The Fresh Loaf

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Discard Bread

Anonymous baker's picture
Anonymous baker (not verified)

Discard Bread

Hello bakers! 

This is one of my favorite breads, and one of my favorite discard recipes. 

Essentially it is 500g discard, 200g fresh flour, 200g (0 TDS filtered) water, 200g cracked wheat berries (This particular bake contains 100g cracked wheat berries and 100g sprouted wheat berries), 10g himalayan sea salt. Mix it up and throw it in the oven approx. 4-6 hrs later once it's doubled. 450 F in DO covered for 30 mins and uncovered for 30. Optional, coat in oats 

Martadella's picture
Martadella

This must be delicious 😋😋😋

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

Thank you! It's our favorite! This special bread is one reason I love discard. 

naturaleigh's picture
naturaleigh

Looks delicious and nice that you can use up some discard.  Does it have an overtly sour taste from the very high portion of discard or are you using 'fresh' discard rather than stored discard that has accumulated over time in a jar?  Would love to see a crumb shot as far as texture.  Thanks for posting!

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

naturaleigh, 

Thank you for your comment. I make this every week. No sour taste because this is fresh discard that's only been in the fridge for a week. If the discard is a few weeks old it will have a subtle sourness. It can easily become sour if the discard is older or if the fermentation is longer. 

I don't have a crumb shot of that exact loaf, but here is a crumb shot of a previous one, the only difference is the coating and inclusion: I coated this one with flax, chia, and hemp seeds instead of oats, and it has 200g cracked wheat berries, VS 100g cracked and 100g sprouted.

The interior is very soft and fluffy, but chewy because of the add-ins, and the crust is thick, crispy, crunchy. This is a meaty bread.

I imagine a loaf pan is ideal to hold up its shape. I only have a DO, so the dough spreads out flat. Unless it's cold, then you can mold it like clay and it will stand up on its own. But this is my lazy quick bread, I love throwing it in the oven 4-6 hrs after mixing and rarely want to take that extra step of putting it in the fridge to get cold to mold it. One day I'll have a loaf pan! 

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

Today's discard bread is made from a rye sour, freshly handmilled rye flour, and freshly cracked rye berries. 

justkeepswimming's picture
justkeepswimming

That looks so tasty, and a fun bread to make with whatever suits you that day.

I have wheat and spelt berries, this would be a fun new way to use them. Do you do anything to the cracked wheat berries to soften them? I'm having a hard time picturing them not causing a need for dental work in the final bread lol, but maybe they soften in the dough?

 

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, exactly, it is a thrifty recipe that can go a hundred different ways. 

I'm sorry, lol, I have nothing useful to say about that. Hahaha. I haven't done anything to soften them. I use a small hand crank to crack them to my desired size and I only experience pleasurable chewiness, but of course this is subjective.

Let me know if you try it or something like it. 

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Great looking loaf!

When you say 0 TDS filtered water...  Are you using reverse osmosis to get 0 TDS?  Do you notice a difference between the 0 TDS and something like a bottled or spring water?  

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

HeiHei29er,

Thank you! Right now I'm using ZeroWater. I was unable to start a sourdough starter with my tap water. I didn't try leaving it out overnight just for the chlorine, I was wanting a good filter anyways. I figure if it's not good enough for my starter, for my plants, for my ferments, then it's not good enough for me and the family. I haven't used bottled or spring water in years so I can't comment on that. 

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Mariahposa,  0 TDS water may not be the best for your baking.  The yeast actually benefit from some mineral content.  You're absolutely right in not wanting the chlorine in tap water, but going to 0 TDS may be too far on the other extreme.  You may want to try a side-by-side comparison with your 0 TDS water and some bottled water with a little mineral added back in.  Here's an article from King Arthur Baking on the topic of water hardness.  

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/pro/reference/water 

Good luck!

 

Benito's picture
Benito

That looks delicious and a great way to use up discard if one produces any.

Benny

Mariahposa's picture
Mariahposa (not verified)

Thank you so much Benny! It sure was...it didn't last the day. I have found some brilliant recipes with flavors and textures that only discard can produce. Big fan!