The grain of the month for June is KAMUT®. KAMUT® is the name of the brand and not the wheat. The wheat is “khorasan” wheat.
To assure the quality of the organic, heirloom grain, khorasan, the wheat was trademarked KAMUT®. The word “kamut” comes from the ancient Egyptian word for “wheat.” Isn’t that cool!
Khorasan is related to Durum. Both grains descended from Emmer. Khorasan is high in protein, with a sweet aroma and a chewy texture. The kernels are amber in color and almost translucent.
I got some KAMUT® grains from the farmers market and ground them into flour. As you can see from the photo below, KAMUT® grains (on the left) are much bigger (about 2 to 3 times) than white winter wheat berries (on the right).
KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour is beautiful and creamy-looking. It reminds me of semolina, but it’s not as coarse or grainy.
This is what the white winter wheat looks like ground into flour.
Sprouted KAMUT Bread Recipe
Adapted from The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads by Beth Hensperger
Makes: 1 loaf
The notes in the book suggest using 7/8 cup of KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour to 1 cup of whole wheat flour in breads. For this particular recipe, I substituted 1/2 cup of KAMUT® flour for 1/2 cup of whole wheat and an additional 1 cup of KAMUT® flour for 1 cup of bread flour for a total of 1 1/2 cups of KAMUT® flour.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of ginger
- 1 1/2 cups KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour
- 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/8 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sprouted KAMUT® berries, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour
- Wheat germ, for sprinkling (optional)
- Melted butter, for brushing
Directions:
Step 1: Sprouting the KAMUT® Berries
Duration: 2 to 3 days
Makes: 1 cup
1/4 cup raw KAMUT® berries
Place the KAMUT® berries in a bowl and add tepid water to cover by 1 inch. Let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.
Drain the KAMUT® berries and rinse with fresh water. Place in a 1-quart jar. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
Place the jar on its side in a warm, dark place. Twice a day, rinse and drain the berries with tepid water poured through the cheesecloth.
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After 2 to 3 days, the berries will sprout. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. Since it summer, I only had to sprout the berries for about a day, then I dried them on a towel and refrigerated them for a couple of days until I was ready to bake the bread.
When you’re ready to bake the bread, grind the berries in a food processor or blender. Be careful not to over process; the berries should be chunky.
Step 2: Making the Bread
Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and ginger over the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of your mixer, combine the KAMUT® flour, milk powder, and salt.
Add the warm water, honey, and 4 tablespoons butter. Mix or beat for 1 minute.
Add the yeast mixture and beat 1 minute longer. Add all the KAMUT® berries and the bread flour, 1/2 cup a a time, beating on low speed until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl forms, switching to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand. I mixed the dough by hand using a Danish dough whisk.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and spongy, 1 to 2 minutes for a machine mixed dough and 3 to 4 minutes for a hand-mixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking.
Place in a lightly greased deep container, turn once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
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Grease a 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with wheat germ. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and shape it into a loaf.
Flatten each piece out on the counter and pat each portion into a rectangle and roll- into a loaf shape.
Press the seam closed with your fingers and place, seam side down, into the prepared pan.
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Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until level with the rims of the pans, about 1 hour.
About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until crusty and golden. Remove the loaf from the pan to cool on a rack and brush the top with melted butter.
Let the loaf cool, then slice and enjoy.
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I like this bread, it is a little bit chewy and it taste great toasted with butter and/or spread with jam. However, I couldn’t quite distinguish the KAMUT® flavor. It just tasted like wheat to me (which is not a bad thing because I happen to like wheat).
This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
