May 19, 2009 - 1:49pm
Reinhart's Whole Grain Hearth Bread
Well, here was my first attempt at making Reinhart's Whole Grain hearth bread. I just finished it this morning after having both the biga and soaker in my refridgerator for two days. I have made loaves before, real simple ones though, some turn out fine, some are bricks. Always with organic whole grains though especially since I am the grocery buyer at my local co-op and we recieve fresh, organic, locally milled flours...and it cost me a little less than the normal shopper : )
Any thoughts? I'd love to hear comments! One thing I noticed though is the crumb is very tight : /
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First, I think it is funny you choose to display PR's bread on Daniel Leader's book! Is there a hidden message here? :>)
Secondly, the loaf looks very nice. I've had my struggles with this type of bread: not getting a good color, too tight a crust, etc. I finally resorted to adding a little vital gluten (1 tablespoon per cup of flour plus 2 tablespoons extra water), shaping as a batard (high surface to loaf ratio when baking), proofing with humidity at about 80º (seems to make the bread less dense), and baking under a cloche (really helps 100% WW loaves attain good oven spring). These fixes really helped me attain a better crumb.
--Pamela