Isand66's blog

Dec

I made a couple different versions of this bread several years ago and decided to change it up a bit using a Tangzhong. Making a Tangzhong is simple and it really helps make a super soft crumb.

I used one of my new favorite whole wheat grains from Barton Mill Springs called Stardust along with some fresh milled spelt and a touch of KAF bread flour.

I used some left-over cheese grits from a recent brunch, but you can easily prepare some fresh grits. Make sure the grits are cooled to room temperature before adding to the dough.

The dough was mixed using my trusty Ankrusrum and open-baked with steam.

I was very happy with how this came out. The crumb was moderately open and the taste was excellent. This makes a great sandwich and/or grilled bread brushed with some olive oil.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Tangzhong Directions

Add the flour into a small saucepan and heat to low. Combine with the water and stir constantly until the mixture starts to resemble a thick sauce. Let it cool to room temperature before using. I usually put it in the refrigerator to quicken things up or I make it the night before.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, honey, cheese grits, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium-low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes until you have a nice developed dough. 

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flour but it is possible to go longer. I let this one go 15 hours total and the dough was nicely fermented.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately. I used some cookie cutters to jazz it up a bit.

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

I made a version of this before but never posted it. It is a pretty wet dough, but not so wet that you couldn’t do a traditional braid. I made one of these plain to use for stuffing, and the other one was a request for one of my friends’ families.

Most of the flour used was KAF bread flour and I mixed in some fresh milled Butler’s Gold whole wheat and spelt both from Barton Spring Mills.

I used dark chocolate chips and Chukar brand air-dried Rainier cherries which were rehydrated in water before adding to the dough.

The dough was mixed using my trusty Ankrusrum and open-baked with steam.

The finished loaves came out excellent and are perfect for breakfast with some butter or cheese or better yet used for some killer French toast.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add all your flour, and egg yolks, to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, oil, vanilla extract and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes until you have a nice developed dough.  You can either mix in the chips and cherries with the mixer or take the dough out and laminate them in.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flour but it is possible to go longer. I let this one go 15 hours total and the dough was nicely fermented.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately. I used some cookie cutters to jazz it up a bit.

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

Dec 14

I love adding beer to sourdough bread. I’m not a big beer drinker but the malty flavor it imparts is amazing and Guinness is one of my favorites to use.

The sour cream added extra moisture to the crumb, and the caramelized onions imparted a wonderful sweet onion flavor.

I used King Arthur high-gluten flour since I didn’t have any first clear flour, along with some fresh-milled Danko Rye (milled from Barton Springs Mill berries).

The dough was mixed using my trusty Ankrusrum and open-baked with steam.

The finished loaves had a nice moist semi-open crumb perfect for a hot pastrami sandwich which I had twice for dinner! The pastrami was courtesy of Katz’s Deli which my wife had ordered a while ago by mail-order. You simply take the frozen vacuum-sealed pouch and immerse it in boiling water for five minutes and you have melt-in-your-mouth pastrami.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add all your flour and sour cream to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, olive oil and remaining Guinness as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes until you have a nice developed dough. 

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flour but it is possible to go longer. I let this one go 15 hours total and the dough was nicely fermented.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately. I used some cookie cutters to jazz it up a bit.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35-45 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature of around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

Oct

I adapted this from my porridge bread formula but used a small % of starter and soaked the grains overnight instead of cooking them as a porridge. I used fresh milled and sifted Butler’s Gold WW and Danko Rye with some KAF bread flour.

The Harvest Grain mix from KAF consists of Whole Oat Groats, Rye Flakes, Wheat Flakes, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Flaxseed, Poppy Seeds, and Hulled Millet.

I included all the boiled water in the soaker as part of the overall hydration at 93%.

I was too tired to wait for the bulk to hit 30% so I shaped at 25% and let the shaped dough sit in my proofer at 80F the next day for 1.5 hours.

I was very pleased with how this turned out. The crumb was nice and open and the fermentation was spot on. The flavor was excellent with the added Harvest Grain mix.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Scald Directions

Measure the grains mix and pour the boiling water over them to cover. Soak for a couple of hours until they are soft. Drain any remaining water.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, Harvest Grain soaker, maple syrup and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes. 

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. (Note: I only let the dough go to 25% before shaping and let the final proof finish after the overnight rise in the refrigerator in my proofer set to 80F for 1.5 hours). Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flours but it is possible to go longer.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35-45 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature of around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

Oct

It almost feels like fall here on Long Island if you don’t count the 70 F-degree days we had this week. Well, anyway, here is a nice pre-Thanksgiving type of bread made with roasted purple sweet potatoes and cranberries along with fresh milled whole wheat, spelt, and KAF bread flour.

