The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Ancient Grain Sprouted Sourdough

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Ancient Grain Sprouted Sourdough

With the excitement and highlighting of Ancient Grains and Sprouted Grains in the bread world that we may be paying too much attention to, other really cool and interesting developments in the world can sometimes take a back seat and go nearly unnoticed.  One of those ‘other’ things came to light this past week when Lucy found out that one thing that has baffled cosmologists and physicists for decades was finally answered..... and it involved her.

 

These learned men and women think that the beginning of the universe happened because of ‘The Big Bang’ some 13.5 plus billion years ago.  Supposedly, the huge, very cold and sparse universe we see today sprang from an infinitely small, dense and hot tiny bit of nothing.  Sadly, these most brilliant among us still can’t tell us; what banged, why it banged or how it banged but one of the great ancient Big Bang unknowns - exactly where the bang took place. has finally been solved.

 

I know it is hard to fathom, but apparently where the Big Bang took place, at least where it was last Wednesday, was right inside Lucy’s head!  How they figured this out is totally incomprehensible to mere mortals like you and me, but Lucy was thrilled to no end as any Baking Apprentice 2nd Class would be - especially one from Germany who only barks in Swedish.

 

It was so wet it stuck badly and spread faster than the just banged, young, inflating universe.  Before I could slash the boule, it was at least 4 inches in diameter bigger than when it came out of the basket.  These things happen when you get the hydration 4-5 % too high - so don't do it:-)

The high Lucy was on only lasted for a short time though when she found out, much to my personal pleasure, that each of us (and all the aliens in the universe for that matter) also have had their heads at the center of one Big Bang or another.  It seems there is a universe out there where the only difference between this one and that one is that there are no German Baking Apprentice 2nd Classes which might be a good thing for Masters everywhere. 

 

Yep, your head was at the center of a big bang too.  This of course makes better sense (and becomes more probable) when you understand and believe, like these scientists do who are way too smart and imaginative for. their own good if you ask me, that stuff can be in more than one place at a time and that stuff is only there when you are actually looking at it.  Otherwise it could be anywhere else.

 

Now is the time to make that Holiday fruitcake.

Just think, you are stuck where you are because you always see yourself from the inside out but everything and everyone else is moving anywhere they want when you aren’t looking - pretty sneaky.   Sometimes stuff and people don’t come back though and they aren’t where you thought they should be when you go looking for them.

 

This yeasr's red and green salad garden with cherry tomatoes and herbs.

I’m now convinced that this explains a lot of the weird stuff that goes on around here when it comes to the lost and missing things of all kinds I can’t seem to find when I need them.  So my old age isn’t at all responsible for losing stuff like my Baking Apprentice reminds me of all the time.   It’s just the way world is as we know it today.... as governed by the laws of physics!  Now on to baking and we will keep that short since I have somewhere else to be when you aren’t looking.

 

At 3 pounds of apples for a dollar, this years crop is still perfectly priced for a big ginger, snockered fruit, apple cider galette - best one yet!

Lucy’s bake this week hearkens back to he short lived euphoria when she thought her head was at the center of the answer an ancient question and explains why she picked mainly Ancient Grains for the whole grains in this bread.   The methods are exactly like last week’s bake found here  Multigrain Sourdough Sprouter _ I am too lazy to repost them.

 

The differences, besides the grains used are we dropped the AP flour completely, upped the whole grains to 50%, dropped the sprouted whole grains to 25% and upped the hydration by nearly 9 points to 87.5% - 5 points too high we fouind out later

 

This last change made for a really sloppy dough compared to what we thought was last weeks sloppy mess.  In hindsight, last week’s dough was pretty comfortable to work with but this one finally stopped sticking to the counter on the second set of slap and folds.

 

We were thinking big holes with it being so wet but you never know about dough that might be the center of a big bang somewhere or possibly might even come from a black hole.  Now that would really be something since nothing , even lighht, is supposed to escape from a black hole.   But still, supposedly all stuff, even bread dough, can be in more than one place at a time too.  No wonder black holes are such paradoxes and difficult to bring into the light.

 

The grilled chicken and cheddar cheese sandwich for lunch today was very tasty.

This one baked up nicely brown with some decent spring and bloom like last time but more hole grains means two things smaller holes and smaller blisters – its just a fundamental law of bread.  This bread was nicely open anyway, with a soft moist and glossy crumb.  The taste was the best yet for a sprouted grain bread and one of the best tasting breads we have eaten - ever - and that is saying something!

 

Lucy is pretty pleased with herself and not just because she was the center of the universe for a brief moment.   She reminds us to not forget the salad!  The sunrises are pretty good around here too - when there are clouds in the sky.

