RWC SD - Freshly milled comparison
I posted elsewhere that, in addition to receiving a Komo Fidibus mill for my birthday (arrives today), that I picked up a Mill & Mix machine off CL yesterday, too. I really couldn’t wait to grind some flour and get it into a bake, so I went for it with my weekly two loaves of RWC SD. I wanted to get a bit of a feel for how different my recipe would be with freshly milled flour vs the KA WW that I usually use, so I split my recipe in half, and used freshly milled flour for the WW addition for one loaf, and KA WW in the other. Here’s the formula before dividing:
902g AP Flour (Gold Medal)
180g WW Flour
212g Starter (100% hydration, fed with WW flour)
684g Water
22g Salt
I did my usual process, mixing the flours, water and starter together, then resting for 30 minutes. I did two sets of ~20 stretch/folds, separated by 30 minutes, then about 90 minutes of bulk proof (this is all at ~75F.) Both doughs were looking good at this point, so I pre-shaped, bench rested for about 30 minutes, then did a final shaping and popped them into my bannetons, lined with towels, and with a mix of sesame seeds. The loaves were then proofed @ 75F for about an hour, then popped into the fridge while I heated the oven. 45 minutes later, I baked loaf #1 (batard w/freshly milled flour), 13 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. Then I baked the second loaf (this one did not seem to have the same oven spring, so may have suffered from the extra time proofing in the fridge……)
Batard out of the oven:
Boule out of the oven:
Batard crumb (I consider this my "all purpose" crumb.....toast, sandwiches, etc.):
All in all, I have to say I didn’t notice much difference in the two doughs. I think that I could discern that the one with freshly milled flour did suck up the water faster, but it wasn’t a huge difference, and both felt very much the same when I worked them throughout the process. One significant difference was in the aroma…..the loaf with the freshly milled grains has a distinct grassy aroma (this is hard red spring wheat, and, based on my reading, grassy is not uncommon.)
I am pleased with the outcome of this bake, and I look forward to playing more with my mills to provide food for my starter/mother/levain, as well as experiment with a greater variety of grains, % of whole grains in my breads, etc.
Just like my home brewing, BBQ’ing and cheesemaking hobbies…..there’s always something more to explore in this world of sourdough! :)\
Thanks for looking!
Rich
It's not surprising given the low percentage of whole grain in that recipe. I suggest you try a 40 or 50% whole grain recipe. That is where you will notice remarkable differences. Here's a link to my first bake after milling my own. I described the crumb as "soft as sandwich bread."
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/51175/first-freshly-milled-loaves
I probably should have mentioned that my expectations were that I probably wouldn't see much if any difference given the % of whole grains I added. :) Instead of diving headlong into it with a whole grain loaf (which would be WAY more typical of my style), this bake was both a more reserved entry into freshly milled flour.....AND, to be honest, I just needed our weekly bread without a flop! :) I'll be trying out higher percentages of whole grains for sure!
Thanks to the link for your first loaves with your mill. They look absolutely fantastic, and give me something to shoot for.
In the meantime, I just ground up some food for my stored starter, which was oddly satisfying! :)
Rich
I'm with you. Between the Brod & Taylor proofing box and the mill, I've got almost everything I want.
I don't have a grain mill as yet, however maybe in the future as I am very interested. I read somewhere that freshly milled grain is allowed to "age" oxidise for a period before use. Does that need to be considered by the home miller?
Cheers,
Gavin
Hey, Gavin. I'm a total noob when it comes to milling my own flour, so I don't have any first hand experience here. I have read quite a bit (here and elsewhere), and the general consensus seems to be that there is no appreciable difference, and most just grind, then use. I know there are tradeoffs in terms of the nutritional qualities that start to fade/degrade as soon as the wheat is ground, though I can't say at what rate, etc.
If you want some of the experienced millers to give you some input, I'd suggest opening this up as a new topic in the milling forum (which I believe is under the "Gear" heading in the forum list.)
Cheers!
Rich
...there’s no need for home millers to “age” flour they’ve milled before baking with it. Commercial producers are looking for a narrow standard of performance that freshly milled grain is too “fresh” and unstable to be relied upon for. A period of oxidation after milling settles the product into a more predictable state, for their purposes, which are not ours.
I’ve been milling and feeding the bake’s leaven immediately thereafter, then mixing the autolyse 2-3h thereafter for several years now and can attest to the more than satisfactory results one can obtain from un-aged flour.
Tom
Thanks for jumping in and answering Gavin's question, Tom (....and now I don't have to ask it.) :)
Rich
Thanks to all for the answers. I'm trying to convince myself that the cost/benefit is worth it. Cheers.