Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Bread Numbers 84 and 85: Barley, a Nice Nutty Minor Player

Two sour breads with quite long rises and about 20 to 30 percent barley flour, freshly milled. Not sure if the taste is different with freshly milled flour or whether the aroma in the kitchen after I grind up the flour makes me think the taste is better. Also, and this could be completely unrelated (not to mention that grammar police would not be pleased with a sentence that begins "Also, and"), but the breads I've made since milling my own whole grain flours have taken considerably longer time to reach a full rise.

I'll give both recipes below, one primarily whole wheat and the other about half bread flour. One caveat: I really liked the sour taste, but others in the household (well, one other, in particular) were not as pleased. For me, a long, slow rise is something to be thankful for and appreciate. But it is not a typical bread flavor. 

Bread #84
This bread had barley, rye, and caraway seeds. It was approximately 30 percent freshly milled whole grain flour. I did a sponge phase overnight and then let the final dough rise the next night. 

Sponge
101g starter
200g water
200g bread flour

This sponge is a regular for me. It is easy to mix together and it becomes a bubbly sponge either overnight or during a work day. I use it for all kinds of breads. I mix well, cover, and leave out on the counter, this time for almost 10 hours.

Dough
Add to sponge:
64g rye flour
115g barley flour 
Both of the above were freshly milled
121g bread flour
8g caraway seeds
12g salt
126g water

Mix well, cover, and do four stretch and folds within the first two hours. I did mine about 25 to 30 minutes apart, but I've also done 15 minutes apart when I've been in a rush. It all works fine.

Left the dough covered and on the counter for 10.5 hours. 

I then put the dough in the fridge for nine hours, but I would feel comfortable leaving it for up to 24 hours.

Baking preparation
Preheated oven to 450 degrees for one hour with the top of the la cloche on the baking stone. Big oops in that I might have cracked the oven door. Not sure. Maybe that was another baking episode or not even my fault. It's not a spring chicken anyway.

Oven time: 51 minutes, the last three uncovered.
Taste: Wonderful

Bread #85
A one-stage dough with mostly freshly milled whole grain flour. I should be wearing Birkenstocks and a cotton granny dress. I used a decently large amount of starter to account for the cooler, winter temperature in the kitchen.

400g water
100g starter
82g barley flour
410g whole wheat flour
11g salt

Love the smell of the barley flour right after it is ground. It has a combination of a hint of chocolate and baking pie dough aromas. I mixed and covered the dough. I did two stretch and folds, the first at 30 minutes and the second 40 minutes after the first. I had to be quite gentle because the dough was starting to break. 

I let the dough rise for 27 hours - yes, for more than a whole day and night - though it was in a 63-degree room for part of that time. I then put the dough in the refrigerator for five hours.

Baking preparation
Preheat the oven for one hour at 470 degrees with the dutch oven inside. Baking time only 47 minutes, maybe because it was not the most impressive oven spring.

I was nervous about this one because the dough was breaking easily. Maybe I let it rise for too long. But the taste was really good and super sour. Worth trying again.


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