EZ DOH Crusty Spelt Bread

For my next experiment with the EZ DOH bread dough maker, I made whole wheat bread using an overnight sponge. I’ve made this bread several times; each time with a different type of flour. This time, I used a mixture of white and whole grain Spelt.

 

Using an overnight sponge helps with gluten development.  This is particularly useful when working with ancient grains because they generally have a weaker gluten structure. Allowing the final dough to ferment for a longer period of time also aids with gluten development.

Due to the weaker protein structure, spelt doughs also benefit from a shorter mix.  It’s generally better to mix them by hand or utilize a shorter mix on first speed in a stand mixer.  Due to these characteristics, I felt this would be a good dough to test in the EZ DOH unit.

This bread can be baked in a regular loaf pan or as a freeform artisan loaf.  I tried it both ways (see photo below).  The loaf on the left is made with white and whole grain Spelt.  The loaf on the right is made completely with whole grain Spelt and baked on a baking stone using steam.

 

This post documents the process for the loaf bread. If you want to learn how to bake the hearth-style loaf, refer to the Einkorn Bread made with an Overnight Sponge post.

 

crusty Spelt Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

Adapted from: Bread Science by Emily Buehler

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 187 g (1 2/3 cups) white Spelt flour
• 140 g (2/3 cup) water (50 to 55 degrees F.)
• 1/8 tsp. instant yeast

Final Dough:

• 210g (~1 3/4 cups) whole grain Spelt flour (plus more for sprinkling)
• 327g Sponge (all of it)
• 140g (2/3 cup) water (60 to 65 degrees F.)
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. salt

 

Directions:

Mixing the Sponge:

Mix the sponge 12 to 15 hours before you plan to make the dough. If the temperature is cooler in the house, then use warmer water, if it is warmer in the house, then use cooler water. Final temperature should be about 65 degrees F.

I mixed the sponge in the EZ DOH and let it rest in the unit overnight.

 

After the overnight rest, I added about half the water to break up the sponge. I mixed the sponge and the water for a minute or so, then I added the dry ingredients and starting mixing while I gradually added the rest of the water. I mixed until all of the dry ingredients were incorporated into the dough. Then I removed the handle assembly and kneaded the dough just a bit (in the bucket) with my hands.

 

Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough bulk ferment for 1 hour. Fold and turn the dough in the bowl or take it out and perform a fold on the counter or work surface.

Place the dough back in the bucket, cover again, and let it bulk ferment for another hour.

After the 2 hour fermentation, shape the dough into a loaf shape. Place the loaf seam side down in an 8 1/2” x 4 1/2”  loaf pan. I used a glass loaf pan.

I scored the loaf before the final proof so it wouldn’t deflate the dough. This is recommended for weaker doughs.  It also gives the scores more definition after baking.

 

Let the loaf proof for an hour.  It probably won’t double in size during the proof, but the oven spring should be very good.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The crust should be brown and crusty.

Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

 

The EZ DOH bread maker lives up to its name.  It’s really easy to use.  I like it although I have found that it does require a bit of hands on kneading.  If you’re making breads by hand, this shouldn’t be an issue because you want to get your hands on the dough to make sure it’s developing properly. 

The EZ DOH is a useful tool for mixing no knead breads and for making breads that require a longer fermentation time to develop the gluten.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

There’s no bread like Home-Milled

Be it ever so humble, there’s no bread like home-milled whole wheat. 

Several weeks ago, Golden Wheat Farms sent me a sample of hard red winter winter wheat berries.  I milled the grains into flour and planned to use the flour right away, but I couldn’t decide what bread to make. I wanted to use it in something special. I usually freeze home-milled flour so it doesn’t go rancid, but this particular flour sat in a sealed container on my counter for a couple of weeks. It has been cold in my kitchen so it was just fine.

After waiting all this time, I decided to make a humble loaf of whole wheat bread using the simplest of ingredients. I wanted to taste the wheat flavor and not mask it with anything else.

This Whole Grain Artisan Loaf is made with home-milled whole wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. What brings out the flavor is the overnight poolish. 

