Five Grain Spelt Levain

I’m featuring breads made with Spelt during the month of January. Spelt is one of the super grains. It can be used as an exact substitute for whole wheat flour in baking recipes. Breads made with spelt have more protein, a deeper and richer flavor, and a slightly different texture than those made with wheat. All good things in my book. Try it, you’ll like it! 

To experiment with the versatility of Spelt, I decided to use Spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour in the next couple of breads for the Mellow Bakers.  The first bread is a Five Grain Levain. 

 

Five Grain Spelt Levain

I substituted freshly-milled spelt flour for the whole wheat flour and changed the mixture of grains in the soaker. I didn’t have any cracked rye or sunflower seeds, and I really wanted to use what I had on hand, so I substituted rye flakes for the chops and sesame seeds for the sunflower seeds.

Makes: 3 Loaves

Adapted from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman 

Ingredients:

Liquid-Levain Build:

• 8 oz (1 7/8 cups) bread flour
• 10 oz (1 1/3 cups) water
• 1.6 oz (3 T) mature culture (liquid)

Soaker:

• 2.5 oz (3/4 cup) rye flakes or (2.9 oz (5/8 cup) cracked rye)
• 2.5 oz (3/4 cup) oats
• 2.9 oz (5/8 cup) flaxseeds
• 2.9 oz (5/8 cup) sesame seeds or (2.5 oz (1/2 cup) sunflower seeds)
• 13 oz (1 5/8 cups) cold water (if using cracked rye, use boiling water)
• .2 oz (1 tsp) salt

Final Dough:

• 1 lb (4 3/8 cups) high-gluten flour
• 8 oz (1 3/4 cups) spelt flour
• 8.4 oz (1 cup) water
• .6 oz (1 T) salt
• .1 oz (1 tsp) instant dry yeast (I retarded the dough overnight so I omitted the yeast)
• 1 lb, 8 oz soaker (all of above)
• 1 lb, 2 oz liquid levain (all less 3 T)

 

Directions:

1) Preparing the Liquid-Levain Build:

Prepare the sourdough by mixing all of the ingredients together.  Let it ripen for 12 to 16 hours at 70 degrees F.

 

2) Preparing the Soaker:

Pour the water over the grain blend and salt; mix thoroughly, and cover with plastic to prevent evaporation.

 

Make the soaker at the same time as the final build of the levain and let it stand at room temperature. 

Soaker after 16 hours

 

Liquid-levain after 16 hours

 

3) Mixing the Dough:

Add all of the ingredients to the mixing bowl.  In a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes, adjusting the hydration as necessary.  Mix on second speed for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes.  The dough should have moderate gluten development.  Desired dough temperature 76 degrees F.

 

4) Bulk Fermentation:

Place the dough in a clean bowl and let it bulk ferment for 1 to 1 1/2 hours if you plan on making the bread the same day.  Fold the dough after 45 minutes.

If you run out of time like I did, you can retard the dough overnight* for the final fermentation. In which case you would let the dough bulk ferment for 2 hours and fold it after 1 hour.

*Instead of retarding the dough in the refrigerator for the final fermentation, I let it bulk ferment overnight in the refrigerator. I also omitted the instant yeast since the dough benefits from a slow fermentation in the refrigerator and therefore does not need any additional yeast.

 

Dough after retarding in the refrigerator overnight

 

The next day, I let the dough warm up to room temperature before shaping the loaves and the final fermentation.

 

5) Dividing and Shaping the Dough:

Divide the dough into 1.5-pound pieces and shape them round or oblong.  I shaped the loaves into batards.

To learn how to shape a batard, refer to the Hutzelbrot post.

 

6) Final Fermentation:

Place the batards on parchment paper and cover them with plastic wrap. Let them ferment approximately 1 hour at 76 degrees F.  You can let the loaves retard in the refrigerator overnight at this point if you prefer instead of using my method outlined above*.

