Peter Reinhart's 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf
It's my first time baking 100% whole wheat bread. The recipe comes from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Bread book.
I find the method to be interesting, by soaking all whole wheat flour used in the recipe in soaker & biga. I'm quite happy with the result. The crumb is rather open and soft, which is quite extraodinary for 100% whole wheat. From my past bakings, I find a high-percentage whole wheat flour loaf to have a rather tight crumb (and this loaf is 100% whole wheat). I'm now thinking of experimenting soaking the whole wheat flour for my next sourdough whole wheat loaf, probably with our favourite Hamelman's multigrain whole wheat sourdough:)
Most importantly, the bread tastes quite nice, and is a healthy option.
Here are some pics, for recipe and more photos, you can follow this link http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/100-wholewheat-sandwich-bread-peter.html
Comments
I'm with you on this. The methods in Whole Grain Breads produce excellent results. I use them a couple of times a week. This morning I made a double batch of whole wheat bagels and I'm making spiral 2-tone loaves tonight with white and dark wheat doughs.
FF
Compupix, That's what I'm thinking as well, to replace the biga with the sourdough levain build. However, Reinhart's recipe also soak the rest of whole wheat flour with milk at the time of making the biga.
Most, if not all, of sourdough recipe contains water, rather than milk. I'm just wondering what the difference of soaking whole wheat flour in water instead of milk would be? Is milk there to increase some sort of enzyme activity (to be honest, I have no idea)? I guess, I'll have to try it and see what happen. I love to experiment.
Sue
http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com/
I think the milk is there as this is a sandwich bread and those are often enriched, making it softer. Water works just fine in this recipe and that's the way my wife (the "warden") likes it. I've even used coffee to make a darker wheat for two-tone bread. These recipes are very flexible. Most of the recipes in Whole Grain Breads are variations on one recipe.
I made a multigrain sourdough out of this recipe this weekend, using Reinhart's starter instead of a biga. I looked at the starter recipe for rye breads in the book and used that as it's the same weight as the bigas in his yeasted breads. He uses yeast as well in the ryes, but that is optional. I've tried it both ways and think I like the yeast addition (to the dismay of some of my bread-baking buddies).