 

This loaf was so easy to make. As with most breads I’ve made recently, this one was made completely by hand. I mixed the poolish the night before and let it sit at warm room temperature overnight and then started the final dough the next afternoon. The bread was ready by early evening.  Most of the time was spent fermenting the dough.

I brought the bread with me to visit a friend.  My friend is a very gracious taste tester.  He’s tasted a lot of my failures and successes, but this time he was delighted when he took a bite. He said it reminded him of the bread he ate growing up in Eastern Europe. I believe he was referring to a miche because that’s what this bread reminds me of as well. I gave him the rest of the loaf.  A couple of days later, I was missing the flavor of this bread so I made another loaf.

 

Home-Milled Whole Wheat Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

I made the first loaf with an overnight poolish of sifted (about 85% extraction) whole wheat flour and water and a pinch of yeast. The second loaf was made with unsifted whole wheat flour.  I used a new triangle proofing basket for the first loaf.  I shaped the second loaf into a boule and proofed it on parchment paper.  I used different scoring patterns on each loaf.  I liked them both.

Adapted from: Bread Science, the chemistry and craft of making bread by Emily Buehler

 

Sponge:

Whole wheat flour (sifted once or unsifted)	187 g	1 2/3 cups
Water, lukewarm	187 g
Instant yeast	a pinch	a pinch

 

Final Dough:

Whole wheat flour	187 g	1 2/3 cups
Sponge	374 g	use all of it
Water*	140 g	2/3 cup
Instant yeast	1/2 tsp.	1/2 tsp.
Sea salt	2 tsp.	2 tsp.

* For the first loaf, I used 140 g plus an additional tablespoon or so of water in the final dough. For the second loaf, I only used 100 g of water in the final dough.

 

Prepare the Sponge:

Prepare the sponge 12 to 15 hours before you plan to mix the final dough. The water should be about 50 to 55 degrees F. or warmer if your house is cold. The final temperature should be about 65 degrees F.

Cover the sponge and let it rest at room temperature. 

 

Mix the Final Dough:

Mix the ingredients using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon.  The second time around, I found it helpful to add the sponge to the bowl first, and break it up with some of the water before adding the dry ingredients. Don’t add all of the water at this point because you may not need all of it. Add in flour and water gradually to make a workable dough.  Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly floured counter.  It will still be a bit tacky.  Place it in a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a towel.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Let the dough bulk ferment for 2 hours. After 1 hour, fold the dough and place it back in the bowl.  Cover the bowl and let the dough proof for another hour.

Shape the Loaf:

When it is fully risen again, shape the dough into a boule and place seam side down in a floured banneton (proofing) basket for the final proof.  I decided to test my new triangle proofing basket on this loaf.  I dusted the basket with corn flour and placed the loaf in it to rise.

Alternately, shape the dough into a boule and let it rise on a floured board or parchment paper.  As you can see from the photo below, I don’t like to waste parchment paper so I’m reusing it (again).

Cover the loaf so it doesn’t dry out.

 

Proof the Loaf:

Let the dough proof until it is soft and full of gas. Poke the dough. If it leaves an impression and doesn’t spring back, the dough is ready. I let my loaves proof for about 45 minutes to an hour.

I wasn’t sure if the dough would fill up the triangle basket, but it did.  I pressed it down lightly to fill in the corners.

Prepare the oven for baking:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a baking stone on the bottom rack and a steam pan underneath or a cast iron skillet on the top rack.

Score the Loaf:

Gently turn the loaf out of the basket and onto parchment paper. Score the loaf in the pattern of your choice. I used a Longuet lame to score straight patterns on the triangle loaf and the Adour lame to score around the top of the loaf like I did on the Cuban Bread but this time I added some scoring around the sides of the loaf as well.

 

Baking the Loaf:

Slide the loaf (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated baking stone.  Add hot water to the steam pan or several ice cubes to the iron skillet. Bake the loaf for 30 to 40 minutes.  The crust will be brown and the bottom should sound hollow when thumped.

 

Cool the Loaf:

Cool the loaf on a wire rack to allow the air to circulate below the bread. Then slice and enjoy. 

