Same bread-differnt whole wheat variety-totally different flavor
I made my favorite breakfast bread yesterday that I make every weekend. We eat it every morning and it is a WW,cardamom,craisin,golden raisin,walnut bread. I developed the recipe last year and it has eveloved a bit.I usually make this with about 3 cups of flour-1/3 hard red spring wheat,1/3 kamut,1/3 AP but the evolving part is this-over the last 6 months it has become almost totally hard red spring wheat with just a little AP. It is very delicious and fresh grass-like in flavor, as the red spring wheat flour always is.
Well, this weekend, I only had Kamut and Hard white winter wheat flour available so I proceeded to make the loaf with that. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It is still mostly WW but the grasslike flavor is gone. White wheat is indeed a very bland tasting wheat and while Kamut usually has a slightly nutty flavor, it wasn't too apparent. The loaves were delicious, but totally different.The crumb/texture was as usualbut the flavor notes of the cardamom almost disappear in this loaf. I would have thought they would be more apparent in the blandness but they were not.I also thought it needed more...something-salt? Increased spice?. I think any bread made with white winter wheat needs other ingredients to create a flavor in a loaf-even if the flour is fresh ground. I will have to remember that in the future.
So now I totally appreciate the flavor difference between wheat varieties and how it impacts on a recipe.
It is by volume rather than weight-did this rather quickly and that is the system I'm comfortable with.
Breakfast Bread
(Recipe developed by C.Lazar)
2 c Hard Red Spring Wheat flour
1/2 c Kamut flour (just add more WW if you don't have Kamut.)
1 c AP flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 c ground flax seed
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Mix all dry ingredients together and then add wet ingredients(**see note about water)
1/2 c active starter (100% by weight)(thick pancake batter consistency)
1/2 c warm milk
3/4 c warm water **
1/2 c honey
3 tbsp oil
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and mix for about 3-5 minutes (I use a K5 mixer)and when a good dough has formed,add the raisins/craisins.I add AP flour to adjust the dough to a slightly sticky dough.The walnuts can be added the last minute or two of mixing or folded in by hand.
2.3 c golden raisins**
2/3 c craisins**
2/3 c chopped walnuts
**I soak the raisins and craisins in the warm water for about 30 min and then measure out 3/4 c of the now fruit-sweetened water.Add to it if necessary as the fruit does absorb some of the water.
After all the ingredients mixed in, I form a ball and rest the dough under plastic for 15 minutes.
Stretch the now-relaxed dough out and fold.Form a ball again and place in oiled bowl.Cover
Rise til double or do 3 stretch and folds every 45 min.If kept warm in between it will rise nicely.If kept cool, this dough rises very slowly so plan for that.
Gently form into 1 large or 2 small batards.
Proof,slash and bake.
400F with steam for 15 min then 375 until done (internal temp 190). It gets a nice dark brown crust.
This is a rather dense,chewy,flavorful bread that is meant to be toasted.Very aromatic.
Enjoy!