on V. Island. The great thing is we've both found a way to make our bread within our time restraints and with reliable results, which in the end is what's most important.

Best to you as well Syd,

Franko

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

Hi Franko, happy new year to you and your family.

The pain de campagne is masterful! The batard is my choice... when the shaping comes out as I planned:-)

The mash you made is very very interesting, surely a method to follow. I'm a bit concerned for the off smell you talked about, I had a couple of rottings during the last years. The bread must be really tasty!

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Nico, Happy New Year to you and yours as well!

Thanks very much for your kind words on the loaves, much appreciated. Regarding the mash and it's aroma, it wasn't an off smell, just a very pungent sour smell. I've experienced a soaker gone bad and this wasn't anything like that. Any time we've had a soaker turn on us at work it will have a pinkish to orange colour to it. That, and the odour are dead give-aways that it's garbage. The flavour of this loaf is very tasty, more so now that it's had a few days to settle down. I hope you try it sometime Nico, I think you'd enjoy it.

All the best,

Franko 

 

FlourChild's picture
FlourChild

Wow, the batard looks delicious and I loved following your barley mash experiment, food for thought!

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Flourchild, 

I've always enjoyed playing around with different ideas when it comes to baking and food in general so it's very nice to hear that others might find it interesting as well. Thank you for letting me know and as well for the compliments on the batard.

Franko

 

wassisname's picture
wassisname

Two fantastic loaves, Franko, and a great write-up.  Lots to think about!  What just struck me is that the barley mash is very much along the lines of the spent-grain I've seen in other recipes, only not so "spent".  This sounds even better than hitting-up the local brewery for grain remnants (which I probably never would have gotten around to actually doing).  Brilliant!

Marcus

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Marcus,

I've seen "spent grain" mentioned somewhere in a formula but can't remember where, likely on TFL I imagine. So it's just what's leftover from the brewing process that's used? I have to wonder how much flavour it would have left to contribute to a mix. I may be dead wrong, but I suspect it might be something a commercial bakery would use to "bulk up" a mix that could be purchased from the brewery at a low cost. The mash used in this bread had flavour to spare once it had ripened sufficiently, so if you like a good strong sour give it a try when you can. Always a pleasure to hear from you Marcus, your very kind words are truly appreciated.

Franko 

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

As thought-provoking and inspiring as always. I love a good pain de campagne, and this one looks superb. Wish I could get the flours you used here!

Cheers!
Ross

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Ross,

If you like a good pain de campagne this one is worth giving a go, and as mentioned in the post can be adapted with locally available flours for what I'm sure would be a very similar flavour. I actually think it has as much to do with the % mix of the flours as the flours themselves. I tried several different % combinations using the exact same flours and this is the blend that worked best for my taste. Thanks for the kind words and comments Ross!

Cheers mate,

Franko

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

Wasn't hard! I'll line this up for my next bake. The weather's stinking hot at the moment, so aiming for Monday, when a cool change is due. Looking forward to it - the cool change and the bread!

Cheers!
Ross

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

 

Hi Franko

Well, it took me longer than intended due to a heatwave that just won't let go. Couldn't wait any longer - I baked your pain de campagne yesterday.

Doubtless, my version differs significantly from yours (different flours, and a a kitchen temp of 30C/85F that enforced a reduction in bulk proof to 1.5 hours...and that was stretching it!). Nevertheless, I am enjoying the results a lot. Nice caramelised crust with good crisp crunch without being a jawbreaker, and a crumb that is extraordinarily light and airy while holding its structure. Flavour good, and I'm expecting it to develop further today. Thanks again for the write-up and recipe.

Cheers
Ross

 

Franko's picture
Franko

Nicely done Ross, it's a beauty!

30C/85F? Now that's the sort of challenge I'd like to have these days. We just had a week of snow, sleet, freezing rain etc so anything close to or above 65F/18C sounds wonderful to me right now. I'm really pleased the formula worked out for you and that you like the flavour. Good on you mate for following your baker's sense and not the times given in the procedure. It's an excellent illustration, particularly for new bakers, of why we need to watch the dough and not the clock when making bread. I'm curious as to what flour you used in place of the Red Fife, as the crumb colour is pretty near identical to  what I get on my loaves. A great Pane de Campagne Ross, but beware, you may find yourself baking it almost exclusively for the next few weeks. Other than the Rye & Barley loaf it's the only type of bread I've made since Christmas.

All the best,

Franko

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

To be honest, Franko, the heat here is driving me nuts. It's been high 30s day after day and now the forecast is a string of 40+ days without an end in sight. I'd like to spend a little time in your wintry conditions right now!

