July 11, 2016 - 2:34pm
BBGA Article on Rye Chemistry
Bread Baker's Guild of America recently published my article on rye chemistry in their quarterly newsletter, Bread Lines. To download click here.
Stan Ginsberg
theryebaker.com
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BBGA Article on Rye Chemistry
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Congratulations, Stan!
I'm afraid your link doesn't link. Can you try it again?
Murph
I tested it with Firefox, Chrome and MS Edge; all work fine. Try it with one of those.
I probably pressed instead of tapped on my phone screen. Stupid technology. :)
Stan, the article seems to say that amylase is the thing to manage and that a scald brings about a peak activity while sourdough minimizes the window for amylase. It seems contradictory, but I'm probably misunderstanding it.
I say that just to prove that I read it. :) Seriously, though? I'll probably never get to your level. You're amazing and to be congratulated for adding to the store of knowledge. Some kid is going to use your study for a doctorate someday. That's pretty cool, in my book.
I love TFL for exposing me to this sort of info and am grateful to you for sharing this. Thank you, sir!
After reading this, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you've already posted a killer rye recipe right here on TFL for a home baker like me. I'm going to try that one next!
Murphl
The sponge and scald represent separate steps. The scald maximizes sugar content without subjecting the final dough to enzyme degradation, while the initial sponge build produces enough acid to inhibit all that free amylase in the scald when the final dough comes together. So complementary, not contradictory.
And thanks for your kind words. You'll find lots more in my new book The Rye Baker, which will be out in about 10 weeks (9/27).
You can find a lot of good recipes on my blog, theryebaker.com.
Stan
Amazing! Reinhart says that all we're really trying to do as bakers is to coax maximum flavor out of the sawdust that is raw flour. What you've done is suggest a scalding step to take it to the next level that is overlooked by most sourdough bakers!
Good golly, Miss Molly!
So, a home baker has to figure out a way to paddle-mix at 150°F for 10-12 minutes to accomplish this. That's not overly hot but I imagine that the temperature has to be consistent over that time period, right?
Like, you couldn't start with simmering water for the first five minutes knowing that your mix will cool over time and expect that 150° will be reached at some point and that that will be good enough.
Sounds too good to be true. :)
Murph
Amylase enzymes deactivate above 175F or so, so the idea is to keep them active while killing off the microorganisms. The hot water will do that and from there I keep my scalds in my home oven set to 160-165.
I just made a decent-looking loaf that tastes like cardboard (I'm new to bread baking). Clearly, I have a lot to learn about bringing the flavor but I've never heard of scalding the flour.
I've read about the importance of the ferment but this thing you have is very different. I hope you get some traction from more experienced bakers and would love to hear of their results with it.
Bread. Who knew?
Thank you, Stan!
Murph
It brings out the sweetness, as Norm noted. It also darkens the scalded portion of the flour and, eventually, the entire loaf. Very good stuff.
In addition to "scald" as a search term (and that will get plenty of hits), you might also want to try "mash" or "mashing" which is much the same.
Paul
...to paraphrase a former president.
That's so intriguing to me. Reinhart says we're supposed to bring out the flavor of the wheat. You're talking about the sweetness. Stan's talking scalding and then you're suggesting a mash like when I used to home brew beer. WOW!
And flour tastes like sawdust until you more experienced folk work magic.
Reinhart shows me a diagram of a wheat grain and everyone on TFL shows me how to unlock flavor from sawdust. SAWDUST! Praise God.
That it can be done at all is amazing to me. I'm new. I'm going to learn. Bread is good. It's basic to all cooking and why I so much enjoy your company and everyone else's here on TFL.
I can hardly wait until through practice I can finally taste flavor and texture from a fine lean loaf that I make in my own home.
Thank you for jumping in here, Paul! Thank you, Stan, for sharing a unique twist to bring flavor to a mere grain!
(Emily Post: Am I posting too often on TFL without bringing value? PM me. Help me learn to fit in.)
Have fun!
Murph