SD 100% WW sandwich loaf with bulgur (cracked wheat) - discovered a new favorite ingredient
Another winning recipe I adapted from "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" - my main change is to use SD starter instead of dry yeast, changed fermentation schedule accordingly, and used more water. This my first time baking with bulgur, why did I wait for so long? They are fragrant, full of flavor/nutrients, AND easy to work with. Do note that bulgur is different from cracked wheat, the former has been par-cooked, and the latter has not, which means they require different method of cooking. To make it more confusing, stores often label bulgur as "cracked wheat".
Sourdough 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with Bulgur(Adapted from "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book")
Note: 15% of the flour is in levain
Note: total flour is 415g, fit a 8X4 loaf pan. For my Chinese small-ish pullman pan (shown in picture), I used 385g total flour. For mini loaf pans in the picture, I used 138g of flour each.
- levain
ww starter (100%), 17g
water, 29g
ww bread flour, 54g
1. Mix and let fermentation at room temp (73F) for 12 hours.
- soaker
bulgur, 64g
water, 90g
molasses, 17g
2. Mix and bring to boil, set aside before start mixing the dough. By the time it's incorporated into the dough, it would've been soaked for at least two hours.
- final dough
ww flour, 353g (I used KAF)
water, 121g
butter, 17g, softened
salt, 5g
milk, 150g
honey, 17g
all levain
all soaker
3. Mix together flour, water, milk, honey, butter, salt and all levain, autolyse for 40-60min. Knead until the gluten has just been developed. More kneading will be done later, so do not fully develope the gluten network now.
4. Rise at room temp (74F) for 2 hours. Punch down, add soaker, and knead until the dough is very developed. This intensive kneading s the key to a soft crumb, and proper volume. The windowpane will be thin and speckled with bulgur grains, but NOT as strong as one would get form a white flour dough. For more info on intensive kneading, see here.
5. Put in fridge overnight.
6. Take out dough, punch down, divide and rest for one hour.
7. Shape into sandwich loaves, the goal here is to get rid of all air bubles in the dough, and shape them very tightly and uniformly, this way the crumb of final breads would be even and velvety, with no unsightly holes. For different ways to shape (rolling once or twice, i.e. 3 piecing etc) see here.
8. Proof until the dough reaches one inch higher than the tin (for 8X4 inch tin), or 80% full (for pullman pan). About 4 hours at 74F.
9. Bake at 375F for 40-45min for the big loaves, only 30min for the mini ones. Brush with butter when it's warm.
Don't be fooled by all the visible grains, the bread is NOT tough, nor dry, nor hard
It's soft and full of flavor
I live it lightly toasted, so fragrant! Still got enough bulgur left to play with, cant wait.
Sending this to Yeastspotting.
Comments
way to go txfarmer, these look great!
i love tabbouleh, nice to see that bulgur transitions well into bread.
I actually had tabbouleh, liked it, all without knowing those were bulgur grains! Now I know :)
I've been using one or another of Peter Reinhart's formulas for WW bread for years. I have not yet found one I like better. However, this recipe has a number of appealing features, and I'm going to try it.
I pretty much always include a bulgur soaker im my WW breads. I love the flavor and texture. I generally do an over-night soak with cold water, though. Have you compared the hot water brief soak to an over-night cold soaker? Just curious.
David
I didn't buy bulgur until the day of making the final dough, so I had no chance to try the cold soak. Will try that next time to compare!
AMazing! I have a printout of a recipe using bulgur wheat and have been meaning to try it for months now....
your blog post is a nice push in that direction - the recipe I have is not a sourdough, but it's nice to know it works so well with wild yeast
wonderful job!
I think sourdough is actually better for this, longer fermentation give the grains more time to soften and blend.
That's a very good point, Txfarmer. However, I don't think I can do the intensive kneading by hand, and my KitchenAid stayed behind in OK. I will definitely give this recipe a try when I'm back home.... Between this and the croissants, you will be keeping me quite busy upon my return! ;-)
txfarmer! Delicious loaves to make gorgeous sandwiches or toast!
It's a pleasure to see such beautiful and healthy 'pan loaves', I don't think they get near enough credit for their beauty and convenience.
I will have to take a closer look at the cracked wheat when I buy it out of the store bin!
Sylvia
Thanks Sylvia! I love pan loaves and hearth loaves eaqually too!
Lovely loaves, txfarmer! I never really bake with 100% WW because I am always afraid that it might be tough, dry or hard. This is inspiring though. :)
Syd
With the right formula and kneading/fermentation, 100%ww really can be soft!
