Yeast Water and Making Bread

I like to create cookbooks. For myself. To give to a friend or two. Nothing commercial. I was in the process of finishing up a fairly large book of bread. Bread in all senses of that word, including muffins, quick breads, pancakes, yeast breads, flavored yeast breads, sourdough. And as I was finishing up my very long task, of course something new popped up on my horizon. Yeast Water. 

Yeast Water

My First Yeast Water Bread

Okay, I have been making yeast bread, mainly one recipe, since I was about 23. I am now 75. Somewhere around 2014, I was introduced to sourdough in a new way. I had tried it before, became disenchanted, let it lapse. Now I had a book by Peter Reinhart called The Baker's Apprentice, and he explained things in a way I hadn't ever understood before. I made sourdough from scratch. Perfect. Made bread. Sometimes it was great and others, well, definitely not. Ultimately, this also lapsed, as I grew tired of constantly tossing out starter to make new batches. And I know, nowadays there are recipes that abound for using sourdough discards. Some years ago, these were nowhere apparent. 

So, while looking for something else online, the words "yeast water" called my attention. This had nothing to do with what I was looking for, so I count this as pure serendipity. As I looked up yeast water, I found that there are possibly as many ways to make it as there are people and ideas. and what brings me here to write about it is simply because I read an article from King Arthur Flour about testing yeast water, and the comment that it takes longer to make than a starter with sourdough starter. 

I will disagree with this, simply because I have been following a method shown online in a video from a German woman and I have followed that as a pattern for all yeast water breads since. In all the places, at that time about 3 years ago, that I read of how to make yeast water, they all stated to use water as per your need, with extra to begin a new batch, add a teaspoon of sugar and some dried fruit. I have used dates, raisins, dried cherries and dried figs at different times, to date. I usually use three dates to approximately 3 to 4 cups of water. All these suggestions said that as soon as the fruit all floated, the yeast water was ready to use. 

The only other thing the German woman stated was that yeast water should be used in place of ALL water or liquid called for in the recipe. This means that if I use some of the yeast water to make a "starter," I need then to refresh the yeast water again to make enough for any other liquid called for in the recipe. The already live yeast water ferments again (with another teaspoon of sugar and another couple of dates) overnight very easily. Of course this all works best it it is made in a warm place. In summer my house is set at 79 or 80 degrees F. In winter, the oven with light on is a good substitute.

Creating a Starter

Flax Sunflower Yeast Water Bread

In general, I like breads that take many days to make. I realize this is not feasible for everyone. But between Peter Reinhart's information and other places I have read over these intervening 10+ years, long rises are what give flour time to absorb liquids better and coax out flavors that would never be there if making a bread all in one day. Plus, slow rising at room temperature brings out different flavors from those unlocked in a long, slow, cold-rise. I am no expert on the chemical processes taking place and why. But I can with great authority state that the flavors of some of these breads have been phenomenal.

So if a bread recipe calls for using a starter, prep your yeast water (1 to 2 days in a warm place, if it is with a batch you've kept in the fridge. Longer if it is starting from scratch. Shorter if it is mid summer and you're sweating standing still!) Just keep in mind about 4 cups water all total to begin, whether fresh with fresh water of part yeast water, part water. Add a teaspoon of sugar and 2 - 3 dates, cut up in chunks, or a small handful of raisins or other dried fruit. Stir this well. It is best to keep in a jar without a tight fitting lid. I have some bail wire jars, and remove the rubber gasket. Then, stir the mixture several times a day, or whenever you think about it. Once all the fruit rise to the surface, it is ready to use. 

Save the fruit! In any bread you're making, the fermented fruit can be added back into the bread dough and during kneading, it all but disappears. It adds a gentle fruitiness, but does not jump out with its flavor.

To make the starter, use about half yeast water and half flour, whether bread flour, whole wheat, rye or whatever you are working with. Stir well, cover and set aside in a warm place. It should be well risen by the following day. Meanwhile, use the remaining yeast water, add in more water, enough to cover any more liquids called for in the recipe with some left over, another teaspoon sugar and more fruit. Stir well. Shake or stir various times during the day, and by the following day it too should be ready to use. 

Sometimes recipes call for a soaker as well, so this can be made at the same time and both set to do their thing overnight. 