Here are the crumb shots for both loaves. The first loaf was a little more hydrated so it had some holes.  I used less water for the second loaf so it had a tighter crumb. They both tasted delicious.

 

I really enjoyed the red winter wheat from Golden Wheat Farms. I appreciate the opportunity to test it. It performed really well in this bread. 

Even though these loaves are made with the simplest of ingredients, they both tasted really good.  The first loaf tasted good plain and dipped in oil and herbs.  I enjoyed the second loaf with just butter or peanut butter.

 

I’m sharing these loaves with:

BYOB - Il Cestino del Pane

Yeastspotting

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

World Bread Day & Tartine Whole Wheat Bread

Happy World Bread Day!  World Bread Day was started by the International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners (IUB) as a time to talk about the importance of bread, as well as its history and future.

Zorra adopted World Bread Day as a (food)blogger event in 2006 and the event has been celebrated by bread bakers around the world every year since then. Take a look at the previous World Bread Day Roundups.  You’ll be amazed at the creativity of all of the bakers around the world.

I love to talk about bread so I jumped right on the bread-baking bandwagon. This is my third year participating in World Bread Day.

 

 

My contribution to World Bread Day 2011 is Tartine Whole Wheat Bread. This bread is a variation on a theme. It is similar to the Tartine Country Bread I submitted for BBD #37, but it uses a greater proportion of whole wheat flour to white all-purpose flour. And since I use a 50/50 blend of whole wheat and white all-purpose flour, my version has a bit more whole wheat than the original formula.

 

“My bread is sweet and nourishing, made from my own  wheat, ground in my own mill, and baked in my own oven.”

Tobias Smollett, Humphrey Clinker, 1771

 

 

Whole Wheat Bread

Adapted from: Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson

Makes: One 2-pound loaf

 

Ingredients:

• 400 grams water (plus a couple of tablespoons)
• 100 grams leaven
• 350 grams whole wheat flour (I used home-milled flour from hard red winter wheat)
• 150 grams all-purpose flour (I used a 50/50 blend of whole wheat and white all-purpose flour)
• 10 grams salt

 

Directions:

1. Making the Leaven:

   The night before you plan to mix the dough, take 1 tablespoon of a mature starter and feed it with 200 grams of warm (78 degrees F) water and 200 grams of a blend of 50 white bread flour/50 whole wheat bread flour. I used a tablespoon of my new apple starter. Cover with a kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and let the starter rise overnight at a cool room temperature (65 degrees F).  This is the leaven.* 

   The next morning, the volume should’ve increased by 20 percent.  To find out if it’s ready, test to see if it floats in water.  Drop a spoonful into a bowl of moderate room-temperature water.  If it sinks, it is not ready to use and needs more time to ferment and ripen.

    

2. Mixing the Dough:

   Weigh 400 grams of 80 degrees F water and pour it into a large mixing bowl.  Add 100 grams of leaven and stir it to disperse.

    

   *You don’t use all of the leaven for this bread so save the leftover for your starter if you like or use it to bake more bread. Since I’m keeping my starters separate, I decided to bake another loaf with the left over leaven.

    

   Add 500 grams of flour – 350 grams whole wheat and 150 grams white – to the water and mix thoroughly by hand until you do not see any dry flour. 

    

    

   Let the dough rest for 25 to 40 minutes.  Don’t skip the rest period.  It allows the flour to absorb the water and then swell.  Then it will relax. 

    

    

   After the dough has rested, add the 10 grams of salt.  The original formula says to add 50 grams warm water at this point, but this whole wheat version didn’t mention adding any additional water.  However, I used freshly-milled whole wheat flour which  absorbs the water a little more so I added a couple of tablespoons of water and incorporated it along with the salt.

   Incorporate the salt into the dough by squeezing the dough between your fingers. Come on you know you want to get your hands in that dough…

   

    

   Fold the dough on top of itself and transfer to a clean bowl. I just washed out the same bowl and placed the dough back in it and covered it with plastic wrap. Let the dough bulk ferment for 3 to 4 hours or longer if necessary.

