This KAMUT de Mie has a very mild and wheaty flavor.
Pain de Mie means “bread of the crumb.” I like that description, but this version, made with KAMUT, could be described as “bread with a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth crumb that’s great for toasting.”
I enjoy experimenting with ancient grains. I’ve used whole grain KAMUT flour in several breads, but I hadn’t tried KAMUT white flour yet so I wanted to see how it would perform in breads that are usually made with modern white bread flour.
KAMUT white flour is actually creamy-colored. It’s a beautiful grain and makes a lovely flour.
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In my research, I’ve found differing opinions on where some of the ancient grains originated and how they are classified. The official KAMUT web site has a wealth of interesting information and the classification makes sense to me, bearing in mind, I’m not an expert on wheat.
Basically, all wheat belongs to the genus Triticum, but the classifications differ based on the number of chromosomes. Khorasan Wheat (KAMUT brand) has 28 chromosomes as opposed to the 42 chromosomes found in modern wheat. I had read about the differing chromosomes in some of my previous research, but didn’t realize that KAMUT, like emmer, only has 28. There’s much more to wheat than meets the eye.
KAMUT de Mie (Pain De Mie made with KAMUT Flour)
Adapted from: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute
Makes: Two Medium (8 1/2” x 4 1/2”) Loaves
This bread started out at 60% hydration, but it was too dry. The KAMUT flour absorbed the milk so much that it ended up being about 78% hydration. I had heard that KAMUT had a greater absorption rate than modern bread flour. Now, I can attest to that. It wasn’t a wet dough. It was dreamy or maybe I should say creamy to work with.
Ingredients:
- 553g KAMUT white flour
- 433g Cold Almond milk
- 55g (4 T) unsalted butter, softened
- 9g instant yeast
- 22g sugar
- 11g salt
Method:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, half of the milk, the softened butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed using the dough hook for 5 minutes. Gradually add in more milk as necessary until there are no dry bits of flour. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together. It will be slightly sticky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.
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Lightly flour a work surface and remove the dough from the bowl. Divide it into two pieces using a sharp knife or bench knife. Cover the pieces with plastic and let them bench rest for 15 minutes.
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Lightly butter two medium loaf pans. I used two 8.5 by 4.5-inch glass loaf pans.
Uncover the dough again and lightly flour the work surface, if necessary. Gently press out the dough to degas it and shape each piece into a round. Shape the rounds into batards and place each batard into a buttered loaf pan. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise for 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Make the egg wash by combining the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together in a small bowl until blended.
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Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the risen loaves with the egg wash. You’re supposed to do this lightly. I may have overdone it with the egg wash because the crust got a little darker than I anticipated.
Transfer the loaves to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. The sides should be firm to the touch.
Remove the loaves from the oven. If you are using glass pans, let the loaves cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Since the weather has been unseasonably cold, I was craving tomato soup and grilled cheese. Pain de Mie is the perfect bread for grilled cheese (or toasted cheese as we referred to it growing up).
The KAMUT flour performed really well for this test. It makes a great toast bread.
I’m sharing these loaves with:
Happy Baking
Cathy
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