 

7) Preparing the Oven for Hearth Baking:

Prepare the oven for hearth baking by placing a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and a steam pan underneath. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

 

8) Scoring the Loaves:

Score the loaves using a serrated knife of lame.  Since I had fermented the dough in the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature, it turned out to be a wet dough.  This was a good thing for the crumb, but made it a little bit tricky for scoring.

 

9) Baking the Loaves:

Once the oven is preheated, slide the breads (on the parchment paper) directly onto the baking stone and pour 1 cup of water in the steam pan. After 30 seconds, open the door, spray the walls with water, and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals.

Bake the bread for 15 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F.  Continue baking for 30 minutes more.  Check the breads during the bake and rotate them 180 degrees for even baking if necessary.  Since there is a lot of water retention due to the grains, be sure to let the bread bake thoroughly.

 

9) Cooling and Slicing the Loaves:

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

 

Slice and enjoy!

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

 

This is a wonderful bread. The combination of grains provides a unique texture as well as a pleasing color and flavor. It went really well with the homemade sausage marinara I made this past October using tomatoes from my abundant tomato harvest.  I had a very hectic week this week and it was nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about dinner. I didn’t take a photo of that part so you can use your imagination.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Semolina (Durum) Bread

The Mellow Bakers are winding down their journey through Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

I’ve been really mellow about baking with this group so I didn’t make all of the breads in the book, but I’ve tried to make at least one bread each month. This month, there are two different types of Semolina Breads on the list so I definitely didn’t want to miss out on that!  I just love breads made with Semolina.

This Semolina (Durum) Bread utilizes an old-fashioned type of sponge called a “flying sponge”. Don’t you just love that name! This type of sponge was common in Austria and England and probably got it’s name because of the yeast that is added to it; not to mention the fact that the fermentation is relatively short – usually no more than 1 hour.

 

Semolina (Durum) Bread

Adapted from: Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

Makes: 2 Large Loaves

I changed the process around a bit to suit my schedule.  After the bulk fermentation, it was late so instead of letting the dough rise in the baskets on the counter for an hour or so, I covered the baskets with plastic wrap and a towel and retarded them overnight.  I took them out the next day; let them warm up to room temperature, then I baked them using the steam method. 

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• Semolina Flour 6.4 oz. (1 1/2 cups)
• Bread Flour 6.4 oz. (1 1/2 cups)
• Water 9 oz. (1 1/8 cups)
• Yeast, instant .13 oz. (1 1/4 tsp.)
• Sugar .6 oz. (1/2 tsp.)

Final Dough:

• Semolina Flour 9.6 oz. (2 1/8 cups)
• Bread Flour 9.6 oz. (2 1/4 cups)
• Water 10.8 oz. (1 3/8 cups)
• Salt .6 oz. (1 T.)
• Olive oil, extra virgin 1.6 oz. (3 T.)
• Sponge, all of the above

 

Here is the process I used to make this bread:

Creating the Sponge:

Mix the durum flour, bread flour, water, yeast, and sugar until evenly incorporated.  You can use the mixer, but I just used my Danish dough whisk. The sponge should be fairly loose.  Let the sponge ripen for about 1 1/4 hours.

 

Mixing the Dough:

Add all of the ingredients, including the sponge, to the mixing bowl and mix on first speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes.

Increase the speed to the second speed and mix for another 2 to 3 minutes.  The dough will be of medium consistency. It should have noticeable gluten development.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Let the dough bulk ferment for 1 1/2 hours and fold the dough after 45 minutes.  I let the dough bulk ferment for 2 hours and folded it about 1 hour, then I proceeded with the shaping.

 

Dividing and Shaping the Loaves:

Divide the dough into 1.5-pound pieces, preshape lightly into rounds and place the rounds on a lightly floured surface, seams up.  Cover the rounds with plastic.

