Vollkornbrot--first attempt
I made Jeffrey Hamelman's Vollkornbrot with Flax Seeds (Bread, 2nd edition, p. 241) for the first time yesterday. Since I don't have a pullman loaf pan, I scaled the recipe down to 60% and made it in a disposable 3-lb loaf pan.
It came out looking like this (cut after 25 hrs):
It had a nice moist crumb and tasted fine although a bit aggressive on the flax seed aroma and flavor.
If anyone has made a similar recipe perhaps you can answer the following:
1. The dough when I loaded the pan reminded me of the texture of an unbaked meat loaf. I had to smoosh it into the pan with a rubber spatula and smooth out the top. Is that the expected consistency?
2. Although the loaf rose somewhat during proofing, there was no discernible oven spring. Is that expected with a dough of this density?
Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading.
There should be a little rise b/f you put it in the oven and no oven spring, really. Nice job!
hester
The texture of a rye may vary greatly depending on the flour and the taste of the baker. What you describe sits on the less hydrated end of the spectrum and is closer to what you will see in many bakery-made breads. Some people prefer vastly more hydrated doughs, of the kind that you pretty much pour into the pan.
You typically expect ~50% rise during the proof and little to no oven spring, and that's how you want it to be.
That's a beautiful loaf! It looks very similar to the results I've gotten when making similar breads. Yes, the dough is very soft and your description (meatloaf) is pretty accurate. There should, however, be some rise, so if you didn't get much perhaps you can proof longer next time. Also, as with any rye formula, make sure not to over-mix, as rye tends to get very sticky if mixed with the same vigo you might use for a wheat loaf. In any case, beautiful effort!
One trick I learned from MiniOven on a 100% rye was to put the pan in the oven cold and let the bread come up to temp along with the oven.
Bread looks great!
The Vollkornbrot is a challenging bread to make, but you've done a great job. Dense, hearty rye breads don't do much in terms of rising, since there's not enough gluten to trap the gas and make big Tartine-style bubbles. Even though you report that there wasn't much rise, by looking at the crumb and the rounded top it's clear that you had a nice and controlled fermentation. On the other hand, perhaps letting it proof a little bit longer will balance out the aggressive flax flavor and sour it up a little bit.
In terms of dough texture : yes, rye dough can be like meatloaf, but stickier. It's not like wheat dough in that it won't really shape itself, you really gotta work it. But at least it doesn't require too much delicacy, so you can manhandle it to your heart's desire and it probably won't even remember.
Exercise caution when devouring the Vollkornbrot : I have fallen under the seductive spell of hearty rye breads more times than I'd wish to admit. The taste beckons you to keep eating, but unfortunately your taste buds are going to be writing checks that the digestive tract can't cash. In any case, enjoy !
A fine example of the peoples whole grain bread. Well done and
Happy baking