I've done levain in stages to build flavour and gone up to 70% PFF in a previous rye loaf, so I thought why not try out a two-stage biga, go up to 80% PFF, and skip bulk fermentation since there should already be so much flavour?
This ended up being a 40% teff-rye loaf at 70% hydration.
I began with 100g of rye, 100g of teff, 90g water and 10g of starter. This was apple crumbled and left to ferment for about 10 hours. Then I added 200g of bread flour and 90g of water to the mixture, apple crumbled it, and left this to ferment for 14 hours. The next day, the mixture was quite dark and smelling pretty sour.
I soaked the biga in 170g of water for ten minutes, then added in 100g of bread flour and salt. It was crazy - no lumps at all, everything dissolved effortlessly like a usual mix. I kneaded this ball longer than usual because I wanted it to develop good strength without bulk fermentation.
The dough transformed so quickly into a satiny, silky, elastic ball. Shaped and cold proofed for 5 hours then baked at 220 degrees for 35 mins.
End result: Good flavour with a keen sourness. Skipping bulk fermentation made no difference to flavour, spread, oven spring and crumb. (However: it would have overproofed if left in the fridge for another two hours more - it was rising faster than what I'm used to for cold retard.) Excellent crumb - tender but elastic, good shreddability.
And lots of cracking out of the oven!
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looks great, Lin. A double biga plus a cold proof! What a glorious process.
Rob
This was great fun. Biga breads are always such a joy to make.
Nice bake Lin!
Cariah Marey reacts differently to low temperature. She will go flavor-only mode during cold proof then proof really fast taken out of fridge!
I have this little suspicion that you might be into something 😈😈 (hello milk loaf!)
Jay
Yes, it seems that double biga has some super powerful rising action going even at cold temps. Most of my cold proofed loaves don't expand like that! I would have preferred if it calmed down a bit....
I did think about toying with sourdough milk loaf, you know. But at the moment I bake this enormous IDY milk loaf for the kiddos twice every week and I'm afraid to change it up for fear that they stop eating it (worse, suspecting it all the time). I might well try with the stakes lower using a small pullman loaf once I acquire it.
Enjoying the latest installment of the mess it up series! Well done Lin and fun to read about your thinking.
So this one has nice colour and beautiful crumb, and absolutely adore the crackle. This does sound convenient as far as method goes. Since you've only made a single loaf we can expect mess it up number 3 before the end of the Easter weekend? Were you happy with the stronger flavour?
I think you've got magic hands or maybe you're onto something with a 50% non-wheat biga; getting a lump free satiny dough is a great skill to have in your bread making arsenal.
-Jon
You know what, Jon, I had to completely mess up a loaf for lunch just. So I arrived home only at 10 pm yesterday and got the memo that we were expecting guests this afternoon at noon - these are friends that would probably enjoy a flavourful, holey, crusty, at least 70% white loaf that is not too, or even in the least, sour. So working backwards, that meant I had to bake the loaf at 10:30 at the latest, which would leave me with only 3 hours max from the time of mixing the final dough in the morning (7:30 am) to baking. This would also mean that my pre-ferment would only have 9.5 hours.
I thought of making a 80% SD biga loaf, which would make it really comfortable in terms of scheduling, but at such high %PFF the sourness would probably come through a little too much for this audience. I could have gone with 80% IDY biga, but I wanted to maximize flavour development too, given that this was going to be a quick loaf. I could also have gone for a straight starter loaf without pre-ferment, but I wanted to go to bed immediately rather than mix and stretch and knead etc.
So I went for a SD biga and an IDY poolish, and this morning poured the poolish over the biga to make the 75% white loaf (the usual spelt + rye in the rest)!
Everything went according to schedule, and the bread baked up really well. Great holes, but less crackling than the double biga loaf. Finished. No pics because this was such a mad rush (was also juggling the broccoli soup and emmental gougères)!
Taste: With hybrid loaves I find that the flavour is generally milder, but the SD does offer more depth and character than a pure IDY loaf (and especially if it's going to be made from just a 9 hour poolish). Zero sourness. I wouldn't have detected any sourdough in the loaf! So different from the double-biga loaf: the sourness truly announced itself! And not a sort of mellow sourness that lingered; no, that was sourness that hit the roof of the mouth and only intensified with every bite! I found it a little bit too overwhelming to be honest, especially the day after it was baked. My in-laws however couldn't get enough of it and were more than happy to finish it up.
