General Purpose Recipies?
I'm experimenting with ingredients and have developed an approach to multi-grain dough using a couple of techniques from other bread recipies. Today I'm making a sour dough whole-grain bread using a cup of sour dough starter, whole wheat flour, some rye flour, some barley flour, and a couple of tea spoons of vital wheat gluten to give it some lift. This is the first time that I've used vital wheat gluten and noticed that my normal slack dough firmed right up. I don't know if such an immediate firming is normal upon the initial kneading, so some thoughts are welcomed...sort of a bake-along with Russ! I always use commercial instant yeast and Kosher salt, too. I also added cooked grains...brown rice, pearled barley, and steel rolled oats. This is a loose variation of Peter Rhinehart's 'Struan' recipie substituting a cup of sour dough starter and two cups of whole wheat flour let to sit overnight in the fridge. I'll let you know how it turns out later on in the day!
Russ
I make several forms of multigrain bread and one thing I've learned is that it is essential to develop the gluten well or you end up with a rather gummy mess. If possible I work with the flour and liquid to develop the gluter and then incorporate the rest of the grains and finally end the process up using flour to temper to the correct feel. Remember that some grains (oats,rye) generate a lot of starch/gel and will make your dough feel sticky. It is not a matter of not enough flour, so don't fall prey to adding endless amounts of flour-your loaf will be very dry. This is another reason to develop the gluten before adding the multigrains-the more you knead, the more stickiness is generated. I work with damp hands and keep a bowl of water on the counter to dip my fingers in occasionally.
I have never needed to add gluten to my whole wheat loaves so I can't add any expertise about that.
Have delicious fun!
Thanks for your comment, clazzar! The loaf came out crispy with a solid whole grain and slightly bitter flavor from the sourdough starter that I added when taste tested out of the oven. All bread 'tempers' or what my Grandmother called 'settling' nd the flavor 'settles down', as was the case with this loaf...mellow, good texture, and enough crust to give it that bit of crunch that I love! Seemed to work out just fine as a way of using up some leftovers flours and grains...great for breakfast!