PiP's 40% Rye w/ Caraway Meets Hanseata's Seeds and a Restless dabrownman
After having such good luck with Phil's no stress recipe for 40% Rye and Caraway, I was additionally inspired by hanseata's seeded loaf's. So, I thought I would try to marry up the two and take on my requirement for more whole grain and less white flour. I was hoping that by adding some spelt and farro home ground berries to the rye replacing some of the white and adding some anise and fennel to the caraway, this new concoction would be a decent bread. Plus, another important test, I could try out for the first time my new 'double Y chicken foot' slash!!!!
I also got a new way to final prove these ill shaped breads with a new bamboo containment thing-a-majig that has some doohickey handles for the containment challenged like myself. Don't laugh. This thing, what ever it is, cost a buck. We can't sleep at night worrying about these contraptions and they are real issues for us !!! The used, so much better than new, parchment paper is the crowning achievement of getting the loaves out of the trash bag and into the oven without disfiguring oneself unnecessarily - by hot oven.
The loaves sprang nicely. The crust was crisp, crunchy yet chewy. The taste of the bread was more earthy and more to my liking as expected. The crumb wasn't quite as open as before probably due to the extra 20% whole grains in place of the white - but still OK. The slash produced a wide flatish gash where the loaf pooled through lazily. No ears - so fancy pants still needs some work before the double chicken foot slash is a keeper.
The disappointment was that I replaced some of the caraway seeds with the anise and fennel and the resulting seed taste was too slight and muddied. I was too chicken to go for a bold taste with these seeds. Don't you be !!! It would be much better just adding the same grams of anise and fennel as the caraway. I think it would be perfect that way - if it didn't kill you of course ;-)
Here are some more pics...
I really like it that you can make these breads in half a day if you have some decent rye sour built all the time. Next time, and there will be one if only the for the double Y chicken foot slashs' sake, More seeds will be boldly incorporated. I think I am still making progress.
Thanks again Phil and hanseata.
Comments
Your bread looks great.
Where did you find that strange contraption to hold your bread and how much did you pay for it if you don't mind me asking?
had to be made for bread? I got this too
A package deal at Goodwill for $2 total. The color was blue on dollar Thursday's. I like buying stuff I need at Goodwill if I can. They need money badly, do good work and I need what ever that thing is and the bread basket. The bamboo thing works great. I used it on this bread . I used to use David Snyder's parchment containment on the peel with cloth and cans. It was a little akward.
That's a great find.
I am always on the lookout for interesting potential bannetons.
Another buck wasted? I Call it the Foldamatic Breadomatic :-) Handle in the way getting the loaf in or out - no problem. Handle folds away for loading and pops the bread right out of the form automatically after proofing!!! A billion dollar idea!!! I really love this thing and will put it to good use with baguettes and batards
That's pretty cool. I wish I could find one of those by me. I'll give you $2 bucks and send it my way!
made by a local guy and sold at the annual Bangor Folk Festival. A very pretty bread basket and serves as a trivet, too.
Karin
thing really was made for bread? I think it is going to make some nice looking, if many squared edge, bread . Have you used yours for proofing? Folks leave a colder Maine to retire in sunny AZ so I guess that is how it got here and I am glad it did. Never thought about using it for a trivet but it is one of those too.
and handling fees may change yuour mind :-)
Nice loaves, and interesting wooden mold to hold your shaped loaves - I've never seen anything like that, I have only bannetons, lined baskets for no-pattern breads and some metal pans for baguettes and Italian bread. But, as I always tell my (long suffering) husband, you can never have enough kitchen gadgets!
Especially when you make higher percent whole grain doughs you can be bold with spices. Anise, fennel and caraway work fine in a mix of equal amounts. Anise and fennel alone are mild and sweetish and work better for milder doughs. Caraway and coriander have a really strong taste in comparison.
I'm sometimes astonished how much bread spice is used in German rye breads, but it's usually a mix - and the breads taste just fine. Caraway alone can be overpowering if used in larger amounts - I do dislike some American rye breads where you can taste only caraway and not much else.
Happy whole grain baking,
Karin
I went bold with cumin and coriander, two of my favorite spices in Mexican and Indian food (and I use a lot of them in it) and the bread was inedible. It was just horrible. Way, way, way too much. I also once made a cardomon Swedish bread , out of Clayton's Complete Book of Bread, that was not nearly as bad but, the taste was weird for me and the family. I had a Swede at at work have go and they loved it - so it was theirs immediately!! I think a lot of what folks like in bead is acquired taste of what they grew up with and love.
You are right I under did the fennel and anise and they are not as strong as cumin and coriander. I am going to keep trying darker more highly spiced German breads, most of them from your blog :-) Yep, Americans overdo the caraway in rye but it is my favorite bread none the less! Thanks.
I just made a bread from Andrew Whitley's "Bread Matters" - much as I like bread spices and especially fennel - it was so fennel-ly that you couldn't taste anything else...
Karin
watching my cumin and coriander from now on! I'm with you though on going bold with spice but may just sorta bold when it comes to bread. I think once I bake more with them I will get a better handle on it.