Eric: Hamelman's Five-Grain Levain
At Eric's request, here is Hamelman's Five-Grain Levain.
As an introduction, Hamelman describes this recipe as "one of the most delectable table breads I have ever eaten."
Pre-ferment flour: 25%
Dough Yield (home): 3 medium loaves
Five-Grain Levain
Liquid Levain build:
8 oz bread flour (all purpose flour in the mid 11% protein range)
10 oz water
1.6 oz mature culture liquid (Hamelman uses a liquid culture of 125% hydration)
Soaker:
2.9 oz cracked rye (I have also substituted cracked wheat)
2.9 oz flaxseeds
2.5 oz sunflower seeds
2.5 oz oats
13 oz boiling water
.2 oz salt
Final Dough:
1 lb high-gluten flour
8 oz whole wheat flour
8.4 oz water
.6 oz salt
.1 oz (1 tsp) instant yeast (I omit this when retarding dough overnight)
1 lb, 8 oz soaker (all of above)
1 lb, 2 oz liquid levain (all less 3T)
TOTAL FINAL DOUGH: 4 lb., 11.1 oz
1. Liquid levain: Make the final build 12 to 16 hrs before the final mix and let stand in covered container at about 70 degrees.
2. Soaker: Pour boiling water over the grain blend and salt, mix thoroughly, and cover with plastic to prevent evaporation. Make the soaker as the same time as the final build of the levain and let stand at room temperature. If grains that don't require a hot soaker are used (eg, rye chops in lieu of cracked rye) a cold soaker can be made. In that case, the grains in the soaker will absorb less water, and it's likely that slightly less water will be needed in the final dough.
3. Mixing: All add the ingredients to the mixing bowl. In a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes, adjusting the hydration as necessary. Mix on second speed for 3 to 3-1/2 minutes. The dough should have a moderate gluten development. Desired dough temperature: 76 degrees. [NOTE: It's been a while since I made this recipe, so I can't recall exactly how long I kneaded the dough. Generally, I have to knead longer than Hamelman suggests to get to the desired level of gluten devleopment. Since dsnyder made this bread so successfully recently, perhaps he can suggest some mixing times.]
4. Bulk Fermentation: 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. [I do 2 hrs with 1 fold and omit the yeast (see final fermentation below)
5. Folding: If the bulk fermentation will last 1-1/2 hrs, fold after 45 minutes. [I always fold]
6. Dividing and shaping: Divide the dough into 1.5 lb pieces; shape round or oblong. Can also be made into rolls.
7. Final fermentation: Approximately 1 hour at 76 degrees. [The dough can be retarded for several hours or overnight, which case the bulk fermentation should be 2 hrs with 1 fold, and the yeast left out of the mix.]
8. Baking: With normal steam, 460 for 40 to 45 minutes. There is a great deal of water retention in this bread, so be sure to bake thoroughly.
An overnight retardation in the refrigeration greatly enhances the flavors of this bread.
Hope you enjoy,
Liz