 

Levain Build

Build 1

Build 2

 Build 3

Total

%

3 Wk Retarded Rye Sour Starter

8

0

0

8

1.85%

83% Extraction Ancient

0

0

19

19

4.40%

17% Ext/ Ancient & Sprouted

8

16

13

37

8.56%

Water

8

16

32

56

12.96%

Total

24

32

64

120

27.78%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Levain Totals

 

%

 

 

 

Flour

60

13.89%

 

 

 

Water

60

13.89%

 

 

 

Levain Hydration

100.00%

 

 

 

 

Levain % of Total Flour

13.89%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dough Flour

 

%

 

 

 

83% Extraction Ancient Grain

156

36.11%

 

 

 

KA Bread Flour

216

50.00%

 

 

 

Total Dough Flour

372

86.11%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salt

9

2.08%

 

 

 

Water

318

73.61%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dough Hydration

85.48%

 

 

 

 

Total Flour w/ Starter

432

 

 

 

 

Water w/ Starter

378

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hydration with Starter

87.50%

 

 

 

 

Total Weight

819

 

 

 

 

% Whole Ancient Grain

50.00%

 

 

 

 

% Sprouted Ancient Grain

25.00%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whole Ancient Grains include equal 

 

 

 

 

amounts of einkorn, rye, spelt, emmer and

 

 

 

 

Kamut - half the whole grains were sprouted

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Gail_NK's picture
Gail_NK

Ok, BrownMan, I don't know how you do it!

I just spent 10 minutes trying to do 8 minutes of slap and folds with dough at 80% hydration - consisting of 100gr Kamut, 300gr whole wheat, 600gr unbleached white. Every time I tried to pick it up to fold and slap down again, it made some awful glooping/slushing noise and stretched about as far as I could reach. No slapping back down when you can't get the whole thing off the counter.

Took a time out, shoveled the whole mess up and put it into a bowl to think about its behavior while I thought about things. The light went on - I forgot the salt!

After the dough and I settled down a bit, I sprinkled the salt over it, did one round of folds in the bowl and lifted it out onto the counter again. Success! Slap and folds worked - amazing how much a little salt tightens up the gluten, eh?

Now I'm waiting getting ready to do the stretch and fold rounds, I think this might work.

At first I was sure 80% hydration is beyond my skill level - now I know I can follow your lead and keep upping it. Next time, we'll go for 85% - wish me luck!

Gail NK

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

But it makes one wonder how Tuscans can make bread.  When i go for high hydration I also go for an autolyse to let the dough sit there, with no slat and do some gluten development on its own:-)  Time is your best friend when it gets really sloppy.  Normally my dough quits sticking to the counter at the 6-7 minute mark of the first slap and fold set.  But this one was about 4-5% too high with the water, but after a 20 minute rest it did stop sticking to the counter after the 3nd set.  It was still a spreader though and wouldn't hold its shape even after the 3ed set of stretch and folds. 

In your case, white bleached AP flour doesm't have much gluten to begin with and the recipe may have worked better with unbleached bread flour in its place which not only has more gluten but also is more thirsty.

In my case, I usually adjust the hydration after the 1st set of slap and folds if it is too dry or wet and should have this time by adding some more flour.  I broke my rule of thumb  and paid for it.  After all of these years you would think I would know better - but you can't fix stupid either:-)

I'm guessing your bread came out fine with an open crumb but might have spread like this one did?  Now you are on your way to being a high hydration freak which is good because the bread is better that way - to a point.  Wet dough, slapped into submission followed by stretch and folds changed my bread making so much for the better and ...forever.

Happy slapping and folding

My best asset, bread wise, is to have a long time well trained apprentie whose head is full of it.  

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

Lovely dessert and jealous of your potted veg garden!  Batten down for the coming storm though.

Happy baking man.

John

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

and no worries so we esaped the West Coast deluge.  The pot garden is overproducing salad for the two of us.  10 post of greens is too much but prefect for 3 like last year.  Thankfully the daughter comes home tonight for Christmas break  to pick up the salad slack.    we even have 6 cherry tomatoes to ready to pick,  With 4 cherry plants, we will have way to many tomatoes  too. but at least you an can them.

I ooked down a half gallon of cider to make 16 oz of apple cider jam and some of that is in this apple galette - the best tasting one this year by far -a gussied up apple pie of there ever was one:-)  You would really like the taste of this bread John,  The 25% of whole sprouted grains really is delicious.    Now we just have to figure out the right hydration.  here is a close up of the pot garden and

Happy baking John

Gail_NK's picture
Gail_NK

Love your pot garden! It's just a little bit too cool and dark here in Seattle to keep something going all winter, though the greens will start peeking out in March again...