 

After about 10-20 minutes, when the dough has relaxed sufficiently, shape it into tight round or oval loaves.  Place the loaves into floured bannetons.  I used one round and one oval banneton basket. I always coat the inside of the baskets with a mixture of rice flour and all-purpose flour. This mixture seems to help prevent the dough from sticking to the basket. 

At this point, I covered the baskets with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and placed them in the refrigerator to retard overnight.

 

Preparing the Loaves for Baking:

The next day, I removed the baskets of dough from the refrigerator and let them warm up to room temperature for about an hour or so.

 

Preparing the Oven for Hearth Baking:

I prepared the oven for hearth baking by placing a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and a steam pan underneath. Then preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

I inverted the loaves onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  They came out of the baskets really easily.

 

Scoring the Loaves:

I used my new Bordelaise Lame to score the loaves.  I’ll tell you more about it later.  I’m still testing it. So far I really like it!

I decided to try a different scoring on the round loaf.  I just scored the oval loaf straight down the middle.

Spray the top of the loaves with water and sprinkle them with sesame seeds. I should’ve done this before I scored it, but I sort of forgot.  I was too excited to try out my new lame.

 

Baking the Loaves:

Once the oven is preheated, slide the breads (on the parchment paper) directly onto the baking stone and pour 1 cup of water in the steam pan. After 30 seconds, open the door, spray the walls with water, and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals.

Bake the bread for 15 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F.  Continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes more.  Check the breads during the bake and rotate them 180 degrees for even baking if necessary.

 

Cooling and Slicing the Loaves:

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

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

The sponge gives this bread a lightness and a unique flavor. It has a nutty and crispy crust with a chewy interior. The fact that I fermented it overnight also added to the flavor and texture. I really like it!

I sent one of the loaves to my son in college.  He went back to school this past weekend, and he forgot his towels so I shipped the towels and a loaf of bread to him.  He’s been enjoying this bread along with some homemade Blueberry Jam. 

 

Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’re baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Hearty Garden Vegetable Soup

I’m starting the new year off right by eating healthy soups.  For once, I didn’t overindulge over the Holidays (too much), and I actually lost weight instead of gaining. I decided to keep that trend going.

I started off with this low calorie, Hearty Garden Vegetable Soup.  This soup is really healthy and full of nutrients. The original recipe is called “Diet Soup”; however, I’m not dieting; I just love this soup.  I made it a couple of times last year, and it made me feel so good, I decided it would be a great way to start out the year.

 

Not only does this soup taste great, it is very versatile and can be used as the base for a different meal each night for seven days. I’ve tried several of the variations and I like most of them, but this time, I just wanted to stick with the basic soup. It tastes so good by itself. 

If you are dieting, you can eat as much of this soup as you like because each serving only has about 45 calories.  I added a little more cabbage and chicken broth to mine so it increased the calories a bit.

 

Hearty Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe

Makes: About 28 cups

Adapted from: Good Housekeeping Soup Diet Basic Recipe and Variations

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. carrots, sliced
• 2 large onions (or 3 med.) about 1 1/2 lbs.
• 5 lg. stalks celery, sliced
• 4 lg. cloves garlic, crushed with press
• 2 cans (28 oz. each) whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 large head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed and each cut into thirds
• 60 oz. chicken broth
• 6 c. water
• Salt and pepper
• 3 med. zucchini (1 1/4 lbs.), sliced into half-moons
• 2 bags (6 oz. each) baby spinach leaves

 

Directions:

Coat 12-quart stockpot with olive oil. Over medium-high heat, add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally.

 

Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. I used a knife to cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces.

 

Add cabbage, green beans, broth, water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.

 

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling.

 

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

 

I’ve been enjoying this soup all week.  Sometimes I add shaved parmesan cheese for a variation, but it really doesn’t need it.

 

Nutritional Info for each cup: About 45 calories, 2 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g total fat (0 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.

