75% Whole Wheat Levain Bread from FWSY
My wife and I have always enjoyed whole wheat bread. For many years, our favorite one has been Peter Reinhart's "100% Whole Wheat Bread" from BBA. Although a lot of my breads have 10 to 30% whole grain flour, I've really been thinking I need to be baking higher percentage whole grain breads, both for health reasons and because that's the way our taste is trending. So, I've been thinking about making Reinhart's WW bread for weeks. But I just finished reading Sam Fromartz's "In Search of the Perfect Loaf" (Highly recommended!), in which he reviews, among many other issues, the health benefits of sourdough breads and the increased health benefits of whole grain breads when made with pre-fermented flour, specifically, as sourdough bread.
Now, my experience with sourdough whole wheat breads has been mixed. Some - generally those that turn out very sour - have been unpleasant to my taste. I have made several sourdough breads with about 50% whole grain flour that I liked a lot, but I wanted to go for 75 to 100% whole grain. My search of TFL revealed that I had, in fact, baked Ken Forkish's "75% Whole Wheat Levain Bread" in September, 2013, and found it very good. (See: 75% Whole Wheat Levain Bread from FWSY) I am amazed and chagrined that I have not made it even once since!
I did make it again today. I altered Forkish's procedure to fit my schedule. I did the final feeding of the levain the day before mixing the final dough and refrigerated the levain overnight. This time, I was able to monitor the bulk fermentation more closely. I did let it go to a full 2.5X volume expansion before dividing and shaping. (But not to 4X expansion, as I did the last time!) I retarded the shaped loaves for about 16 hours, then let them complete proofing at room temperature for about 90 minutes before baking.
We had a few slices with our dinner, after the breads had completely cooled. It was just as delicious as I described my first bake of this bread. It was moderately tangy, but the dominant flavor was sweet, nutty wheatiness. I had it with a very tasty, winey beef stew and, after, with a slice of Gorgonzola Dolce. This bread stood up to those assertive flavors and held its own. I was pleasantly surprised how well the forward whole wheat flavor of this bread complemented that of the gorgonzola.
I expect to enjoy this bread toasted for breakfast in the morning too. And I hope I don't let another year go by before I bake this one again!
Happy baking!
David
Comments
David, these are beautiful, you truly have the touch! I agree, intensely flavored wheat bread calls for balance with other strong flavors. It surely will be tasty when toasted.
Your score marks are so crisp, what do you proof your loaves in?
Cathy
These loaves were proofed in French bannetons - linen-lined wicker baskets.
David
David sei sempre bravissimo, complimenti....
Cottura perfetta, colore e consistenza della crosta impeccabili per non parlare poi dell'alveolatura interna. BRAVO!
E chissà che profumo....quanto pagherei per poterne assaggiare una fetta....chissà che un giorno questo non accada!!
Grazie della splendida condivisione.
Un abbraccio, Anna
David: This look so delicious. I love the scoring as well. The crumb is very nice for such a high percentage of whole wheat. Bravo! I wish my bakes were as perfect as yours. Please keep them coming. Best, Phyllis
Well done David as always. I just started experimenting with Peter Reinhart's Sprouted Whole Wheat Pain Au Levain from his new book with mixed results so far. I can tell you the taste of freshly ground sprouted wheat is like nothing else you have experienced. I hope you purchase his book and give it a try. He has a lot of other interesting recipes and techniques worthy of trying eventually.
Regards,
Ian
better than white bread because of the extra health benefits, it being so much better for us sugar challenged and the depth of flavor is tough to beat, This one has to taste great. Your example of this bread is near perfection as usual. Well don and
Happy baking David.
And such a beautiful crumb.
Paul
Your loaves are a high benchmark that I know I am unlikely to ever reach in my lifetime but which nevertheless I will strive to work towards.
Ian: My experience so far with two bakes using sprouted WW flour has not been favorable. It has not been freshly milled, however.I have heard enough positive things about this type of flour, including from you, that I will keep trying to learn how to get at its wonderfulness.
David
Beautiful loaves David! The pictures are compelling me to make some for myself to eat!
My current customers really wanted a whole grain loaf. So I've done a riff on the SFBI loaf & have been making a whole grain wheat and rye with oats and flaxseed sourdough and a bit of yeast. The original formula calls for 40% levain and fermenting for only about three hours. I tried to use the same formula and retard for 10+ hours and it was awfully sour! I've played around with the whole grains and have decided that I would have to really lower the levain to maybe 5-8% for a long retardation. otherwise I just ferment for up to 6 hours. This produces a very dense, moist nutty tasty whole grain bread. My customers love it.
looks beautiful, I've been shying away from this amount of whole wheat but am inspired To give it a go! Have been playing with your SJSD and einkorn with excellent results, really warm nutty flavour, will post.
Excellent crumb, color and volume!
Brokeback Cowboy
I always enjoy your latest bake and look forward to your next.
Anybody else make this with freshly ground wheat berries?
Yum! The outside doesn't look as pretty as yours, but the crumb is comparable.
Rick