Thanks for your generous comments on my pain de campagne. Something else I've noticed now 3 days after the bake is that the crumb retains its moisture very well. Was almost a shame to toast the bread at this stage, but we did so last night because we had a penchant for bruschetta - was excellento.

I was pleased at your observation that the crumb colour was close to yours. The whole wheat flour component I used was a Western Australian stone ground biodynamic/organic flour from a farm called Eden Valley. Their flours are superb. Like the Red Fife, it's a hard wheat variety, but I think that's probably where the similarity ends. Whatever, the flavour of the bread was top-notch.

By the way, you've got the Aussie lingo down well! Have you spent time here? It's Australia Day today - will raise a tinny to you over the barbie tonight, mate, no bloody worries!

Cheers!
Ross

Franko's picture
Franko

Mmm...I agree Ross, high 30s and 40s might be a bit much. I shouldn't complain too much as we're off to Maui for a week on Sunday so that should tide me over till things warm up here in B.C.

I find the same thing as you (regarding moisture retention) in the loaves I've made. I had the last slice of a loaf I made week before last and it was fine, naturally a little drier, but still fairly moist considering how long it'd been around.

I didn't detect any bran in the crumb of your loaf and was wondering if it was a sifted WW.  No, I've never had the pleasure of a visit to your country, but have had the pleasure of working and socializing with lots of folks from Australia and NZ so I guess some of the lingo rubbed off on me over the years. Happy Australia Day Ross!

Cheers,

Franko

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

Actually, Franko, I reckon Canadians and Aussies have a rapport. I first noticed that many years ago during my Big Trip overseas (was once a rite of passage for young Australians to save up and take off on a one-way ticket, usually beginning in London, and travel for a couple of years...these days, the equivalent is the parent-financed gap year, I guess). There seems to be a lot of similarities in mindset and attitude between the two nationalities. Always a generalisation, of course, but still...

Looking at my wholegrain flour, it does appear to have bran in it. It's an Eden Valley stoneground 'light' wholemeal - does that description give any clue as to bran content, do you think?

BTW, I raised a Hoegaarden to the northern hemisphere over the BBQ last night! Not very patriotic of me to choose a Belgian beer, but it's so damned good!

Cheers!
Ross

 

 

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Ross, 

Canucks and Aussies/Kiwis just seem to hit it off for some reason, or at least that's been my experience more often than not. Reading your response reminded me that the very first bakery I worked after leaving training was owned and run by a lady from NZ who's Australian husband I'd worked with when I was in Food & Beverage. Nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

I had a look at the Eden Valley site but it's pretty lean on specific info regarding their flour. We have a mill here in B.C. (Rogers) that makes a 'white whole wheat' that is white flour with fine bran added to it, perhaps Eden Valley does something similar. Whatever the case the Eden Valley products look top notch from what I read on their site. Wish we had more mills like that here.

We're a pair ay? An Aussie drinking Belgian beer and a Canuck drinking Czech beer, what's wrong with this picture. Fell in love with the Czech quaff this summer when we spent a few nights in Prague. They've got some amazing brews over there that make Pilsner Urquell look pretty ho-hum IMO.

rossnroller's picture
rossnroller

Interesting you should mention Czech beer, Franko. I had a Czech student back in the early 2000s who put me on to Czech pilseners. He gave me a bottle of Urquell and another of Gambrinus, which at that time were unheard of and unobtainable in Australia. I loved both (was already a big Pilsener fan, but had not tried any Czech ones) - especially the Gambrinus. Urquell is now freely available here, but I never have come across another bottle of Gambrinus. Anyway, I have no doubt about your claim of there being some amazing brews en locale. After all, the Czechs were the originators of the pilsener style, as you'd be well aware.

Continuing on the beer theme, I encountered some incredible beers of various types during a year I spent in Germany in the mid-80s. That was my first taste of weissbier - from a most beautiful little Bavarian town called Burghausen, which had their own brew developed over centuries...commonplace in Europe, this is the sort of tradition I envy and treasure. When I returned home I was amazed to find that a local boutique brewery - the pioneers of a movement that is now burgeoning nation-wide, as I think may also be the case in Canada and the States - had released a wheat beer. Wasn't bad, either, until a big corporate bought them out and dumbed it down (gotta get rid of that cloudiness - the public won't buy that!).

While we have some great stuff happening on the boutique scene, it's expensive (necessarily). My big beer treat these days is the classic Austrian pilsener, Trumer Pils. That's a wonderful drop by any standards, IMO.

