The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

First loaf using sprouted grain flour.

STUinlouisa's picture
STUinlouisa

First loaf using sprouted grain flour.

The other day I decided to finally try some sprouted grain flour. Mixed 200g total of Kamut, Einkorn, Spelt, and white wheat, sprouted, dried, and ground. The bread was made using the sprouted flour, 100g fresh ground white wheat, 200g AP,125g natural starter, salt and water (ended up to be 73% hydration). Mixed, S&Fs, fermented for 2 hours, retarded overnight, let warm, shaped, rose  in a banneton,  and baked in a DO. The bread is very tasty but has some very large holes in it. (Also tasty is the banana bread pictured behind the loaf made based on the recipe on this site.) Next time I will use all white wheat sprouted flour. The reason for not this time was because of running short on white wheat. Which brings up the following. 

For about a year I've been using Wheat Montana Prairie Gold, which was bought at an Amish store about an hours drive  away, as the basic wheat for grinding into flour and have been very happy with it. There is always a chance that the store won't have what you are looking for when you arrive and you can't check because there is no phone let alone a website so I decided to Google and see what showed up. I was amazed that there was a hit for Walmart, a store that is avoided if possible, and that it was in stock at the local one. During the weekly errand trip to town I stopped, looked in the flour, produce, organics sections and finally asked at customer service for the wheat, no luck. After doing a couple other things I decided to try and get the Walmart ID number on the product to see if they could locate it using that and after fumbling with my phone for about 15 min got the number. On returning the first person with a Walmart vest was asked if it was possible and I received a momentary blank stare and a request to follow to someone that might know. That person didn't know either but maybe someone else did. Finally that nice lady said she thought it was in the closeout section to which I had to be shown since I didn't know there was one. There laying on the bottom shelf was two 25 pound bags of Prairie Gold marked for $12.50 each. I happily spent a large portion of the afternoon vacuum packing the wheat into quart jars a convenient way to store in the amount normally milled. I didn't realize how lucky I was until the price of a 50 pound bag was quoted at $83 on the Wheat Montana website.

Stu

Comments

nmygarden's picture
nmygarden

You got the wheat you like at a very good price, indeed. Just don't count the trips involved - I wouldn't!

Happy baking for a long while to come!!!

Cathy

STUinlouisa's picture
STUinlouisa

It's really just part of the pleasure of making your own bread.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

sprouted grain bread for some time.  i was kind of taken back how much different it is from non sprouted whole grain breads.  It took some time to make a decent 50% sprouted grain bread much less on that 100% which for me is still illusive.

I'm not familiar with the white wheat grain you are using but if it is like those soft white wheat grains I have used, it isn't really a great grain for bread making but if a hard one then that would be better.  Generally speaking I find them less thirsty and faster moving than other similar breads made with un-sprouted grain

Keep after it and I'm sure you will soon sort it all out.  Sprouted grain bread does take longer and is more difficult but the unmatched taste and flavor is worth the effort

Happy baking 

STUinlouisa's picture
STUinlouisa

It's one of those things that was always next on my list but never seemed to get to the top till now. I think I will continue because as you say the taste is worth the extra effort. 

Prairie Gold is a hard wheat about 13% protein. It is not organic but is certified  chemical free. It comes from the same people that grow Kamut.  I like it because it is not quite as assertive as red wheat in a whole grain bread but otherwise performs the same and has the same nutrition.