Spicy Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

My extended family got together on New Years Eve and celebrated with some yummy comfort food.  We had a fun time visiting and sampling different types of chili: white chicken chili, beef chili and spicy vegetarian chili. Along with the chili, we enjoyed homemade buttermilk cornbread and corn muffins.

My contribution to the party was this very colorful Spicy Vegetarian Black Bean Chili. This chili doesn’t have any meat, but it is very hearty and satisfying. I made a double batch, and I’ve been enjoying it for lunch. It’s been cold this week and the heat (spice and temperature) really helps warm you up.

We made this chili a couple of years ago for Christmas Eve and it was a bit too spicy so I toned down the chipotles in adobe sauce this time. The original recipe suggests using 1 – 3 tablespoons.  I barely used 1 tablespoon this time and that seemed to be the ticket to providing great flavor without totally scorching your taste buds.  Of course, if you like more heat, you can always increase the amount of chipotles. The original recipe also calls for more kidney beans than black beans, but I wanted a black bean chili so I increased the amount of black beans. 

I brought some steamed rice to the party in case the chili was too spicy, but it wasn’t. It tasted really good.  My younger cousins even tried it and didn’t complain about the heat at all.

 

Spicy Black Bean Chili

Serves: 6 to 8 (original recipe) 

Adapted from: Whole Foods Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
• 2 cans red kidney beans, drained
• 3 cans black beans, drained

 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned.

 

Add chipotles, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water.

 

Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add beans and simmer an additional 30 minutes.

 

Garnish individual bowls with green onions or sour cream, if desired, but it doesn’t really need anything else.

 

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 230 calories (45 from fat), 5g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1200mg sodium, 37g total carbohydrate (13g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 11g protein

BYOB 2011 Year End Roundup

As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year and set new goals for 2012.  It has been a great year for the BYOB Bakers. We’ve baked our own bread together, made new friends, shared recipes and photos, and passed the bread basket around for all to enjoy.

I want to thank all of the bakers that participated in BYOB this year.  We made it through a year of baking our own bread. That’s quite an accomplishment! 

 

But let’s not stop there…let’s keep the momentum going.

This bread wagon started in 2009 with Sandy of At the Bakers Bench and she passed it on to Bread Experience in 2010 and now it’s time to pass it once again to Heather of Girlichef.

Heather will be hosting the BYOB roundups in 2012.  Check out the details on her blog.

Before the bread wagon departs for it’s next destination, I invite you to take a look at what the BYOB Bakers made during December. 

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Jacqueline of Designing My Day starts us out with a formula for a Spent Grain Loaf. The spent grains were donated to them by a local microbrewery. Pretty cool!  She also did a recap of the breads the Chicago Amateur Bread Bakers, made for their “Taste and Tell”.  Sounds yummy!  

 

 

Whole Wheat Sourdough with Spent Brewer's Grains

 

 

 

 

 Tuscan bread (from Recap)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tina of http://www.tinaculbertson.blogspot.com/ has joined the BYOB adventure for end of year 2011 and beyond.  I love what she said about her hamburger buns, “It’s the thought that counts when gift giving, right? Am I right? Same should apply to your efforts in the kitchen. I tried. They tasted fine…...but they look like potatoes instead of sandwich or burger buns!”  Well, I think it does apply to our efforts in the kitchen.  Welcome aboard Tina!

 

 

 Sage and Onion Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Hamburger Buns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Soda Bread

 

 

 

 

 

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Ian of mookielovesbread joins BYOB this month as well and shares his Sourdough Beer Bread with Caramelized Onions and Rolled Oats that was inspired by some loaves he got from King Arthur Flour and made using Peter Reinhart’s methods. Those are two of my favorite sources as well.  Welcome to BYOB Ian!    

 

 

Sour Dough Beer Bread with Roasted Onions

 

 

 

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Heather of Girlichef made a couple of delectable breads this month.  She also won the Iron Chef Challenge past-Winners Competition with her submission of Cinnamon Lover’s Delight Ice Cream made with the Cinnamon Raisin Bread. What a great way to use old bread. Way to go Heather! Check it out 2011 Iron Chef Champion.

