The last of 2013 - Andy’s Borodinsky – Take #1

What a great looking bake Khalid.  I'm sure Andy will chime in but I would say it looks perfect to me.

Happy New Year and look forward to seeing your next bake.

Regards,
Ian

I don't worry about sunken tops because the one baking thing Lucy lacks is a Pullman but.  it could be a simple thing like not having quite enough dough in the pan or letting it rise enough in the final proof?   The good rye bakers on TFL will know for sure.  One thing we know is that it doesn't effect the taste one iota.  I say well done and this is one fine looking loaf of bread and the coriander had to make the house smell terrific.

Get some red rye malt, some scalded rye berries in there and Nirvana will be yours!

Happy baking in the new Year Khalid

Hi Khalid,   Beautiful Borodinsky,   So glad you were able to find the ingredients to make it.   Looks absolutely delicious, as you say it is.   I leave off the coriander topping, as I just can't tolerate that much coriander, but it sure makes it look pretty.  -Varda

Hi Khalid,

So glad you were able to get some malt syrup.  Persistence pays off again!

Your loaf sounds like you got the baking times and temps down just right.  When I bake this loaf the coriander is strong too so I have cut back on it a bit to let other flavors blossom too.

Hope your new year is bright and full of opportunity for you.

Janet

Hi Khalid,
From the crumb, it looks like your bread was perfectly fermented.
And such a tantalizing description!: "The aroma of coriander and the slowly caramelizing rye and molasses were very  sweet and satisfying." That's why I love this bread so much, for the aroma during baking, and the taste...
I'm so sorry your pan discolored. I had the same thing happen when making the Horst Bandel Pumpernickel - a wet dough and long contact time with the pan.
What a beautiful bread to finish 2013 with - wishing you many more beautiful bakes for 2014!
:^) breadsong

I've made several high percentage ryes. The ones made in pans have caused me much more frustration than the hearth loaves. I think they are more demanding and, like other breads, you need to make them enough times to learn their unique needs. 

We're lucky to have some more experienced rye bakers around to accelerate our learning.

Happy New Year to you, Khalid! 

David

Before Christmas, I said to myself that in 2014 I will start baking more with rye.  The truth is I have never baked any loaf of Borodinsky or Danish rye or Pumpernickel before although I do enjoy eating those breads enormously.

Thank you for posting your bake.  Your loaf looks so delish. When I read your post yesterday here, I was getting an itch to bake but we are away from home at the moment for summer holidays. I think I will start with Borodinsky as I already had all the ingredients in my pantry.

Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Annie

Hi Khalid,

I am really glad you managed to find some of the ingredients you were looking for to make this bread.   It cannot be easy seeking out malt in Dubai since its primary use is in the manufacture of beer and whisky.

Good job!

A couple of pointers for you.   Yes do watch the hydration, although I have found the temperature at which you make the scald to be of greatest significance.   The hotter the mix, the greater the degree of gelatinisation.   Given Andrew Whitley aims for 100% hydration in his Russian Rye breads these days, I would be loathe to advise you to follow this; baking out such a high hydration is very difficult indeed.

But I would look at something else.   You wrote that you held the sponge in the chiller for 6 hours.   I don't think this is best practice.   The idea of the sponge is to kickstart fermentation since you are using such a high proportion of sour in the formula.   I ferment for 4 hours maximum, and aim to hold the sponge just over 30*C if possible.   Retarding rye paste at any point seems pointless to me.

I have added more notes below if they are of any help:

My Current Borodinsky Formula:

Borodinsky using the Auerman Process

Rye Sour build: allow 18 hours total first fermentation time

 

Day/Date	Time	Stock	D Rye	Water	TOTAL	Temp °C
		40	300	500	840	30
		840	450	750	2040	30

Final Paste:

Material/Stage	Formula [% of flour]	Recipe [grams]
1a] Rye Sourdough
Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour	30	750
Water	50	1250
TOTAL	80	2000
1b] “Scald”
Bacheldre Organic Dark Rye Flour	15	375
Red Rye Malt	5	125
Organic Blackstrap Molasses	6	150
Crushed Coriander Seeds	1	25
Boiling Water	35	875
TOTAL	62	1550
2. “Sponge”
Rye Sourdough [from 1a]	80	2000
“Scald” [from 1b]	62	1550
TOTAL	142	3550
3. Final Paste
“Sponge” [from 2]	142	3550
Shipton Organic Light Rye Flour [997]	50	1250
Salt	1.2	30
TOTAL	193.2	4830
% pre-fermented flour	30 + 20 = 50	-
% overall hydration	85	-
% wholegrain flour	50 [+ 50 type997]	-
FACTOR	-	25