Regarding biga lumps: I too was surprised at the complete ease for the double-biga loaf. This morning I had more problems with my poolish-biga mix. Two differences: the long fermentation time and the lower hydration. I think 40-45% is really ideal for the biga, and forming the biga like crumbling butter into flour, in a wide dish rather than a deep bowl makes a difference (very little gluten formation). The long fermentation time of the double biga probably also meant that whatever gluten that was formed was also broken down more.
I think you need to change the series name, as "mess it up" made me think that bread #3 would be a disaster at first! I was amazed and pleasantly surprised to find out that they were successful. In fact you achieved exactly what you wanted to make, a mild tasting but interesting loaf, on time too. I should have had more faith!
Since you've thought of making an 80% PFF loaf, have you had a stab at Abel's 90%? It received a lot of interest from the bakers on this site.
I really liked the hybrid loaves that I made with yeast water and sourdough. It seems you get the best of both worlds, and although my instinct was that the cultures would compete with each other, the end result was lovely. I'm adding some more hybrid loaves to my baking list, inspired by your bread.
Whilst many of us mix starters before bed time, I actually like doing more than that then (if I have the energy). The house is quiet and calm and there is no pressure to fit in with other tasks, I can take my time. Not sure what my neighbour thinks I'm doing at 9pm at night when I'm doing slap and folds!
-Jon
Well Jon, your neighbour must have lots of thoughts about the sounds you're making when you mix your dough at night....
Thanks for reading my lengthy update - very nice to know that you too like making hybrid loaves. I've never tried yeast water. I've read that the yeast from IDY completely kills(!) wild yeast, so perhaps the rising power of the SD biga is negated, but the flavour from the biga is hopefully preserved.
Regarding Abel's 90% - yes, I'd read that some time ago while researching on the biga method. I haven't tried it myself, but I remember reading one of Rene's post on a semola rimacinata 90% biga loaf that, to him, was not as good as a 50%. I shall try it one day. Perhaps even a 100% biga - i.e. just adding water the morning after? I think if I were to do that, I will lower the starter % in the biga, such that I can mix water into it when the flour is not fully fermented. I'll probably knead quite extensively and shape to proof immediately.
Lovely open crumb and crackles on the crust. You are very creative with your concepts for making bread Lin!
Benny
This was a fun loaf to make, and surprising in many respects. Still striving to be as creative as you!
Another great experiment with great results.
I bought some Teff to try milling but haven’t tried it yet. What are your thoughts on Teff?
Hoping Lin will reply, but what little I know (I'm still a teff beginner myself, so am fully aware I'm replying as if I know something!):
In this comparison of breads made with a single gluten free flour teff on its own is a top performer. Personally I prefer the flavour to something like millet. It is rather mild and earthy.
I've made lovely gluten-free cupcakes with teff porridge, using this recipe, and think the porridge in bread could potentially work very well.
Since you have the whole grains do try a porridge too, it is delicious, especially with a nut butter and raisins mixed in afterwards. Ratio of 1 part teff to 3 parts water, cook for 12 minutes or so stirring continuously towards the end. The porridge sets as it cools and assumes the shape of the container, like polenta.
I've made this bread that had a small amount of teff. Did notice it in the bread, but this was a complex bread so still need to try it in a bread where it can be distinguished from other ingredients and can shine. Have used it in gluten free breads too, in combination with sorghum and other similar dark flours. And, it works well to make a 100% teff levain too, my starter grew well on it.
Did you get brown or ivory teff? The ivory teff flour here seems to be harder to get hold of.
-Jon
Edit: disclaimer, I've never made injeera. That's the obvious use! But by previous accounts on this site, not super simple
Appreciate your notes on Teff. I have the brown version. It’s a much smaller package than I thought so I won’t have much to experiment with yet. I will give it a go soon. Stay tuned.
I second Jon's comments here. I've only used finely ground teff mixed into breads, and I've never used more than 40% in any formula, so I might not have explored enough of its capabilities alone. In combination with other flours, it lends a slightly earthy, mild taste - as well as a delightful brown hue - and is extremely easy to handle. I have not found any significant effects on fermentation speed or increase in sourness. And I like it very much with walnuts - but I must be biased here ;)
Good to know. Love the walnut combo. I just made a bread with pecan meal that came out awesome if I do say so myself ☺️. I will post it soon.
I will try a fresh milled Teff loaf combined with some other flour that is neutral soon.
Best,
Ian