 

 

 

 Brioche

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Lovers Delight Ice Cream (made with the Cinnamon Raisin Bread)

 

 

 

 

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Jill of BakingBread-101.com was busy in the kitchen this month making Blackberry Muffins, Kahlua brownies, Gingerbread Men and other assorted goodies. She made 1500 cookies for work.  Wow! That’s a lot of cookies!

 

 

  Gingerbread Men just got their hearts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now they are happy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hall of our brothers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy bread for December

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ginger Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ground Sesame Quinoa Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loaves of Sandwich Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Peppermint Stripe Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Coconut Almond Wafers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Coconut Almond Star Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

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Margie of Tea and Scones made a lovely loaf this month.  She said “I am trying to get back into bread baking. It has been way too long since the fragrance of fresh baked bread has wafted through my house.”  Well, you’ve come to the right place. Can’t you just smell that aroma!

 

 

 Sweet Potato Bread

 

 

 

 

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Connie of mydiscoveryofbread said she baked more than she posted this month so her contribution is in the form of a collage. Very nice indeed!

 

 

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Winnie of Somthing Sweet stayed busy in her kitchen this month baking.  She made an assortment of delicious breads and other baked goods. Those oreo cookies are to die for and the soft and fluffy Challahs and rolls!  Definitely something special!

 

 

 

 Oreo Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 Jam doughnut-muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tiger Rolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Gingerbread Biscotti

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy Baked CheeseCake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rubik's Cube Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft and fluffy Challahs and Rolls - lightly sweetened

 

 

 

 

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Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot made a wonderful assortment of vegetarian delights. Everything sounds wonderful! I’m amazed at what she comes up with!

 

 

 Caramel Peanut Squares

 

 

 

 

 

 Chinese Steamed Buns

 

 

 

 

 

  Litti

 

 

 

 

 

 Mexican Wedding Cakes

 

 

 

 

 

 Pumpkin Scones

 

 

 

 

 

 Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 Eggless Bakewell Tarts

 

 

 

 

 

 Eggless Thumbprint Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 French Country Bread with Sourdough Starter

 

 

 

 

 

 Eggless Bread Pudding

 

 

 

 

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Pam of Pam’s Bread enjoyed her baking traditions this month.  She made scones and clotted cream with her daughter and whole wheat banana bread for a treat.  Then her husband ground the emmer grains for some delicious rolls.  Sounds like a fun time was had by all.

 

 

 

 Eggnog Scones and Clotted Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Whole Grain Banana Nut Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 Emmer, White Whole Wheat, & Soy Rolls with Seeds & Nuts

 

 

 

 

 

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Kathy in Derwood, Maryland made an assortment of loaves and rolls this month.  Here is her list of breads:

• Sourdough Baguettes (6 baguettes)
• Rye Bread with Beer (4 loaves)
• Farmstead White Bread (4 loaves)
• Sourdough Dinner Rolls
• Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
• Marble Rye Bread
• Panetonne (3 different recipes, 12 loaves)
• Pandoro (4 loaves)
• Buttermilk biscuits, and far too many coffee cakes and muffins to count.

 

 

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I focused on Sourdough this month. Here are some of the breads I made.

 

 

 Sourdough Seed Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 Vanocka Christmas Braid

 

 

 

 

 

 66 Percent Sourdough Rye

 

 

 

 

 

 Hutzelbrot with Dried Fruit (made with the 66 Percent Sourdough Rye)

 

 

 

 

 

 Our Favorite Yeast Rolls

 

 

 

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hosting these roundups for the past year or so.  I look forward to what 2012 will bring. 

Now, it’s time for me to pass the bread basket to Heather of Girlichef.  Heather, thank you for picking up the basket and continuing the tradition.

BYOB!

Cathy

 

Happy New Year!!!