The sweet potatoes add quite a bit of moisture so the overall hydration came in around 83%. The crumb was relatively open for this many whole grains and was nice and moist. There were just enough cranberries for my taste to make this a delicious bread great for sandwiches, toast, or grilling.

The sweet potatoes were roasted ahead of time until they were nice and soft and caramelized.

I used one of my new favorite grains Stardust whole wheat from Barton Springs Mill which has a nice mild wheat flavor. The grains were milled twice using my MockMill 200 and sifted with a #30 and then #40 drum sieve. The spelt was only sifted once with a #30 and milled twice in total.

The dough was left to bulk at 80 F to 30% which took 4.25 hours. I’m finding that using a smaller amount of starter is really helping with the overproofing I used to get using so many fresh milled flours.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the levain, salt, mashed roasted sweet potatoes and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes.  When the dough is almost completely developed add the cranberries and mix on low for a minute. Alternatively, you can laminate the dough and add the cranberries that way.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. I usually don’t leave the dough in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours because of all the fresh milled flours but this time I left it for 17 hours and it was perfect.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35-45 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature of around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

In honor of my 16 Year old  Mookie! This one was made with high extraction freshly milled whole wheat, spelt and rye with a little bread flour mixed in.

The crumb was nice and open and it tastes amazing.

I like using the whole potato skin and all and just chop them up in my mini food processor. It makes for a soft crumb and the bread will stay fresher longer.

I’ve been lowering the % of starter with my fresh milled flour bakes and it’s helping control the fermentation much better.

I used one of my favorite whole wheat berries from Barton Springs Mill called Rouge de Bordeaux as well as some fresh milled spelt, Danko rye and some KAF bread flour. The whole wheat and rye were milled and sifted twice and the spelt was milled twice and sifted once.

The dough was left to bulk at a lower temperature than I usually use at 75 F with a target bulk rise of 50% which took 5 hours and 45 minutes in my proofer.

The end result was a nice open and moist crumb and one tasty bread. This was great grilled with some EVO and melted cheese.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, mashed roasted potatoes and sour cream, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes. 

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from http://www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty airtight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. Since there is such a high percentage of whole grains in the dough I didn’t want to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Depending on how cold your refrigerator is you could leave it longer and have to experiment to make sure it doesn’t over ferment.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature of around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

I needed some nice semi-soft rolls for burgers and hot dogs. These are not like those air-whipped supermarket rolls that are so soft and tasteless but are the perfect consistency to hold a juicy burger or some natural casing hot dogs.

I decided to follow my new method of taking the dough temperature, measuring the rise for bulk, and then shaping and refrigerating for at least 12 hours before baking. The dough was allowed to rise to 30% at 80 F.

I used fresh milled and sifted Butlers Gold whole wheat along with some KAF bread flour, egg yolks and butter.

The end result was a flavorful roll with a nice soft and open crumb.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 - 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, and egg yolks and softned butter, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes.  The dough should pass the windowpane test.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as well. Based on the chart from the Sourdough Journey.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don't need to do any stretch and folds, but if it's not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, shape into rolls around 135 - 150 grams each depending on how big you want them. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover them using plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. I also put a moist tea towel over the tray a well. Place the cookie sheet in your refrigerator for around 12 hours or longer. The dough will continue to ferment so if you are using fresh milled flour you have to be careful not to leave it too long or it may over-ferment.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 445 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and using a scrambled egg yolk, coat the rolls and top with seeds, toasted onions, cheese, or whatever you desire.

Bake for around 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 195-200 F. 

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker's rack for as long as you can resist. 

I made a version of this a week before and completely over-hydrated the dough and ended up with an unintended super sized ciabatta :).

I’ve been experimenting with the amount of time and temperature to use for bulk and have not been getting consistent results. I decided to not only adjust the hydration of this one taking into consideration the water content of the fresh cherries and sour cream but also to significantly reduce the amount of starter used. I went from over 22% to only 16.4% for the levain. The total dough hydration including the water content of cherries which are 80% and the sour cream which is 73% ended up being 83%.

I used one of my favorite whole wheat berries from Barton Springs Mill called Star Dust as well as some fresh milled spelt and some KAF bread flour. The whole wheat was milled and sifted twice and the spelt was milled twice and sifted once.

I pitted the fresh cherries and put them in my mini food processor and pulsed a few seconds to create a cherry slurry. I drained the slurry as best as possible before using. The cherries added a beautiful purple swirl to the final bread and subtle cherry flavor. I might try using chopped cherries along with the swirl next time as it would give it even more cherry flavor.

The dough was left to bulk at a lower temperature than I usually use at 75 F with a target bulk rise of 50% which took 5 hours and 40 minutes in my proofer.

