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| Finished loaf, formed in a traditional loaf pan |
I'm a vegetarian, so the traditional sources of omega-3 like fish aren't open to me. Instead, I've tried to incorporate more seeds and nuts into my diet. The recipe below includes walnuts and flax seeds, both of which are good sources of omega-3. However, these are a relatively recent addition. The original motivation for this sourdough project was my desire for tasty, well-risen, whole grain bread. The fiber in whole grain breads is important for heart health, and it promotes a healthy gut microbiome. I try to consume whole grain foods wherever possible.
As I indicated in my previous post, I've been working on a pure (or nearly pure) whole grain loaf for a while. This loaf is approximately 90% whole grain (by volume). Getting a loaf of bread made with so much low-gluten flour isn't easy, and it's been a long-term project of mine to really get it right.
Here's the recipe that I baked today:
2 c. sourdough starter*
1 1/2 c. cold water
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. bread flour
2/3 c. dark rye flour
2/3 c. red fife flour**
2 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. raw pumpkin seeds/pepitas
3 Tbsp. raw flax seeds
1/4 c. toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. salt
* This recipe assumes a starter that is 67% flour and 33% water by volume. If you prefer a looser starter, you will need to adjust the amounts of water and flour in the rest of the recipe.
** Red fife flour is a heritage strain of wheat that I get from a local farmer's market. You will probably be fine replacing this with any whole grain cereal with a moderate amount of gluten.Thoroughly mix sourdough starter and water in a large mixing bowl
Add 2c. whole wheat flour along with bread, rye, and red fife flours. Make sure to completely cover the stater/water mixture with the flour.
Add seeds, walnuts and salt. Mix thoroughly until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the bowl (approximately 2 minutes).
Cover the entire bowl with food-safe plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature (approximately 1 hour).
Mix in 1/2 c. whole wheat flour and turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead until the dough feels smooth and elastic (approximately 15 minutes). The finished dough should pass the windowpane test.
Set the dough ball aside and allow it to rest for approximately 10 minutes.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil a piece of plastic wrap that is about as long as your baking sheet.
Cut the dough ball into equally-sized halves. Form each half into a ball, and place them approximately 5 inches from each end of your baking sheet. Cover the loaves with the prepared plastic wrap.
Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until the balls nearly triple in volume (approximately 3 hours).
Approximately 1 hour before the dough is ready for baking, place your pizza stone on a middle rack in your oven. Place a heavy, oven-safe metal pan on the bottom of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and let your pizza stone heat for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Immediately before baking, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
Place your baking sheet on your pizza stone. Pour the boiling water into your metal pan and immediately close the door.
Spritz the oven walls with cold water every 30 seconds for 2 minutes, closing the oven door again immediately after each round.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate your sheet pan. Bake for another 10-20 minutes.
To check for doneness, tap the bottom of the loaves. They should sound hollow.
Turn off your oven and remove the pizza stone. Return the loaves to the oven, and prop the oven door open with an oven mitt or a wooden spoon. Allow the loaves to cool to room temperature in the oven.
This recipe takes a long time to prepare. I usually plan for about 36 hours from the time I feed my starter to the time the finished loaves are ready to eat. Nevertheless, if you plan ahead, you can get a delicious, heart-healthy batch of bread in exchange for your patience.
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| Whole-wheat sourdough starter, approximately 24 hours after first feed. |
This sourdough recipe is based on three separate bread recipes in The Joy of Cooking: "Slow-Rising White Bread", "Whole Wheat Bread" and "Rye Bread with a Sponge Starter". I started by using 50% rye and 50% whole wheat flour in my dough, along with a rye starter. It didn't work very well, I've been experimenting ever since trying to figure out how to get a good crumb with much more whole wheat grain than the 33% whole wheat flour recommended in Joy.
Using a pure sourdough process without any commercial yeast seems to be key to a good loaf with lots of whole grains. During the overnight fermentation, the lactobacillus bacteria that create the distinctive sourdough flavor go to work on the fiber in the whole wheat flour and start to break it down. The long fermentation process also allows the gluten in the flour to fully hydrate before kneading. Whole grain flour contains less gluten than bread flour, so this allows the baker to take better advantage of the gluten that is there.
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| After fermentation but before kneading |
As I've added the seeds into my dough, I also find that the fermentation process starts to break down the raw seeds, too. Fermentation is just one form of "cooking" after all, so it should be a big surprise that the seeds change state during the 24 hours they spend in the fridge. Between that long, slow fermentation and the high cooking temperature in the oven, the raw seeds that go into the dough come out tasting rich and nutty.
You may have noticed that my recipe calls for a long kneading process. The low gluten content of the whole grain flours that I use—especially the rye flour—means that we need to work the dough quite a bit before it's ready for its final rise. The extra work will pay off, however. The dough will be sturdy enough to sustain a good rise, and it creates a delicious chew when it comes out of the oven.
The natural yeasts that developed in my starter (born in Brooklyn, circa 2017) also work more slowly than commercial yeast. That means that you need a very long final rise, but it also means that you get a big rise out of your yeast without the danger of over-proving and having your loaf fall in the oven. (I over-proved several batches back when I was still using lots of rye flour, and it was pretty depressing when it came time to pull the loaves out of the oven.)
Even with such a long rise time, the loaves that result have quite a dense crumb (see picture, below). This isn't uncommon with whole grain breads, but as I've improved the flour proportions, I've definitely noticed a better rise and more oven spring. I suspect some of this high density also comes because I don't own any bannetons, so the loaves rise out more than up.
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| Finished loaves, formed into boules |
I've found a pizza stone to be very helpful in getting a nice loaf of bread out of my home oven. In fact, I don't just use one pizza stone; I use two. I'm planning a series of bonus posts on the more technical aspects of bread baking. They'll include a discussion of sourdough starters, my oven set-up, and how to get a good crust in a home oven, so stay tuned.
Next week, I'll launch into my project to bake my way through The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I'll begin with anadama, a traditional New England loaf that includes cornmeal and molasses.
Until then, I remain your,
Dauntless Baker
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