100 % Whole Sprouted Grain Deli 40 % Rye with Caraway

We gone for a few days in Texas our daughter’s graduation from PA school at UTMB.  She did very well graduating with honors and awards so we rented a Jamaica beach house in Galveston to celebrate with her, family and friends – there were a dozen of us.

So there was no post for last Friday but we were eating home make bread brought frozen from home!  We catered the food for Saturday night – the best shrimp gumbo ever with Greek salad, garlic pita bread, shrimp Po’ boys and libation for all.  Thank goodness these folks like beer and wine as much as we do so no need for a full bar.

Look how chunky that levain is!

This had to be a special bread so it had to be a whole sprouted grain bread of some kind.  Lucy came up with a 40% whole rye and 60% sprouted wheat – half red and half white wheat.  We haven’t made a bread like this out of 100% sprouted grain before and simple seemed best.  100% hydration sprouted bran starter, 100% hydration overall, 5% caraway (black and brown) and 2% salt – easy enough.

The 500g of sprouted grain produced 100 g of bran at a 20% extraction rate after sprouting, milling and sifting.  All of it was used in the single stage levain.  20 g of NMNF starter was used as the seed so the levain ended up at 220 g a large one that is needed for a whole grain, sprouted, rye bread like this.  This levain was stirred at 3,6, 12 and 22 hours but it never rose an smidgen – zip – no rise at all!

It really smelled killer though….. so we knew it was active even though too heavy and dry to lift itself at all.  Sure enough, once it hit the 1 ½ hour autolyze at the 24 hour mark, it was ready to go to work.  After 1 set of 30 slap and folds, 2 sets of 6 slaps and 3 sets of 4 stretch and folds, all at 20 minute intervals we let it rest for 20 minutes

The toasted and barely ground caraway seeds went in on the first set of stretch and folds.  It remained sticky and wet but did develop some gluten at the end of sticking to everything.  It really proofed fast and was ready for the oven 1 1/2 hours after hitting the pan but the oven wasn’t on yet………  It had doubled after another half hour and I was worried that it would collapse in the heat but it managed to hold its own without any spring to speak of – whew!

We baked it at 425 F with the lid on for 20 minutes and It smelled great once the Pullman lid came off for another 20 minutes- convection this time.  We un-molded it 10 minutes after the lid came off and continued baking it on the rack between the two stones.  We took it out of the oven at 200 F and put it on the cooling rack at the 50 minute total mark.

Now we have to suffer the smell as it cools, wrap it in plastic when cooled and wait till tomorrow to slice it after the moisture redistributes.  We have made lots of 40% rye breads but never one that tastes anything like this one.  The 100% whole sprouted grain makes this one the best tasting low rye percent bread we have ever made.  It is powerfully delicious - deep, dark, hearty and healthy.  It is sour too.  That chunky bran levain, that smelled powerful but couldn't lift itself, was not overpowered by the grains.  It was just in hiding and really wanting to do its thing with the 20% pre-fermented bran.  If you aren't sprouting grains and using a bran levain for your breads, it is time to see what is possible yourself.  You won't regret it.

Have a salad with those ribs

Or a fruit crisp