I am always amazed by the breads you make! Thank you for sharing... I must give your soft loaf bread a try... it looks so wonderfully soft!
happy baking!
LeeYong
Thanks! Good luck!
I made grain bread with bulghar once and loved it too. I made it with hot soaker. It nicely blended in with bread texture and give its chewiness and moisture.
However, I think I would have preferred it more with cold soaker, as the bulghar would have retained its texture.
Sue
http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com
I will try cold soaker next time, however, even with the hot soaker, bulgur still had dinstinctive texture though.
By the way, I just bought Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, all by the inspiration from your bakes. The book publishers should start sending books to you to try:)...that will help them sell lots of it....your bakes has always been inspirational.
Sue
http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com
That would be a GREAT idea! But then I buy all of them anyway, so....:P
Actually, I told you this once before, but will say it again, and I am dead serious: I do think you should consider writing a book yourself. You have a lot of knowledge and skills, and I bet I'm not the only one lining up to buy a copy...
just a thought...
Beautiful!!!, a piece of Art, No less, Txfarmer.. As usual..
Thanks for your encouragement! :)
I've been looking for a smaller pullman pan. My "smallest" is 9x4x4". If you could point me to where you found your "Chinese small-ish pullman pan", I would be grateful.
Ron
Unfortunately I bought mine in China, hence "Chinese small-ish pullman pan". My husband and I are from China, and he still goes back frequrently for business.
Well, tell your husband that he could likely sell all of them that could carry back LOL
Thanks for the info, even if it is an unhappiness for me.
Ron
Such delicious looking and healthy bread. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for a great adaptation.
Marni
Good luck making it!
Thank you for posting another whole wheat recipe and an adapted one from Laurel's book. Some day I hope to figure out how to adapt them too but for now I am just 'copying' the work of others. :-)
A question about the levain. After mixing you have written that it should ferment at 73° for 12 hours. My levain would ferment in half that time....Would I then let it over ripen so it has a full 12 hours of fermentation time?
I always try to use mine right when it is ripe and if I have to wait due to time constraints I de-gas and then I put it into the refrigerator until I can mix my final doughs so I am not sure how to do it with this formula of yours.
Second question is with bulk ferment time. You let it bulk ferment for 2 hours before putting the soaker in...can I ask why you simply didn't add the grains in the beginning and do a bulk ferment with all the ingredients?
And one last question - would oat grouts work in place of bulgar? (I have no bulgar but do have plenty of oat grouts....)
I end with a thank you for the formulas you post and the detailed pictures you include....helps me see so much better what your words are describing. Now I know more how my doughs should look at the different stages of fermenting.
1) I usually leave for work while the levain fermentates, so it may have reached its peak volume earlier than 12hours, but I find at least my levain can stay at that volume for a period of time with no ill effect. In another word, I can use it at 8 hours or 12 hours, without much difference. I usually feed my starter every 12 hours anyway.
2) The soaker has coarse grains (unlike oatmeal paste in an earlier formula), which will negatively affect bulk rise and gluten developement, so we let the dough rise without soaker for 2 hours, giveing it a chance to properly fermentate, then add the soaker.
3) I have never worked with oat grouts, so I really can't say hwo it will behave in this formula, as long as you soak until they are softened, I don't see any reason not to use them.
Thanks for the response. Good to know i can let my levain go...which happens sometimes to me too when I am sleeping and have left it out and, like you say, it still does work just fine.
I feed my starter every 12 hours too but the proportions are different than the ones in your formula which makes a difference in the ripening time.
I hadn't though about the coarser grains affecting the initial rise but now that you tell me it does indeed make sense and isn't something I would have figured out on my own....except by mistake maybe... :-)
I think the grouts should work as they are similar to the bulgar. I used them in your 100% WW Sourdough Oatmeal Loaf (Laurel states that they can be used in place of oat meal) and they worked out just fine...
I will try to remember to let you know how it all works out!
If you can read me...
I'm making my own bulgur (from timilia semolina; I sprouted, cooked steaming and now is in the dryer).
Can I try to put entire grains or better crack them.
Thanks.
Linda
Just to try, because I don't like sandwich bread (too much stuff: butter, honey, yacon instead of molasses).
It could have been better, but perhaps to be repeated.
100% wholemeal flour and kamut (half and half), with my timilia semolina bulgur (sprouted, steamed, dried by me) soaked in cold.
Tks txfarmer, wherever you are.