Method:

• Build the sourdough as described above.   Make the “scald” as follows:   crush the coriander and add it to the red rye malt and dark rye flour.   Weigh the molasses into a pan, add water and bring to a rolling boil.   Tip this onto the flour mix, and add any extra boiling water if there is evaporation.   Mix using a paddle beater attachment, 1st speed initially, then move to second speed for 2 minutes.   Scrape the bowl down.   Beat on 3rd speed for 3 – 5 minutes which allows the gelatinised mix to cool a little.
• Add the sour to the scald to make the sponge [DDT 35°C].   Cover and leave to ferment for 4 hours maintaining temperature of 30 - 33°C.
• For the final paste combine the sponge with remaining flour and the salt, mix with the paddle beater in an upright machine, 2 minutes on first speed and 2 minutes on second speed.   Scrape down the bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
• Bulk proof for 1 - 2 hours with DDT at 28°C.
• Scale and divide into 5.   Shape and drop into 5 Sandwich Pans, prepared with lining of shortening and coating of rye flour.   Smooth off and top with freshly crushed Coriander seeds, then apply lids.
• Final proof for 1 - 2 hours at 28°C, then bake.
• Pre-heat the oven to 280°C.   Load the pans, apply steam, after 10 minutes turn the oven down to 110°C.   Keep a supply of steam in the oven and bake for 6 hours.   Alternatively bake in the wood-fired brick oven.
• Cool on wires; wrap in linen and leave 24 hours before cutting into the bread.

You can read the GOST standard recipe here:

http://www.indiana.edu/~pollang/Russian_bread_table.pdf

For more on this, join the FoodBanter website and look up the threads on Borodinsky.   This website is also excellent, and translates well with Google: http://www.borodinsky.com/recipe/index-r.html

I have cited the page with the recipe on, but the whole website is a good reference point.

Variations:

• I use 100% rye flour where the approved recipe uses 15% wheat flour.   To compensate for loss of gluten, I use a Light Rye flour in the final paste, which is 50% total flour.   Light Rye has an ash content of 0.997% meaning it is a lot more refined than a wholemeal, but less refined than a white rye flour.   I would guess the extraction rate will be between 80 and 85%.
• I do not use white sugar in the formula.   Instead, I have increased the molasses from 4 to 6%.   Adding more than 6% Black Strap Molasses will affect the flavour of the bread and make it taste too bitter.   However, I do not want to produce a loaf with the overt sweetness coming from white sugar.
• The Red Rye Malt I use is actually Crystal Rye Malt which I buy crushed from an online homebrew shop in the UK.   I grind it to meal as required.   It is the closest equivalent to Red Rye I can find in the UK.   Barley Malt is the obvious substitute if the rye cannot be found, although the flavour from the rye is distinct and much stronger than the barley.
• I have doubled the Coriander in the formula.   Strength of flavour varies greatly from batch to batch with spice.   I buy whole seeds and grind as required to help preserve flavour in the spice.   It appears that cumin or anise can also be used, but nothing else, see: http://www.borodinsky.com/standart/gost5309-50/gost5309-50.html.
• Yeast appears to be optional; I rely entirely on the sourdough and do not add any bakers’ yeast.
• The only fat I use is to grease the tins with.
• I do not add any extra starch.   The Light Rye will mean a greater starch content is achieved.

 Wishing you continued baking success for 2014

Andy

Hi Khalid,

It depends....but I assume I will be using a small quantity of stock rye sour from my fridge...probably something like 40g.   So it needs a good feed, of course.   However, if I am in daily production mode, whilst one feed is quite sufficient, I tend to use a small feed to kickstart the ferment, then a bigger feed with a long ferment to make it sour.

Yes, I appreciate this procedure does not sit well with other work schedules.   You'll just have to become a baker!

Best wishes

Andy

Hello Khalid and Andy,
I hope you don't mind me jumping in and sharing my experience here.
A few months ago I was building a rye levain for a Borodinsky, and wasn't watching it closely enough.
The levain peaked and was over-ripe by the time I checked it, so I decided to 'borrow' some of the rye flour and water from the final mix and do a 2nd build.
I think the 2-stage levain build intensified the flavor - I was very pleased with how the bread tasted - I'm going to work this in as a regular part of the process.
:^) breadsong

Hi breadsong,

2 essentials about rye; firstly the sour is vital to the process to protect the delicate pentosans, and, secondly rye flour [particularly a certain organic wholegrain rye flour you and I have used] is emminently fermentable.

But it still needs a good supply of food, just like any leavening culture.   Have you tried the Auerman process yet?

Happy New Year to you!

Andy