Yeast water, home milled, whole wheat, pan loaf
This just happens to be the softest, lightest, tallest, least sour WW pan loaf I have ever made. Something I wasn’t sure was possible with my home milled grains. I am not sure I can technically say it’s 100% WW because I sifted out 10% of the bran with a 40# screen but only out of the flour used in the final mix. I left the bran in for lthe two stage levain. This was my first attempt to use yeast water for whole grain after reading something Dabrownman wrote here years ago about how it would lighten up whole grain loaves. Indeed it does!
In my weekly rotation of breads I always make a WW pan loaf partly for nutrition but also because I have an abundance of Wheat Montana organic berries from a miscommunication last year when I picked it up at the mill they brought out 50 pound sacks instead of 25. In lieu of today’s grains prices and the cost of shipping I don’t mind having a few extra buckets of grain in the basement. I was using The Approachable IDY version for a while but wanted a naturally fermented recipe to try. I tried Benny’s sweet levain and got good results but more often than not it would start to break down before it was fully risen. I scalded the bran which helped but I didn’t go the Tangzhong route because it is more involved and included dairy. Frankly I am not a fan of the soft tight cotton crumb that reminds me of supermarket sliced bread. I like a roux for rolls and such but I prefer a bread crumb that is less opaque and has a story to tell.
A few months ago I started a raisin YW that I had been using for fruit and nut breads and started using it for country bread when my starter went into a funk. It has gotten better with age and adding a few apple pieces and a citrus peel kicked it into high gear.(Thanks Trailrunner,Caroline) I am not a complete convert and certainly claim no YW expertise but the bread rising ability is pretty incredible. I know that YW responds well to higher temperatures so my back porch which is 90F degrees in the shade has become my latest proofing box.
When the levain looks like this I have high hopes
I made a long Pullman yesterday to confirm my results. TDW 1150 grams The spreadsheet is for the 9x4 Pullman. It was Wheat Montana organic Bronze Chief which is a hard red spring wheat that was milled in a Mockmill 100
Egg salad is one of those sandwiches that are better on soft bread especially when they are farm fresh eggs!
Happy Baking
Don
Comments
Nice result. Crumb looks just right for sandwiches. The two stage build is interesting.
Yeast water works best for me when I use Hamelman’s two stage process. The hydration is 80% so it mixes in easily after the autolyse. I do the first build overnight at room temp and the second one the next morning in much warmer conditions. The dough moves pretty quick almost like dry yeast.
Don
Thanks Don. I must of had a brain fade as I've made Hamelman's Swiss Farmhouse bread many times using the two stage process. :). I've made the yeast water using kumquats and organic raisins. I've noticed that yeast water bread has a noticeable lack of sour but rises well.
Cheers, Gavin
So my wife says:-) I agree the flavor is not complex like a SD levain but it rises much better. The flavor of the wheat comes through along with the oil and the sweetener so it’s not bland like a lean bread made with YW. I thought this one was over proofed because I had forgotten about it (yet another brain fart) but it still had more lift in the oven where as other doughs may have become bricks. Sylvia’s wet towel in the bread pan works great for pan loaves for those of us who can’t inject steam. Yes, I am jealous of your oven.
Cheers, Don
Nice work, Don, such an airy crumb for 100% whole grain! You've gotten way better results with the YW/SD hybrid method than I have. Maybe I should have tried it with a high percentage whole grain formula, because yours looks really nice. I'd say you've got a pretty good handle on the technique, it's definitely working for you.
–AG
The YW has been a pleasant surprise for whole wheat bread. I have done very little maintenance or refreshing to it and just leave it in the fridge. Maybe it gets better with age. It seems to keep on rising without breaking down. The free form loaves show lots of gassing power as well.
Don
Beautiful bread Don, you can tell that it is soft from the photos. I love that you make your egg salad sandwich like the Japanese do in the style of a tamago sando.
Benny
I have never gotten a crumb this open and soft in WW before. You should try the YW in one of your WW creations.
I can't find any kewpie mayo around here and I am not sure how it differs from regular mayo. We make our mayo in the food processor so maybe I just need the right ingredients. I am also a fan of Korean street toast. The cabbage and eggs with ham and cheese on buckwheat sweet levain bread.
Don
Kewpie mayo is a bit sweet and has dashi which is a wonderful soup base for many Japanese soups including miso soup. Dashi is a combination of Kombu (a type of kelp) and bonito (a fermented dried and then thinly shaved skipjack tuna) and is very very umami and it really transforms the mayo. One of these days you’ll need to get your hands on a bottle, sandwiches will never be the same after you’ve tried Kewpie mayo Don.
Benny
Oh very nice sandwich loaf, loving it, especially the holy crumb. Not sure if all yeast waters perform the same, as mine can't produce a crumb like that with a 100% wholegrain sandwich loaf, it does okay baguettes though. Great post nonetheless.
I doubt my yeast water is anything more special than yours. I seem to stumble into the sweet spot or have the best luck when I do a recipe for the first time. I say that because the follow up attempts are always a let down. I think sifting out some of the bran helped and the YW seems to prefer the warmer proofing temperature. I have been adding about 1/4 tsp of diastatic malt flour to my home milled flour by sprinkling it in while it kneads in the mixer. Mixing in stages with a few minutes rest in between is working better for me than running it straight through. Like any bread a lot of things have to happen in a certain way to get the most out of it. This particular dough had a nice feel right from the start which is a rarity for me. I hope you give it a try and see if it works for you.
Don
I agree Don that it is more about your technique of developing the dough than the yeast used to produce such a great looking loaf of bread. Thanks for sharing your process.
Excellent loaf Don!
The YW makes a really nice whole grain loaf.
Don