Making the Bread

When making your bread recipe, follow the instructions, simply substituting the refreshed yeast water for the liquid called for. To date, all the yeast water breads I have made have been ones calling for various rises, and taking three or four days to make in total. Warm rises, cold rises, great flavor and beautifully risen loaves. Most have been baked in my Dutch Oven. To date I have had zero failures. Best of all, no throwing sourdough starter discards down the drain.

Yeast Water Rye with Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds

Here is a recipe that is a mashup of a couple of recipes I found online (not yeast water recipes) that I altered and mixed together to something that sounded really good to me. As it turned out, it is a fabulous bread, nicely dense and chewy as I love, wonderful alone, slathered with butter and/or jam, made into a sandwich, or a nice open-faced sandwich as it is hefty enough. It is easy to slice thinly if preferred (I do). Oh! And grilled cheese! It makes fabulous grilled cheese.

Yeast Water Rye with Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds

Makes one loaf

DAY 1: Refresh Yeast Water
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
your existing yeast water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 - 3 chopped dates (or substitute 3 tablespoons dried tart cherries)

Stir this mixture often, over 12 to 24 hours and keeping in a warm place. Mixture should end with small bubbles and all the fruits floating.

DAY 2: Pre-Dough

150 grams bread flour

250 mL refreshed yeast water (about 1 cup)

Stir together until no dry ingredients remain. Cover and set in a warm place to ferment overnight. Meanwhile feed the yeast water again, to build up what will be needed for the main recipe.

DAY 3: Early morning: Main Dough - Autolyze

- all the pre-dough (above)

200 grams bread flour

200 grams sifted whole wheat flour

110 grams sifted rye flour

125 mL yeast water (scant 3/4 cup)

Place all these ingredients in a heavy-duty mixer or a bowl to mix by hand. Stir well until no dry ingredients remain. Cover and set aside 1 hour.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon gluten

1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder

2 tablespoons powdered milk

- the cherries from fermenting the yeast water, if they were used

3 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

100 grams yeast water (about 1/2 cup)

During the autolyze period, measure out the 5 dry ingredients and set aside. Place the dried cherries and pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the yeast water to soak and soften.

Once ready to make the dough, add first the dry ingredients and begin mixing on low, then add in the leftover fermented cherries, yeast water-cherry-seed mixture and molasses. Mix slowly until the liquids are absorbed, then mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.. Rest the cough, covered, for about 20 minutes. Turn out to a greased surface and perform a stretch-and-fold: take the dough from one edge and stretch upwards, lengthening the dough and then folding it back onto itself. Turn the dough 1/4 way around and stretch and fold again. Turn 1/4 more, stretch and fold, then one more 1/4 turn and stretch and fold. This begins to form the gluten without over mixing. Grease the dough, cover and rest 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this same stretch and fold. Then rest and repeat stretching and folding twice more, a total of 4 times altogether.

Now turn dough over, seam side down, and beginning with cupped hands behind the dough, begin dragging the dough towards you, tightening the dough from its base. Turn the dough a little, and repeat the cupped hands, dragging the dough towards you from each side. This makes the dough very taut, and helps it to create a nice high rise.

Prepare a banneton with a mix of half flour and half rice flour, or heavily dust a smooth tea towel lined bowl. Set the loaf into the prepared banneton or bowl with the seam side upwards. Set the bowl into a food safe large plastic bag and close it off with plenty of air inside keeping the top from touching the dough. Place in the refrigerator overnight

 

DAY 4: Bake

When ready to bake, place an enameled cast iron Dutch oven with its lid on into the oven and set to 450F. Time this for 30 minutes to get the pot screaming hot.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator just before the pot is ready. Place a large sheet of parchment over the banneton/bowl. Set a pizza pan over top and invert the dough with the parchment onto the pan. Score the top of the loaf with a baker's lame or razor blade or a very sharp knife. A simple pound sign will do.

With heavy oven mitts, remove the Dutch oven to the stove top. Remove lid and set aside on another burner. Lift the dough into the pot by holding the parchment at its corners and place into the pot, parchment and all. Cover with the lid and back into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dark you like your loaves. Once done, Remove the pot carefully with oven mitts. Use a long metal spatula to help lift the loaf out; set it onto a rack to cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

Easy Whole Wheat Bread for Beginners

I just love it when someone who knows nothing about bread making asks if I can show them how. This happened with a friend of ours a couple years ago. He had never made bread dough, to my knowledge. He certainly had never kneaded bread dough. He does like most of my heavier, denser loaves, enjoying whole grains. He loves beer. And so I set myself the task of creating a recipe he could make for himself.

Whole Wheat & Ale Bread

Whole Wheat?

I explained to him my ideas on buying whole wheat flour from the grocery, mainly, DON'T. My main gripe about whole wheat bread, long ago when I first started trying whole grain breads out, was that they just tasted blah. Later on, after reading Peter Reinhart's books I realized that those grains need some coaxing to extract flavor. That, but even more importantly, I learned about the way "whole wheat flour" is created. And I do mean created. No grocery-store-bought whole wheat flour is anything but a construct, made by taking the white flour, and adding back in enough of the bran to approximate "whole wheat," and this may vary by brand. No wonder it tastes so different when you grind your own wheat berries! There is no dividing up the white endosperm (the starchy part used for white flour) from the bran (the outer coating and source of fiber) and the germ (the food source for the grain when sprouting, and source of many B-vitamins, some protein, minerals and healthy fats).

The reason for this dividing up of the grain parts is of course, getting the white refined starch we call white flour, a process that has now removed about a quarter of the protein and greatly reducing at least 17 key nutrients. What is left is a mere shadow of the original grain. To "rectify" this situation, white flour is "enriched," a process whereby some few nutrients are added to the flour, but certainly not in the proportions, nor the way, in which nature originally provided. Another reason for this division is that the germ, containing so very much goodness, also tends to go rancid very easily, so removing it means the resultant (mostly worthless) white flour is able to stay in warehouses and on grocery shelves much, much longer. And of course, removing the bran is removing the fiber we so need in our diets. (Facts gleaned from The Whole Grains Council.org)

Enough of the lesson!

Suffice to say that once I started grinding my own grain, whether slowly and tortuously with my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment long ago, or very quickly with my Whisper Mill, the flavors began to truly stand out. This is due to having the whole grain, bran, germ and endosperm, all ground together, yielding far superior flavor. There are other ways of extracting flavor, but just this step makes it worthwhile. I told our friend to look for a place that he could take whole wheat grains and have them ground, as is, for him to use.

Other Considerations

When making whole grain breads, keep in mind that the whole grain, ground together, yield a substantial amount of things to prevent a good rise. Those very things that make whole grain breads heavy and dense, namely the bran and germ. These have no gluten proteins and cannot help with the rise and stretchiness of the dough. The bran, in fact, can actually cut the gluten strands, furthering this problem. Any bread that is labeled "whole grain" must have some token amount of whole grain in it. However, no true whole grain, or even mostly whole grain, bread will ever be light and fluffy. Can't happen. While I am not a wholehearted proponent of plain white bread (I never, ever buy plain white bread, but only bake my own when needed), some white bread flour in a whole grain recipe can help give a little rise you may not get otherwise. In my recipe below, I have 3 parts whole grain to one part white flour, for just a little lift. 

Kneading

Kneading is an individually learned process. I don't believe any two people perform this process quite the same. The goal is to manipulate the dough, forcefully enough for proper mixing, long enough to develop such gluten as is possible to coax into being. (This does not apply to rye breads - that is another article entirely.) Often, at the beginning of kneading, the tendency for a new bread maker is to add more and more flour, because at the beginning the dough can be quite sticky. 

Avoid this if at all possible. 

The more flour that goes into the dough, the denser and dryer the loaf will be. Add any flour judiciously, and do your best to deal with the sticky hands. The dough eventually will become more pliable and less sticky, the closer to "windowpane" you get. In Peter Reinhart's books, he describes the proper feel as "tacky, but not sticky." If you have a metal "bench scraper" this can help with scraping the dough up from your counter or kneading surface so kneading can continue. 

Windowpane

One way I have worked with in a lot of breads is spraying my granite countertop (often my hands as well) with spray oil and kneading on this oily surface. If more is needed occasionally, at least I am not making the dough more dense. 

Windowpane can be reached in 10 to 20 minutes of kneading depending on the strength of your arms and the amount of manipulation. Press, roll, fold, stretch, turn; move and manipulate the dough constantly, to knead. Windowpane means being able to pick up a smallish piece of the dough, then stretching it between two hands until you can see light showing through the dough, but without tearing. And happy baking!

Whole Wheat & Ale Bread

Makes 1 round loaf

Whole Wheat & Ale Bread

3 cups <2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (1¾ cup whole wheat berries, ground)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white bread flour, plus some for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
1 packet (2½ teaspoons) instant rise/rapid rise yeast
3 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup cool water
¾ cup < 2 tablespoons strong-flavored ale (or use all water)

In a large bowl, combine the two flours, adding the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the opposite side of the bowl. Mix the water, ale and molasses together and pour into the flour mixture. Begin mixing with hands or a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together as a mass. Oil a clean, smooth surface and turn the dough out onto the surface and knead for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it passes the windowpane test.

Grease a clean bowl and place the dough into the bowl, turning once to grease both sides. Cover with a towel or with plastic wrap and set aside to proof until doubled. This can take up to 4 hours but begin checking at 2 hours. When a finger is pressed into the surface of the dough, it should still spring back slightly. If the finger leaves a deep indent, it has proofed too much, so keep an eye out.

Once dough is risen, turn dough out onto a lightly flour the work surface. Gently fold and turn the dough to degas. Flatten the dough into a rough rectangle. Press corners into the center, then again press the new “corners” into the center. Turn the dough over and firm the rounded ball by pressing, dragging and turning the dough until the surface is very taught. Set the loaf onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and set to rise until doubled. It is ready when the dough still springs back when gently pressing a finger into it.

Have oven preheated to 425 degrees. Place bread onto a rack near the center of the oven and bake 25 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake a further 10 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before cutting.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Making Bread is So Satisfying

I was testing bread recipes a couple of weeks ago, wanting to have some breads on hand over the holidays. One of these was the result of an accident. I made the wrong kind of starter for a recipe I intended to make. Then I was stuck with the starter and wondering what to do, and a though occurred, so I pursued this thought and it came out lovely and delicious!

Italian Style Bread as loaves

The accidental starter was a Poolish Starter, which is rather thin and runny in comparison to some others like Biga or Pâte Fermentée, both of which are more like a bread dough themselves. A Poolish is like some sourdough starters in consistency, which starts out like thick pancake batter and after fermentation turns out in long sticky strands. It generally uses an almost equal amount by weight of flour and water, with a little yeast to get the process going. The difference between a Sourdough starter and a Poolish is that the Sourdough is truly fermented and over time becomes soured. How sour it stays will depend on how much flour and water is added to refresh the starter. The Poolish on the other hand, is only just allowed to rise once, refrigerated, then used within 3 days. Its souring effect is mostly nil, but the pre-fermentation and then the cold storage unlocks a lot of flavors that would not be available to the bread if just made in a one day process.

Okay, so that is an explanation of what a Poolish does. Here is the recipe for a Poolish, enough for the Italian Style Bread recipe, below:

Poolish Starter

Makes about 23 ounces 

Make at least one day ahead

11.25 ounces unbleached bread flour
12 ounces water, room temperature
¼ teaspoon instant / rapid rise yeast

Stir the three ingredients together until all the flour is moistened. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside at room temperature until it is bubbly and about doubled, about 3 or 4 hours. Refrigerate the Poolish overnight or for up to three days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Italian Style Bread as Rolls

To make the Italian style bread out of this Poolish simply requires bringing the Poolish to room temperature on the day of making the bread, and then adding in the ingredients to make the final dough. Quite simple. Truly delicious. I have been mostly making whole grain breads for our general consumption, but some of our guests over the holidays do not care for the whole grain breads. From this bread recipe it is possible to get two long, freestanding loaves or 16 individual rolls of about 2.5 ounces each.

Italian Style Bread

Makes 2 long loaves or 16 rolls


All the Poolish starter
11.65 ounces / 330 grams / 2½ cups bread flour
0.20 ounces / 5 grams / 1½ teaspoons salt
0.15 ounces / 3 grams / 1 teaspoon instant yeast
0.5 ounces / 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces <2 tablespoons / 3.5 ounces water

Windowpane Test

The day of making the bread, remove the Poolish from the refrigerator at least an hour ahead, or more, to take off the chill. Pour all the Poolish into a large bowl, then add in the flour, then add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other side. Pour in the olive oil and begin stirring, adding in the water to bring together. Use a wooden spoon at first, switching to hands once it becomes too difficult to stir. It may help to moisten hands while working with the dough. Once the mixture begins to come together in one mass, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading for about 12 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test as shown here. Taking a small piece of dough, stretch it gently until light can be seen through the thinned dough, without breaking or tearing. If it tears easily, knead some more, until this is achieved.

Oil a clean bowl and set the kneaded bread into the bowl, turning over once to leave both sides of the dough greased. Cover with plastic film and set aside to rise until just about doubled in size, about 2 hours, depending on ambient temperature. A finger lightly pressed into the risen dough should leave a small indent that still springs back - not completely, but mostly.

FOR LOAVES: Turn the risen dough out and lightly degas. If making two long loaves, divide the dough evenly into two pieces using a dough cutter. Flatten one half into a rectangle, then begin rolling up tightly, tucking either end in slightly as you roll. Once you reach the other edge, pinch the seam together, then set onto a large parchment lined baking sheet, on one side. Roll the second piece of dough and set at least 4 inches apart from the first loaf on the baking sheet. Mist with oil and cover with plastic film. Allow to rise again until almost doubled in size.

Have the oven preheated to 500 degrees. Have a heavy oven safe pan set on the broiler rack, and the other rack set so the bread is at about the center of the oven. Have 1 cup of hot water ready. When bread is ready to bake, slash the loaves twice lengthwise. Set the pan on the lower rack in the oven and pour the cup of hot water in the pan on the broiler rack. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The bread should be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Internal temperature should be at least 200 degrees F.

Italian Style Bread in Knots

FOR ROLLS: Degas the dough slightly, then begin measuring out pieces of dough of about 2.5 ounces apiece, or if gauging by eye, cut into 16 equal pieces. Form into taught balls for round rolls or form into taught torpedo shapes, setting the rolls onto a large, greased baking sheet or two as needed (or line the sheets with parchment). I formed my rolls into "knots."

To make "knots," roll each piece of dough into a long, 10 or 11-inch length rope. Begin to tie a regular knot by looping the ends round each other. There should be room in the center of the loop created. Take the two ends and loop each around the circle once more, so one end sticks out the bottom and one loop sticks out of the top. Set each finished knot onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between rolls. Allow the rolls to rise until nearly doubled.

Have the oven heated to 375 degrees with a rack towards the center of the oven. If desired use an egg wash to make the surfaced shiny. Combine one egg with a tablespoon of water and whisk briefly to combine. Using a pastry brush, carefully paint the tops of the rolls with the egg wash, being careful the wash does not run underneath the roll or it will glue itself to the pan.

Bake the rolls for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden and sounding hollow when tapped on the bottoms.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Stuffed Peppers and a New Seed Bread

Long, long ago, I made a recipe for the filling for Stuffed Peppers, and have been using that recipe ever since. I make them at least once a year, because we love them, and they are a tried and true recipe. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the recipe as it stands, I chose to make them one day recently but did not consult my old recipe at all.

Over these many years since I started making Stuffed Peppers, I have become more conscious of what I am using in a recipe, and more recently still, I have tried to lessen, if not eliminate ketchup. You see, my husband has a true ketchup addiction. Since I have known him, it is a rare meal where most everything is not literally covered in ketchup. When we would order fast food (only on road trips to somewhere), he would get at minimum 15 to 20 packets of ketchup to use on both burger and fries. It was not uncommon for him to use at least a half cup worth per meal. That is excessive, in my book.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

So last year when he had some serious health issues centering on digestion, I offered to cook healthy foods, if he was willing to eat them, and forego ketchup on every single food. He has done excellently. Only recently, more than a year later, has he crept back, now and again, mostly while we are traveling, to using it at all. At home, no. So, with all that in mind, I hate like anything to re-introduce too much ketchup into his daily regimen, for fear that the "taste" for it will return. I have revised so many recipes, using tomato sauce, sometimes adding a little stevia for sweetness, vinegar for tartness. I knew that my recipe for Stuffed Peppers called for ketchup, but couldn't recall how much. So, when I started assembling things for the recipe, I did not consult my old recipe at all. It was interesting to see that I went for the same general flavors, but in differing amounts. This time, I used more rice, but a whole grain red rice, and less ketchup. There are a couple of other differences. Altogether, these were excellent, and not so different in flavor.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Makes 4

2 cups cooked brown or red rice (about ¾ cup dry)
8 ounces Portobello Mushrooms, chopped finely
1 tablespoon olive oil, more if needed
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 - 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
⅔ cup finely shredded carrot
⅔ cup finely chopped celery
⅔ cup minced green pepper (use pepper tops)
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 
½ cup ketchup
4 bell peppers
Sweet Sour Sauce, such as LaChoy's

Cook the rice ahead of time. Brown rice or red rice generally follows similar rules of thumb for cooking: twice the volume of water to rice and about 50 minutes to cook. Add in ¾ teaspoon salt while cooking. Once cooked through, if there is remaining water, drain it off and let the rice cool.

Heat a large skillet and add in the oil. Add the chopped mushrooms and the ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are definitely browned. Turn out to a plate and set aside.

While the mushrooms are cooking, work with the peppers. Select peppers that have four lumps at the bottom, so they will stand up on their own. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and separate any usable bits of the bell pepper from the tops and chop. Discard stems. Remove any membranes and seeds inside the pepper cups. Heat a large saucepan of water to boil and place the pepper cups in the water to cook, just until they start going an olive color, then remove quickly. Set them into a casserole.

Add in the hamburger meat to the skillet, with more oil only if needed, and cook, breaking apart to very small bits. Add in the onion and garlic and cook until they are softened. Add in the chopped bell pepper bits from the tops, with the carrot and celery, thyme and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add the Worcestershire, ketchup, rice and mushrooms and stir well. Pack this mixture very tightly into the bell pepper cups. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Top the pepper filling with 1 - 2 tablespoons of Sweet Sour Sauce and bake them for about 30 to 40 minutes, until well heated through. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

On to the Bread!

Five Seed Malted Bread

A little over a week ago, I finally got a Five-Seed No-Knead Bread perfected. I was so pleased, since it took me four separate tries to get it just right.

Similarly, I have been making seeded loaves of bread from Paul Hollywood's cookbooks (bought after watching the Great British Baking Show). They have all turned out nicely and taste absolutely wonderful. So I went on to try some revisions and make a loaf of my own. Well, while the bread came out absolutely beautiful, it was dense and very hard. Dense is okay, up to a point. Though I love chewy bread, this was a bit over the top, and hard to chew! So, back to the drawing board with that one, also. But then I got thinking. In truth, I had already changed the recipe I was basing my bread on. Since Paul's recipe calls for "granary flour," and that is not locally available, I had created my own mixture to approximate granary flour or malt flour, based solely on his description of:

". . . a nutty taste and . . . slightly darker in colour. It is essentially a white flour with added flakes of malted wheat."

Five Seed Malted Bread

In approximating this flour, I used bread flour, plus a smaller amount of whole grain flour and an even smaller amount of lighter colored malted grain. Found whole anywhere there are beer-making supplies, or already ground in such places as King Arthur Flour site, this malted grain is called diastatic malt, and helps (in bread making) to give a boost to rising and also giving color to the baking loaf, if used in small amounts. To be safe, I also added a small amount of gluten for added structure.

Aside from this change to the recipe, while I really loved the beautiful way he created a sticky paste of soaked flax and sesame seeds to coat the outside of the bread, it was an added step that (IMHO) didn't help, particularly while toasting, as the whole coating would tend to lift off. Instead, I added the sesame seeds with the rest of the seeds into the loaf. And that is another change. While Paul's' loaf called for adding all those seeds into the loaf AFTER the first rise, it was nearly impossible to incorporate them without re-kneading the loaf. I chose to add them in at the end of the original kneading process. I added just a bit more water to the recipe, to accommodate a longer period with the thirsty seeds in contact with the dough. It made kneading a little more challenging. Probably would have been easier in the stand mixer, but I had chosen to knead by hand. 

Ultimately, this time I am extremely happy with the outcome of my bread. It may not be as pretty without that coating, but it is dense with seeds, though not hard. It tastes wonderful, and all those seeds (a whole lot more than what went into the Five-Seed No-Knead Bread!) are beautifully incorporated. 

You will need a kitchen scale for this recipe. I did measure out the seed quantities in cup measures, but the flour is easier to weigh out in grams.

Five Seed Malted Bread

Makes one loaf

Five Seed Malted Bread

335 grams bread flour

135 grams whole wheat flour
15 grams diastatic malt powder
13 grams (2 tablespoons) gluten
5 grams instant yeast
10 grams fine salt
40 grams lard
350 milliliters (1½ cups) water, plus or minus 2 tablespoons as needed

SEED MIX:
70 grams (½ cup) raw pumpkin seed kernels
70 grams (½ cup) raw sunflower kernels
50 grams (⅓ cup) sesame seeds
50 grams (⅓ cup) flax seeds
50 grams (⅓ cup) poppy seeds

Combine the seeds together in a bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer with dough hook, place the first 4 ingredients and stir briefly. Add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other side, and add in the (slightly softened) lard. Pour in most of the water and mix until all ingredients are well moistened. If this does not happen, add in a bit of the remaining water until you have a soft dough. Grease a clean surface and turn the bread out to knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes. If kneading in the mixer, knead for 6 to 8 minutes. At the end of the kneading time, add in the seeds all at once and continue to knead until incorporated evenly. Place the dough into a greased bowl, turning once so that a greased surface is on top and cover with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a 70 - 75 degree area and allow to rise until doubled, 1 - 3 hours. Temperature is better on the cool side, as it allows for development of more flavor, but will take longer.

Once risen, where a light finger press will puff right back up easily, turn out again to a clean, oiled surface. Flatten slightly into an approximate square and roll the dough tightly, tucking in the ends as needed, to make a nice tight loaf. Set the loaf, seam side down, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Coat the loaf with a fine sheen of oil and cover with the plastic film. Set to rise again until doubled in size.

Set one oven rack at second to bottom shelf and one rack in the topmost position. Set a wide, oven safe pan (fry pan or cake pan) on the top rack. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have one cup of boiling water at hand. Slash the top of the loaf three times diagonally, using a very sharp knife or bakers lame. Place the baking sheet with the bread in the lower oven rack, then carefully pour the boiling water into the pan on the top shelf. Time the loaf for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 25 to 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 200 degrees F. Remove from oven to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

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Revisions as of February 2020:

I love this bread. Truly, it is one of the best, ever. But.

I often had a hard time getting it to truly rise. We live in a hot climate now, so there should be no excuse; at least I cannot blame the temperature. I wondered about the seeds. Are they possibly cutting gluten strands and making it more difficult to rise? 

Then one evening I was watching some short YouTube shows on making bread, and one of the many I watched was making a bread with seeds in it. Instead of leaving them all whole, he pureed half the seeds to be used along with the full amount of water the recipe called for. This liquid was added to the dry ingredients and his bread rose beautifully. I opted to try this out. I have now been mixing up all the seeds called for in the recipe, then pouring half of them in the blender along with most of the water called for. The resultant slurry goes into the dry ingredients and I proceed to the kneading. The remaining seeds are still kneaded in for the last two minutes of kneading - - - which is another thing . . .

Kneading and the "Windowpane Test"

Recipes often say to knead until the dough passes the windowpane test, "about 10 minutes," or "around 12 minutes." And whether the dough passed the windowpane test or not (usually not, particularly with dense, whole grain breads), I would proceed with the recipe. And usually, the bread would not rise properly and would instead bake to a nice, flat, loaf.

The Windowpane Test

"What is the "windowpane test?" you might ask. The "windowpane happens when the dough has been kneaded sufficiently for the gluten strands to fully develop. To check for this windowpane, pull off a small amount of dough and begin stretching it between both hands. The dough should hold, without tearing, to stretch to a thin area about 3 to 4 inches square, thin enough to be able to see light through it. With white breads, this is easily accomplished in the generally stated 10 to 12 minutes. With heavy, whole grain breads, or with this bread with a lot of heavy seeds to support, it can take longer. A lot longer in some cases.

So, about the time when I started making the seed slurry to make this bread, I also decided one day to knead the dough until I could see that it passed the windowpane test. This took (kneading by hand) TWENTY MINUTES! I kept kneading, kept checking and it took a full 20 minutes. Wow. And with that, I got the most lovely rise and the biggest loaf I had ever gotten, and believe me, I have made this bread more times than I can say, at this point, as we really love it. 

Use these two new methods to make this bread and I am pretty sure you'll be happier with the results.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Continuing Love Affair with Bread Making

Dad & Me at right, at
Atitlan Lake, Guatemala January 1971

I have always loved making bread. I started at age 21 while living in Guatemala, and never stopped. While pregnant with my first child, my Mom and Dad came down to visit me in Guatemala. By that time I'd had more than enough time to become homesick for a lot of the foods I grew up with. While I loved the foods in my new adopted country, still those other, older food memories called to me. I went to Guatemala at age 20, knowing nothing about cooking. Growing up, I watched my Mom cook, watched her making bread once in a while, cooking daily, baking. She let us kids help out and make cookies sometimes. I was not adventurous back then and didn't make an effort to learn. I recall loving to watch her making her bread.

Mom & Me, Guatemala, January 1971

Then there I was, in another country. Living with my in-laws meant my food was always made and presented for meals. I still had no need to cook. But the time would be coming when it would be necessary, so I asked Mom for recipes for different things she made throughout my childhood. Chicken Paprikash. Holupki. Her Beef Ribs and Sweet Cabbage. Her bread (which morphed into My Kitchen Aid Mixer Bread). She gave me the recipes, and I copied them into the back of one of the few cookbooks I owned at that time. I attempted making bread the first time while still living with my in-laws; it was a less than stellar outcome, but nonetheless, a good experience, one that I have continued to this day 40+ years later.

A few years back I was introduced to Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread and remained so enchanted with that bread I made it constantly for about 3 years. Then earlier this year I was given a stack of bread making books. I have been documenting my experiments with making some of these breads here in my blogs ever since. The first book I started working with was Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I made about 10 of the recipes in that book, and there are more I would like to make, though some of them have been particular favorites, like the recipe for Pan a L'Ancienne, which I have made 3 times so far and plan to make again today. The next book I started working with is Maggie Glezer's Artisan Breads Across America. So far I have made 3 recipes from this book; Dutch Regale's Finnish Rye, Sullivan Street Potato Pizza and now Essential Bakery's Columbia Bread. 

Columbia Bread, before and after baking

This third recipe was a success in various ways. One, I took the time to make 3 iterations of the VERY firm starter over 2+ days, ensuring it was active enough to make the bread with no added commercial yeast. This did indeed make the bread grow far better than expected. Since my baker's lame is dull, and is not the type to be able to switch out blades, I sharpened a knife in order to slash the bread before baking - without draggggging through the delicately risen loaf. The slashes were perfect. The bread browned in the oven unlike any I have made yet, making the slashes stand out perfectly. It was by far, one of the prettiest breads I have made, to date. 

Beautifully baked Columbia Bread

There was only one problem. The taste was just meh. Texture was nice, crust is chewy and crispy, color is lovely. The bread grew beautifully despite no yeast but the starter. But the flavor is lacking. Because of the length of time it takes to make this bread, with very long slow rises, I had hoped for better flavor. At one point I thought to deviate from the recipe and actually refrigerate the dough overnight, once formed into loaves, and bake the following day. Now I am sorry I did not do this, as it may have given the bread better flavors. I am not totally sure I want to go through this whole process again, if the bread lacks flavor. I am now leery. Actually, I am beginning to be a little leery of the recipes in this particular book. Maybe they are not "translated" well from a huge bakery's recipe, down to an individual home recipe. Do not know. But it makes me want to set the book aside completely. The first bread I made, Dutch Regale's Finnish Rye, was delicious. And pretty. 

Perfect slashes and great color

The Columbia Bread recipe is made with mainly white flour and a little added freshly ground whole wheat and rye berries, and wheat germ. Just the fact of mainly white flour seems like it should have tasted better. I have never been particularly fond of just plain whole wheat. I like it mixed in with other things. Despite this, when I made the Poilane Style Miche, from Peter Reinhart's book, made with only whole wheat, the flavor was just incredibly good. I would repeat that recipe in a heartbeat! I love the flavor of rye, when I grind the rye berries fresh, and have made many, many varieties of rye breads, from extremely dense styles to light and fluffy. 

I am unhappy with the ultimate outcome, because flavor and texture is what bread is all about. When flavor is only so-so at the very best, it is not inspiring. Maybe it's time to try another of the books!

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.