April 19, 2009 - 4:06pm
First spent grain
After reading in Reinhart's WGB pages 205-209, I made up my mind to give it a try. I discovered my very nearby microbrewery gives away their spent grain so I dropped by to gather up a few plastic containers of rather warm steaming fresh spent barley grain. Using white bread flour, a little rye, salt, instant yeast, water, and caraway seeds, I made a free standing loaf. I'm not good at free standing loaves despite some years of baking -------not that I was baking in great amounts-----but ever so rarely in free standing loaves.
Next time I'll use whole wheat and try to follow the book more closely. I'll try to make progress in scoring while I'm at it. My new round banneton will get much use.
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That's great that you found a way to get some spent grain without having to make your own beer! You bread look very attractive! I especially like the caraway seeds.
--Pamela
Thanks Pamela for dropping by, into the kitchen, so to speak.
Way back when dinosaurs were roaming about with little trust in humans and the feeling was mutual, namely the late 1960s in the wine country where you now ramble and lodge, I took an interest in a nearby bakery making breads mostly of whole grains. Anyway, I found several breads to enjoy by buying and trying to bake similiar breads.
On one fine occasion, I took a loaf, proudly, of whole wheat with sunflower seeds, millet, and caraway (or anise) seeds to a neighbor's backyard barbeque gathering which was a bit of a potluck event.
I sliced away and promptly was ripped apart by the joyful laughs of my neighbors who were informing me I had put bird seed and bugs in my bread.
Nothing I said altered their thoughts. Over 40 years have passed but ..............................................................I still get a laugh, the last laugh, eh, har-har-har.
Sunflower seeds, millet and caraway! For sure your neighbors were ignorant of real bread! Those ingredients are not only for the birds, but their reaction, even 40 years later, would still make me laugh.
--Pamela
I used a few cups of spent homebrewing grains and made a slurry in the blender. Added bread flour, salt and yeast. Secret ingredient: molasses. My family devoured it. I didn't get a chance to take a picture before it was gone.
I made a 2nd bigger loaf using almost 2 cups of spent barley grain from the microbrewery. The 2 cups of spent grain were not packed tightly. Three cups unbleached white bread flour and 2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour ---- both are Stone-Buhr flours. A little salt, 2 tablespoons wheat bran, instant yeast, 2 ounces oil, and about 14 ounces water. Kneading added some more whole wheat.
Long fermentation, lots of kneading, baking in oven preheated to 450F, a cup of hot water in a heated pan, and a little fine spray on the loaf at the start, heat down to 350F after about 20 minutes.
Such a big loaf will last me for awhile so much of it is in the freezer for the time being.