   

    

3. Turning the Dough:

   I didn’t take photos of this process. You can view the step-by-step process for turning the dough, including photos on the Tartine Country Bread post.

   Using this method, the dough is not kneaded on a counter, the development of the dough is achieved by a series of turns in the bowl during the bulk fermentation.

   To do a turn, dip one hand in water to prevent the dough from sticking to you and then grab the underside of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it back over the rest of the dough.

   Repeat this action two or three times so that all the dough gets evenly developed. This is considered one turn.

   During the first 2 hours of fermentation, give the dough one turn every half hour or so.  During the last hour or so, turn the dough more gently to avoid pressing gas out of the dough. If the dough seems to be developing slowly, you can extend the bulk fermentation time.

    

4. Shaping the Loaves:

   To view the step-by-step shaping process with photos, go to the Tartine Country Bread post.

   Transfer the dough to an unfloured work surface. Lightly flour the surface of the dough. Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Flip it so that the floured side rests on the counter.  Do this with the other piece of dough.

   Fold each piece onto itself so that the flour on the surface of the dough is sealed on the outside of the loaf.  The outer surface will become the crust, so you can use a little more flour if necessary.

   Work each piece of dough into a round shape. Let both rounds of dough rest on the work surface for 20 to 30 minutes covered with a kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying on top.  I floured the loaves lightly before placing the towel over them.

   To form the final shapes, lightly flour the top surface of the dough rounds.  Lift both rounds off the work surface, being careful to maintain the round shape. Flip the round so that the floured side is now resting on the work surface.  What was the underside is now facing up.

   Perform a series of folds to build tension so that the loaf will holds it form and rise when baked.  First, you fold the third of the dough closest to you up and over the middle third of the round.  Stretch out the dough to your right and fold the right third over the center. 

   Stretch the dough to your left and fold this third over the previous fold.   Now, stretch out the third of dough farthest from you and fold it toward you, over the previous folds, and press it in place with your fingers.

   I folded both rounds as indicated above, then I pinched the seams together on top and placed the dough seam-side up in banneton baskets that had been floured with a 50/50 mixture of rice flour and wheat flour.

    

   

   At this point, you can let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 3 to 4 more hours or retard the dough overnight. 

    

5. Baking the Loaves:

   20 minutes or so before you plan to bake the loaves, place a Dutch oven combo cooker (lid and pot) in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

   

   Dust the surface of one of the loaves in the basket with rice flour.  When the oven reaches 500 degrees, carefully pull the shallow pan out of the oven and place it on top of the stove.  Leave the other pan in the oven.  Carefully inverting the basket, turn the dough into the hot pan.

   Score the loaf using a simple square pattern with four cuts. To make pronounced “ears,” make shallow cuts at a very low angle (almost horizontal) to the dough.  I’m still working on perfecting this process, but I was pretty pleased with the scoring on this loaf.

   

   Be careful not to burn yourself during this part.  This is why you use the shallow pan on the bottom instead of the deep pot.  It makes it easier to score the loaf without burning yourself.

   Return the shallow pan with the loaf to the oven and cover it with the deep pot.  This is sort of tricky.  The deep pot can be pretty heavy so be careful. 

   Immediately reduce the oven to 450 degrees F and bake the loaf for 20 minutes.  Then carefully remove the top pan.

   

    

   Let the loaf continue to bake (without the top) for about 15 to 20 more minutes, until the crust is a deep color. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the loaf to a rack to cool.

   

    

6. Enjoying the Loaves: Let the loaf cool completely before slicing and serving.

   

    

    

   Thank you for joining me for World Bread Day.  Come let us break bread together.

    

   Happy Baking!

   Cathy

Whole Wheat Bread with no added fat or sweetener

Are you looking for a 100% Whole Wheat Bread that can be made with no added fat or sweetener? 

I have just the bread for you…

It’s called Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread and it’s made with Super Sprout^TM from Lindley Mills.  Super Sprout^TM is a whole grain organic wheat that has been sprouted using a proprietary method and milled into flour for baking. The wheat flavor of this sprouted flour is deeper, smoother and more well-rounded than plain whole wheat flour.

