Rene's Rye Seeded Loaf - Tartine 3
I've decided to work on dense seeded rye breads this winter. This is my first attempt. The recipe is fairly straight forward - it's a blend of high extraction (I used whole) spelt and whole rye flours with a large number of sprouted rye berries. It includes sunflower, pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds. It calls for un-hulled sesame seeds which I didn't have so I used hulled. For liquids it uses buttermilk, dark malt and dark beer (I used Guinness) and water of course.
Here are the results:
I ended up having a bit more dough than could fill my two pans. I should have made a third smaller pan as they proofed beyond the pan's capacity.
In the last 15 minutes of baking I felt the top was too pale so I put the oven onto convection mode and it browned up the top well. I'll do that again in the future - and probably a bit earlier in the bake.
After baking I let them come to room temperature and wrapped them in cling wrap for 24 hours (thanks Mini!). I opened the first a few hours ago. The crust is still dry and the inside has a moist wet sheen to it. Not too much, but noticeable and I wouldn't want more moisture in it.
Aroma, taste, mouthfeel, etc. All good. This is a good loaf thin cut, toasted and buttered. When not toasted it's a just a bit more wet in the chew than I'd like but still pleasant. In fact, good. But I'd like it a tiny bit drier.
What I'd like to know is how to make this a bit drier? Should I reduce the water or perhaps the large quantity of flax seeds? My experience with flax is that when wet they create a bit of a viscous "goop" if you know what I mean. Maybe they've caused the bread to retain more water during the baking process given their volume? There's 27% whole flax and 13% course ground. I'd appreciate any feedback.
This last picture may give you a sense of the moisture in the loaf:
Thanks - frank!
Comments
Dang! That is dense! I bet one slice is enough to fill you up. Looks like a bread version of an energy bar! So cool! I have never baked a loaf like that, but you inspired me.
Thank you! But having eaten more than my share today I'd say it took at least half a loaf to fill me up! :) It's good bread! Especially toasted with a bit of sharp cheese!
Franks that is a hearty looking loaf. I don’t have any advice to offer you on drying out the loaf other than baking longer. I’m sure Mini would know what to do.
Benny
It's a very nice loaf! Thanks..
I have made this recipe a few times with similar results. It's a hearty winter season favorite with butter or an open face sandwhich. I baked it in a long pullman pan which being narrow helps to dry out the inside. You could take it out of the pan and leave it in the oven to dry as it cools. The texture and flavor improved over time and the bread kept well wrapped in plastic for almost two weeks. It does freeze well and the birds really loved what I couldn't finish.
I didn't think about my pan size impacting internal moisture on this type of bread. Have been meaning to get myself a pullman so I'll do that now. Thanks!!
You might want to wait longer to decide if it is too wet. Instead of reducing ground flax, try increasing the ground flax or reduce the water by a tablespoon (17 - 20g per loaf. Or let the bread cool upside down on the rack or as suggested depan and bake 10 min longer. Or toss in 20g dried rye bread crmbs (perferably the crust) or 10g dry roasted oat flakes per loaf. I smell grilled chicken. Gotta run. :)
Good point.. maybe if I change the breakdown of flax from more ground vs whole that will make a difference. I'll open the second later today - 48+ hours in - and see how wet/dry that one seems. Thanks for you advice! Enjoy the chicken! :)