Blog posts

I wanted to post more data to help those interested in a fool proof way to flake grains. My last post was using rye in my Marga  Mulino Flaker and utilizing the technique I discovered on the Blog Foodprepper. 

I have even more positive proof that this is the best and easiest way to prepare and flake grains. I chose Einkorn grains as they are reputed to be “ too hard” to flake. Well with this method as you will see it’s simplicity itself. 

I have been getting much more relaxed about my bakes these days, a welcome improvement. My current mindset: it's bread. Nobody is dieing, nobody needs CPR, and the world will not come to an end if it doesn't come out the way I expected. And who knows what I may learn from the experience. 

The Tartine method is how I got started in sourdough baking and is still the basis for most of my sourdough loaves in its intention of making a open crumb bread with a less sour flavor. Lately I had been playing it safe by keeping the hydration at 75% and not risking over fermenting.

This is 60% dark rye, 20% high extraction wheat (stone ground, with a lot bran), and 20% strong bread flour.

Have never used bread flour for breads before, that's a first!

Today's bake - 100% whole wheat SD, baked in a small graniteware roaster.

Hard white spring wheat (home milled) 450 gm

Water 405 gm

Starter (100% hydration) 130 gm

Salt 9 gm

Bulk proof 7 hours (might been a tad too long)

Final proof in banetton 45 min. 

The kitchen went from 68F this morning to 75F by early afternoon, and I wasn't watching closely enough how rapidly the proofing accelerated. Spring weather in AZ, lol. 

Some time ago I ordered the real (Ukrainian) red rye malt through eBay. It's been a few weeks, and I finally got to use it, and of course I started with a Borodinsky. I used the Rus Brot adaptation of the 1940 recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_p7IihoZs I followed it as closely as possible, with just minor time adjustments to fit my schedule, and I had to mix (extra strong) bread flour and WW flout to approximate the Russian grade II flour (I guess it's same as first clear flour maybe? or high extraction flour?)

This past weekend, got to do a "little" experimenting.  Didn't need to make a full loaf, and my daughter got me a set of silicone mini loaf pans.  The perfect size for experiments.  So, decided to try something simple and see if my wife liked it.  She's not much of a sourdough fan (although she said the Durum Pain au Levain is the best bread I've made, so maybe it's my SD execution to-date that's the problem).  Started simple and made a 90:10 white flour:WW loaf with raisin yeast water.

I haven’t posted very much lately because we went into lockdown/stay at home, came out of it for two weeks and we are back into lockdown/grey zone on Monday. People here just can’t seem to get the idea you should stay home and away from each other! Our Covid numbers have just exploded in the last week or so. We have had more cases in February than we did all of 2020! Ok rant over and back to bread!

  It has been a while since I baked a porridge bread.  I am a big fan of the moist and flavorful crumb I get.  I added some onions directly into the porridge which helps impart a mild onion flavor.  I used some freshly milled whole wheat and rye along with KAF bread flour.