How different things are now. Just 30 years ago, each State had their own small selection of local commercial brews, which were drunk in enormous quantity (I have to confess to contributing to WA's consumption in no small way!). These days, it's about the quality. I now far prefer one bottle savoured to 12 slammed down for effect. I suppose it's called maturity. Pity it didn't extend to all areas!

Big cheers!
Ross

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Very inspiring work, both of them Franko! Perfect results.

The rye mash bread looks especially appealing with its rye flake topping, and its open crumb.

Welcome back!

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Khalid,

I guess it has been a while since I posted anything, so your "welcome back" as well as your generous compliments are very nice to receive. Thank you! Between working in a busy shop in December and Christmas preparations on the home front, things were a tad hectic last month. The rye bread might be a little sour for your family, especially the kids, but I think it would be something that you'd enjoy.

All the very best Khalid,

Franko

wally's picture
wally

Happy New Year, Franko!

I've just come up to breathe, and lo and behold I found your two loaves of bread.  They are spectacular both.  But you know my weakness for rye, and your experiment with the fermented mash is absolutely mouth-watering to look at.  The openness of the crumb, given the grains, is amazing!  What beautiful bakes!

-long lost Larry

Franko's picture
Franko

Well as I live and breath!

Larry what a nice surprise to hear from you my friend, and a Happy New Year to you as well.

At one point during the making of the Rye & Barley loaf I thought of your own experiment with a rye mash back in 2010. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19170/experiment-rye-mash-soaker  That was a really interesting post that opened my eyes to a rye method I'd never heard of till then. Though our methods and loaves are different, apparently the idea of using a mash stuck with me over time and I'm sure your post back then contributed to the inspiration for using one in this mix. Thanks for that Larry, and for your very kind comments on the breads as well.

Hope all is well and that your "long lost" status comes to an end in 2012!

Best Wishes,

Franko 

 

longhorn's picture
longhorn

Great looking loaves. I will have to try the mash loaf. Sounds like something I would really like!

Franko's picture
Franko

Thanks longhorn!

On the day after taking the first slice of the mash loaf I wasn't 100% sure I wanted all of it so sent about a third of it off with my wife to give to one her co-workers. BIG mistake! The bread needs a few days for the flavours to mature,but once they do it's pretty amazing stuff. If you do get a chance to try it I'd love to know what you think since only myself and one other person has tasted it so far, and the other person isn't really a bread aficionado.

Thanks again, all the best!

Franko 

longhorn's picture
longhorn

I did some 100% whole spelt bread for Christmas for some gluten intolerants and it had the three day maturation also... Good at the beginning but spectacular at day 3 to 5 and it never seems to get mold even though I eat it in thin slices. And my gluten intolerant friends are begging for more!

The crumb looks almost like a dead ringer for your mash! Gotta try it! Will try to do it next week. I need some dense bread like that!

Thanks!

Jay

PiPs's picture
PiPs

Great bake Franko,

Feel like I need to to read the rye mashup process a few times to get it though :) Would love to sink my teeth into a rye that looked like that :)

The country bread looks a perfect specimen of a batard. I have read a bit on red fife, specifically Cliff Leir from Fol Epi who is milling it at his bakery. How do you find it compared to other whole wheat products?

Cheers,
Phil 

Franko's picture
Franko

Thanks Phil,

I went back and had a look at the posted procedure and realized the first part of the mash procedure was never pasted in, but is now corrected.  My apologies Phil, :^)

The Red Fife that I have was milled at True Grain Bakery http://truegrain.ca/ in Cowichan Bay here on Vancouver Island. It's easily the most flavourful wheat flour I've run across, giving the baked loaves a much deeper, almost spicy, (for lack of a better term) background note to the overall. There aren't too many wheat breads I make these days that don't have Red Fife included in them in some percentage. In a mix, the RF has very good fermentation and handling characteristics that make for a lively dough with fairly easy development, seldom needing more than 2 S&F's. As long as I can continue to source it locally, RF will be my wheat flour of choice for most of the breads I eat on a regular basis.

The last time we were down in Victoria we paid a visit to Cliff's Fol Epi Bakery, but unfortunately it was closed being a Monday. I did have a look in the windows of his shop though and he has a nice set up with his mill and the WFO he built himself. Just the type of shop I'd like to have for myself if I wasn't so close to retirement, but encouraging to see that his dedication to craft is so well received by his patrons, judging by the reviews I've read of Fol Epi.

Thanks again for your gracious compliments on the loaves Phil! If I can clarify any further aspects of the Rye Barley procedure, please don't hesitate to ask.

All the best,

Franko