I'm packing my bags!

Gail NK

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

I would show up on a Friday afternoon when the bread has just cooled from the oven.  The pots are a must as we usually have a few hard fezzes in December and January, even if 60 F in the day time so I just haul them into the house at night.  The garden never freezes and dies that way..  We get nearly 6 months of salad veggies with the pot garden.  Since it can be 100 F in March and September no salads can survive between those months and they just bolt - the tomatoes won't set any fruit over 90 F either.  Seems to work.

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

We're having nice ones now, too, though I see mainly the sunrises. I love watching the colors change. Very nice post. It's always a treat to read your rantings (uh, I mean thoughts).  ;)

Love your garden and the galette... well, just tell me it's already gone. Gorgeous!

Best to you and Lucy,

Cathy

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

of some big bang in some galaxy somewhere?  Who knew we all had this in common besides baking bread?

The galette is only half gone as of right now but it won't last but another 2 days with my daughter coming home tonight,

I don't think living in AZ  would be the same without beautiful sunsets and sunrises - the one tonight was too pretty to photo and I just sat there with my prickly pear margarita and enjoyed it  The perfect end to a perfect day.

Gad you liked the ranting  this week..... who knows what next week will bring to light?  Lucy is convinced that we can bring a lessened understanding to just about anything important :-0

Happy baking

Isand66's picture
Isand66

My head is spinning reading your essay on the cosmos.  A matter a fact Cosmo just sat on my keyboard and insisted on sharing some of my breakfast :).

Anyway, love that veggie garden.  I have to rethink how I do my garden next summer as I have been very disappointed the last several years and was thinking of going to a raised bed system.  In any case I would love to live close enough to send Max and Lexi over to swipe some of those greens :>

The bread looks awesome even with the sticking issue and must have tasted great.  Now that I started my new job I have not had as much time to bake, but I spent some time last night and today baking.  I just took out a Sprouted Porridge bread with cheese and it smells amazing.  I used 35% sprouted flour in this one.  I will post in the next day or so when I get a chance.

I'm about to put another rye in and next one up is a fruit cake type rye.  Not sure if it will come close to your works of art though!

Happy Baking  to you and Lucy from your New York baking buddies.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

that Lexi, Max and Lucy are meeting up in some dog park in another universe so they can talk about us behind our backs:-)  The great thing about pot and raised beds is that you can make the dirt what ever you want every year.  I mixed potting soil, compost, vermiculite and Miracle Grow top soil  for these pots.  Then I fertilize with a bit of Miracle Grow every time I water.  The plants love the deep pots and fertilizer.

I'm working my way up to sprouted whole grain flour after one at 50% turned into a Frisbee with a gummy crumb after a long cold retard and only baking it to 205 F.   Fruitcake Rye also sounds interesting like Rye Cookies

Hope the new job turns out great.  Lucy says HI to her buddies and can't wait to see them at a dog park near Alpha Centuri 

Happy Baking Ian

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

We had our share of sunrises and sunsets on our road trip which included some lovely state parks in AZ !!  The night we camped in our tent in Homolovi State Park we had a midnight visitor...actually it was 2 AM. Heard and felt the tent moving...round and round she/he rubbed against the outside of the tent and I watched the shadows as the moon was so bright...he/she finally left ...me lying there breathless. In the AM I took pics of the paw prints..yep..a cougar !!  We got back a week ago and drove 5000 miles in 19 days. Loved all of AZ !!! 

Happy Baking Dab...love the pot garden. c

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Nothing like a ougar to make the camping trip extra special:-)  Had to be exhilarating!  Glad you liked the post.  The sprouted flour baking has been fun and very tasty of late.  Nice to be doing something new bread wise.  Enjoy your travels to beautiful places and

Happy baking Trail

Kiseger's picture
Kiseger

sorry a bit late on this one, but this bread and your post are both just fabulous.  Really enjoyed reading this, love Lucy's peregrinations around the universe and what a gorgeous bread (great crumb) and apple pie and everything else.

Super all round!!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

the Big Bang in our universe I have trying to figure out what parallel universe my head there was the center of that universe.  If you want, I can have her look for your parallel universe too.  Lucy likes to do things but gels bored easily so the more I giver her to do the better :-) 

This bread was a very tasty one and almost as healthy at 50% whole grains.  Tomorrow's bake is similar without the emmer and Kamut whole grains.  Lucy said to many ancient grains made her feel old and sluggish.  I personally think she was just worn out from being in way too many places as once for most of last week.  Glad you liked the cosmic bread  post and

Happy Baking