The end result was not only a beautiful bread but one of the more flavorful ones I’ve made in a while. The caramelized crust with the semi open crumb tasted amazing. This made great sandwiches as well as toast and grilled bread.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, and sour cream, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes.  When the dough is fully developed add the cherry slurry and mix on low for a minute until it’s incorporated.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Making sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as sell. Based on the chart here, determine what % rise you need and make note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty air tight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. Since there is such a high percentage of whole grains in the dough I didn’t want to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Depending on how cold your refrigerator is you could leave it longer and have to experiment to make sure it doesn’t over ferment.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist. 

This is another experiment with trying to find the right timing for bulk fermentation using mostly fresh milled flour. It ended up pretty good but still a little over-proofed.

I made a sweet stiff levain using some Vermont Maple Syrup and added some additional syrup along with coffee concentrate (you can use fresh brewed coffee instead but you will need to adjust your overall liquid to compensate). I like the flavor combination with the coffee and maple syrup and they went well with the fresh rye, whole wheat and spelt. As usual I milled my own flour using Barton Springs Rough de Bordeaux whole wheat and Ryman rye as well as spelt flours. The whole wheat and rye were milled and sifted twice and the spelt was milled twice and sifted once.

Overall this one turned out pretty good with a nice open crumb that was wonderful grilled or toasted with some good EVO and/or cheese on top.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, maple syrup, coffee extract, and remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes. 

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Making sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as sell. Based on the chart here, determine what % rise you need and make note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping place in your banneton, bowl or on your sheet pan and cover it so it is pretty air tight. You will then place it in your refrigerator so you don’t want the dough to get a crust on it. Since there is such a high percentage of whole grains in the dough I didn’t want to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Depending on how cold your refrigerator is you could leave it longer and have to experiment to make sure it doesn’t over ferment.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 540 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator and score immediately.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for around 35 minutes or until the breads are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 200-210 F. 

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist. 

These were made with freshly ground soft white wheat Purple Straw grain berries which is a heritage grain. This is another unique and hard to find wheat berry from Barton Springs Mill. It is not really meant to be used in bread, but rather biscuits, pancakes, pizza etc. but I wanted to try some in rolls. From the site:

This Colonial Era wheat hasn’t been tasted in over 50 years and we’ve worked hard to revive it for you! This Colonial Era honeyed wheat is most applicable in delicate situations where you want a soft and fluffy texture and don’t need too much structure. Expect subtle notes of honey!

I also added some leftover mashed potatoes and copious amounts of softened butter and a little honey. The potatoes are about 80% water so the hydration listed on the formula is not a true reflection.

Similar to my last bake, since I’ve been trying to get more consistent results with the fresh milled grains I use for 50-100% in my bakes. Getting the fermentation down correctly so it doesn’t go over or in some cases under is tricky. So far this method based on experiments detailed at https://thesourdoughjourney.com/ have worked out pretty well. His timing charts are based on using all white flour so it’s not a perfect match when using freshly ground flour. I’m still experimenting but so far so good. Unlike my past bakes with rolls/buns I shaped them after bulk and placed them on baking sheets, and refrigerated them overnight. I baked them directly from the refrigerator after around 12 hours, but they could have stayed longer if necessary.

These turned out great and were nice and soft and perfect for burgers and sandwiches.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. I used my proofer set at 76 degrees so it took around 5 hours for me. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer so my order of mixing is slightly different than if using a Kitchenaid or other mixer. Add all your liquid to your mixing bowl except 50-80 grams. Add the levain in pieces and mix for a few seconds to break it up. Next, add all your flour to the bowl and mix on low for a minute until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.   Next add the salt, honey, and softened butter as well as the remaining water as needed and mix on medium low (about speed 3) for 12- 24 minutes. You should be able to achieve a nice windowpane.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and do several stretch and folds.  Making sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough as sell. Based on the chart here, determine what % rise you need and make note. If you have a proofer decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, shape them into rolls around 135-150 grams and place them on your baking sheet. When finished shaping, cover the dough with a moistened tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and place them in your refrigerator. Since there is such a high percentage of whole grains in the dough I didn’t want to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Depending on how cold your refrigerator is you could leave it longer and have to experiment to make sure it doesn’t over ferment.

When you are ready to bake, an hour beforehand pre-heat your oven to 450 F and prepare for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  Remove your rolls from the refrigerator when the oven is fully heated and brush them with an egg wash. Add seeds, toasted onions, etc. as desired and place in the oven along with the cup of boiling water.

Bake for around 25 – 30 minutes until the buns/rolls are nice and brown and have an internal temperature around 200-210 F. 

Take the rolls out of the oven when done and let them cool on a bakers rack for as long as you can resist.