I learned about Super Sprout^TM  at the Asheville Bread Baking Festival during Peter Reinhart’s workshop. He baked some Sprouted whole wheat loaves and Sprouted Whole Wheat focaccia with Cranberries for the demonstration. Both were delicious.

I took the following photo before the room was filled to capacity.  Everyone wanted to see what Peter Reinhart was up too.  We weren’t disappointed.

 

Here is Peter Reinhart showing us the loaves.  We got to sample them as well.

This is Peter Reinhart demonstrating how to make some artisan loaves with the dough.

I liked this method and the bread so much, I decided to get some of the flour and try it for myself.

The nutritional information on the package states that, “sprouting greatly enhances the nutrition and digestibility of wheat. The body sees sprouted wheat more as vegetable than a grain.  The sprouting process jump-starts digestion and provides a far superior nutritional value for your body.” 

 

Super Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

 

Makes: 1 loaf

Source: Master Formula from Peter Reinhart’s workshop at the Asheville Bread Baking Festival

The dough is very easy to work with. It does not require a long fermentation time to develop the flavor or structure of the bread.

Due to the sprouting process, the sprouted wheat flour remains soft and tender without the addition of oil or fat which is usually added to 100% whole wheat bread.  The flour is also naturally sweet so it does not require the addition of sweeteners for most breads.  However, if you want to make sweet, enriched dough such as cinnamon buns or brioche, you can add some fat and sweetener.

Another interesting difference with sprouted wheat flour is that sprouting the wheat changes the flour enough so that many of the rules for artisan breads, such as the use of preferments and long, slow rising times, can be accomplished by the flour itself in less time because the enzyme activity provided by the long fermentation times is already accomplished during the sprouting process.

 

Ingredients:

16 oz (454g) sprouted whole wheat flour

0.25 oz (7g) (1 teaspoon) salt

0.16 oz (4.5g) (1 1/2 teaspoons) instant yeast (1/2 oz – if using fresh yeast)

14.5 oz (411g) water (room temperature)

 

Directions:

Mix on slow speed with the paddle (not the hook) for one minute.  I used a Danish dough whisk rather than a stand mixer.

 

Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes.  I mixed it again with the Danish dough whisk.

 

Remove the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and perform one stretch and fold.

 

Transfer the dough to an oiled container (or cover the dough on the oiled work surface with a bowl).

Perform three additional stretch and folds at 5 minute intervals (these intervals can be extended to up to twenty minutes each).

After the final stretch and fold, place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and ferment for 60 to 90  minutes at room temperature (shorter if using a proof box).

 

Shape the dough for either sandwich loaf or hearth baking.  I wanted some whole wheat sandwich bread so I shaped it into a sandwich loaf.  My dough was a little wet so it was a bit tricky to shape.

 

Mist the top of the loaf with pan spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap (for hearth baking you can use a couche).  

 

Proof for 60 to 80 minutes, or as needed.

 

For hearth bread, bake at 450 degrees F/220 degrees C with steam for approximately 30 to 35 minutes.  For sandwich loaf, bake at 375 degrees F/191 degrees C for approximately 45-55 minutes. 

I baked my sandwich loaf at 350 degrees F until it registered 205 on an instant read thermometer.  It was still a little bit sticky in the middle so I turned the oven off and opened the door but left the loaf in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool on a wire rack.

I brushed the top of the loaf with butter, but once I tasted it, I realized it didn’t need the butter on top.  I should’ve left it alone.

It tasted great plain or with butter or peanut butter.  My boyfriend described it as “total deliciousness!”

 

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

I’m sure you’ll want to try this sprouted wheat flour too; however, you’ll have to wait. It’s coming soon to a store near you. I spoke with the folks at Lindley Mills last week and they’re working on setting up distribution channels. I’ll let you know when I find out any more details. 

By the way, the cost of the flour was very reasonable.  I was able to make this bread for under $2.00 since I didn’t have the extra cost of the fat or sweetener just a little bit of salt and the dried yeast. 

 

Thanks for joining me in the bread baking blog.  I hope you’ll join me again soon.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy