bjl110
Well-Known Member
Didn't know where else to put this on the forums, but it has come out so well several times, I thought I should throw it up somewhere. This recipe is derived from Peter Reinhart's book "Artisan Breads Everyday" (a GREAT book if you are into that kind of thing). The book uses mostly the cold fermentation technique, which gives one much more flexibility on when the bread bakes. You can also split your batch in several bowls if you plan on baking on different days. This allows for two ultra-fresh loaves, instead of one great loaf and one semi-stale loaf. I've made this with several types of grain in the mix and every time it came out very good. I think it may have been the best when I used a 50-50 mix of C120 and honey malt that I steeped for my graff.
6 Cups unbleached bread flour
3&1/2 tablespoon kosher salt (or 2&1/4 reg salt)
2 tablespoon instant bread yeast
1 cup spent grain
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (also have had good results with buttermilk or yogurt for some extra zing)
3 tablespoon honey
1 egg white (for egg wash)
PREP DAY
Combine everything except egg wash in mixer and bring together with paddle attachment for 1 min. The dough should be very sticky and shaggy, just barely coming together in a ball. If not add water or flour. Don't freak if you have to use about a cup, the water content of your grain may vary the recipe slightly. LET REST FOR 5 MIN SO THE FLOUR REHYDRATES FULLY! this is super important and will lead to hard inedible bread if you skip this step.
Switch to dough hook. Mix for 4 min on med-low speed adjusting with flour or water as needed. The dough should be soft, supple, and slightly sticky.
Place on floured work surface and kneed for another minute or two. The dough should now be very soft, but should still hold together in a ball. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. If you plan to split the batch into two this is where you should do so. Refrigerate overnight, or for up to four days. I've kept it for seven without too much degradation, and nobody died.
BAKING DAY
Pull dough from fridge about two hours before you plan to bake. Cut in half and shape into two sandwich loaves by flattening out into a five by eight inch rectangle. Fold both of the five inch sides up, and then roll up the eight inch side. Most directions have you pinch your dough at the seam, but mine never seems to stick together. Just make sure that the seam is at the bottom. Lightly oil the dough, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and proof for 2 hours. I've had success proofing the dough for 45-1 hour in an oven that has briefly warmed (to 150 or whatever your lowest setting is) and then been turned off. Brush with egg wash and bake for 40-50 min, or until the internal temp is 180.
I've done plenty of variations of this recipe, this is just the version that I tend to make most often. You can make this with any cooked grain in place of the spent grain. Brown or wild rice is what is called for in the original recipe, and is quite good. I've played with the flours a bit, with mixed results. A combo of bread flour and whole wheat flour is one of the things that has worked well. You can also add some uncooked grains, such as 1/4 cup cornmeal or rolled oats. Just leave out some flour if you do this. About a 1/2 to a cup maybe. I've also played with the sweeteners, using more and less of each the sugar and the honey. If you like it sweeter than this, just add more of them, but I think this is a pretty good balance. In Rienhart's book he does this recipe with either 1/4 cup dried onions or two cups of diced fresh onion. My preference in this category is to go dried, although a couple (or more!) cups of fresh Vidalia is quite nice. This recipe also takes fresh herbs very well. I've done combos (and a single version) of most fresh herbs. Making it with fresh rosemary, parsley, and some fresh ground pepper is probably my preference here. Goes great with some olive oil for dipping. Maybe some parmesan too. This also does not have to be made into two loaves. I've made it in rolls, boules, and other free-form loaves, although the previously mentioned are my preference.
Hope everyone enjoys the recipe, let me know if you like it or find something great that I haven't done maybe. As you can see it is quite flexible, so experiment away! Happy baking!
6 Cups unbleached bread flour
3&1/2 tablespoon kosher salt (or 2&1/4 reg salt)
2 tablespoon instant bread yeast
1 cup spent grain
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (also have had good results with buttermilk or yogurt for some extra zing)
3 tablespoon honey
1 egg white (for egg wash)
PREP DAY
Combine everything except egg wash in mixer and bring together with paddle attachment for 1 min. The dough should be very sticky and shaggy, just barely coming together in a ball. If not add water or flour. Don't freak if you have to use about a cup, the water content of your grain may vary the recipe slightly. LET REST FOR 5 MIN SO THE FLOUR REHYDRATES FULLY! this is super important and will lead to hard inedible bread if you skip this step.
Switch to dough hook. Mix for 4 min on med-low speed adjusting with flour or water as needed. The dough should be soft, supple, and slightly sticky.
Place on floured work surface and kneed for another minute or two. The dough should now be very soft, but should still hold together in a ball. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. If you plan to split the batch into two this is where you should do so. Refrigerate overnight, or for up to four days. I've kept it for seven without too much degradation, and nobody died.
BAKING DAY
Pull dough from fridge about two hours before you plan to bake. Cut in half and shape into two sandwich loaves by flattening out into a five by eight inch rectangle. Fold both of the five inch sides up, and then roll up the eight inch side. Most directions have you pinch your dough at the seam, but mine never seems to stick together. Just make sure that the seam is at the bottom. Lightly oil the dough, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and proof for 2 hours. I've had success proofing the dough for 45-1 hour in an oven that has briefly warmed (to 150 or whatever your lowest setting is) and then been turned off. Brush with egg wash and bake for 40-50 min, or until the internal temp is 180.
I've done plenty of variations of this recipe, this is just the version that I tend to make most often. You can make this with any cooked grain in place of the spent grain. Brown or wild rice is what is called for in the original recipe, and is quite good. I've played with the flours a bit, with mixed results. A combo of bread flour and whole wheat flour is one of the things that has worked well. You can also add some uncooked grains, such as 1/4 cup cornmeal or rolled oats. Just leave out some flour if you do this. About a 1/2 to a cup maybe. I've also played with the sweeteners, using more and less of each the sugar and the honey. If you like it sweeter than this, just add more of them, but I think this is a pretty good balance. In Rienhart's book he does this recipe with either 1/4 cup dried onions or two cups of diced fresh onion. My preference in this category is to go dried, although a couple (or more!) cups of fresh Vidalia is quite nice. This recipe also takes fresh herbs very well. I've done combos (and a single version) of most fresh herbs. Making it with fresh rosemary, parsley, and some fresh ground pepper is probably my preference here. Goes great with some olive oil for dipping. Maybe some parmesan too. This also does not have to be made into two loaves. I've made it in rolls, boules, and other free-form loaves, although the previously mentioned are my preference.
Hope everyone enjoys the recipe, let me know if you like it or find something great that I haven't done maybe. As you can see it is quite flexible, so experiment away! Happy baking!
