PRs transitional WW bread
There is another post that chats about 'transitional' WW bread that is just too tired for me to add this to. Sorry, it's a personal problem on my part, but I wanted to do this here.
I do not yet own PRs latest book on whole grain breads, but have borrowed it from the library and read all of the up front info, leading to the recipes, before having to give it back. I have posted some of my experiences with the 100% WW and the transitional recipe. If my memory is any good, and those who know me wonder on a regular basis, the general drift of Peter's discussion is that many folks are interested in eating more whole grain breads, and his purpose for writing the book was to help them make bread that would appeal to an 'untrained' taste, one unused to eating whole grained breads. He offers methods for drawing out as much of the natural flavors of the grains, and developing the sugars inherent in them, to help those who find historic whole grained bricks unpalatable. And for those who really can't handle whole grained breads, there are recipes for breads that will help these people 'transition' from Wonder bread to whole grained breads by taking them there in smaller steps.
This is the second or third time I have made this recipe, the transitional whole wheat loaf. It is 50% whole wheat, 50% nasssty white flour. I made this because I forgot about starting my usual bread on Friday morning, for Saturday baking. Then Saturday I was too busy to do it, and it is a two day process. So Saturday afternoon I started this as a double batch to try to get me throught he week. What I like about this process is how quick it is compared to sourdough. But I am old enough in my learning that I am ready to personalize this wonderful recipe to make it my own. The only thing I will mess with is the amount of honey, which I think makes the bread too sweet. Cutting it in half might just do the trick. But here is the seemingly infalable result of Peter's recipe:
Transitional WW: Double batch
PS I don't know why the picture is so small... it's 640 x 480.
Lee,
Yes, that's one of the things I've been most struck with, is how quickly the breads rise once you put them all together. If you're 10 or 15 minutes late, it's over-proofed. But with more than double the yeast that I normally put into a single loaf, I guess that's no surprise.
What's amazing is how good they taste. The thinking, as I understand it, is that the flavor is developed during the long pre-ferment and soaking so, once you put the final dough together, you're not looking to the yeast for flavor -- just pure leavening. And if all you want is for the bread to rise, why wait around?
Anyway, lots of good breads in that book. I made Anadama this weekend, though, next time I make it, I'm going to cook the cornmeal instead of just soaking it. It's the second time I've made it and, darn it if the cornmeal doesn't stay crunchy. Maybe that's how Anadama is supposed to be, but, if so, I don't like it.
I have made this recipe three times now, twice as rolls and once as a loaf. Two of the times I substituted molasses for the honey.
My wife likes whole wheat bread, and this has been popular with her.
I am thinking of trying it with Reinhart's pate fermente instead of the biga.
Colin
While I was growing up, Mom always used molasses and I figured that would be a good way to reduce the sweetness while maintaining the sugar available to the yeasties. Glad to know it works.
Does anyone know what I did wrong to make the picture so small?
Lee
After you select the image to upload you have to change the size from Original to Other and then enter 640 x 480.
For some reason the software will reduce the image if you don't do that.
Colin
Similar to the above replies, I found the transitional WW loaf quicker, easier to make, and delicious. I also tried the WW transitional cinnamon buns and found them a bit dry. I tweaked the recipe to rise and bake them in round pans, added a brush of butter before applying the cinnamon sugar and found them more moist and satisfying. The next time I did them I added nuts -- great! And now my holiday baking is ready.
It looks great - even with that nassty white stuff. ;~)
Looks very nice.
But I wanted to document it anyway.
This weekend I made another batch of this bread with changes. I exchanged water for the milk and baked it hotter. PRs recipe calls for soaking the whole grain flour with buttermilk, milk or water, if I remember aright. I have always used 2% milk until now. I substituted water in the same amount which then needed a little more flour to adjust the moisture ratio properly. I also subbed 25 of the 225 g of ww for rye. Then I baked it at 365F instead of 350F for 20 minutes, turn in oven, and 20 minutes more.
There is no appreciable difference in looks but the crumb is not quite as soft, only barely different, but the taste is what I remember from my childhood. This is the taste I have been craving. It's like when the critic in Ratatouille takes his first bite of ratatouille and is a child again. Now I don't have to research how to make Mom's bread, but with today's knowledge. I am home again.
Ahhhh, the pleasure.
That's my story,
Lee