With all the panic surrounding grain and food prices, it seems a crime these days to have flour hanging around in the kitchen unused for long periods of time.  This, I confess, is one of my guilty secrets. See, there was this bag of flour I bought on a whim and has been languishing in the darker recesses of the kitchen cupboards for the last few months (Oh OK half a year!)  I'd been meaning to use it, truly I had.  I'd even posted these honest intentions on the TFL forums...but alas, I was weak.  So easily, I was distracted by the many floury temptations along the way (ok, some might call them obsessions) Baguettes, miches, spelt, old starters requiring TLC, new starters etc. etc. have all played their part in my flour-hoarding sins. Oh, excuses, excuses!  

Well I finally put things right today.  Having excavated said historical artifact from the cupboard, I decided to put it to good use (by which I mean something to fill my stomach!).  On exposure to daylight, I was surprised to find that rather than having bought 'malthouse' flour (from 'Dove Farms' flour range) as I erroneously recalled,  the flour in question was in fact called 'Country Grain'. The flour comes from Allinson (a well known uk brand) and can be found in most  british supermarkets. The flour is clearly inspired (read: copied) from that most british of flours/breads: Granary.  As has been discussed previously in the TFL forums, the bakery giant Hovis own the trademark to the name 'Granary' and hence other flour manufacturers have to name their similar products with fancy titles such as 'malthouse' or 'country grain'. 

OK enough of the legal stuff, what IS it? The flour itself is a mixture of wheat flour (I'm guessing about 85% extraction), malted wheat flakes and a combination of rye, barley and wheat malt. Even in raw form, it has a distinct, nutty aroma. I was a bit apprehensive about all the 'bits' in the flour and how it would handle when hydrated but I had a whole load of mature WW starter which was begging for some action, so I took the plunge.

Here's a really simple recipe:

Granary Cob (makes 1 large loaf)

500g Allinson Country Grain Flour (or whatever 'Granary'esque equivalent you can find) 
200g Mature WW or White Starter (100% hydration)
300g Water
11g Salt
Mix salt, starter and water.
Stir in flour and mix roughly.
Autolyse for 20 to 30 minutes
Knead for 10 minutes (don't expect to pass the windowpane test!).
Bulk ferment in a warm place (75-80F) for 3 hours (stretch and fold 3 times at 40 minute intervals).
Shape gently into a boule and proof in a banneton or linen-lined bowl.
Score with four slash marks forming a cross shape on the top.
Bake at 450F with steam for 10 minutes followed by a further 35 minutes at 375F.

I must say, the dough seemed unpromising at first.  The ample wheat flakes mixed in with the flour seemed sure to tear the gluten structure to shreds. However, after a number of stretch and folds during bulk ferment, the dough became more manageable and um...doughlike!  Perhaps in the future, making a soaker from at least part of the flour would be a better strategy.

Thanks presumably to the malt (which gives the dough and final bread an awesome rich, brown colour), the bulk ferment was a pretty rapid process (3 hours) and after 45 minutes of proofing the dough was threatening to rise too high out of the proofing bowl. For the shaping, I went for a traditional cob (coburg) style loaf.  It would have been served equally well by shaping into a sandwich loaf or perhaps smaller rolls (sprinkled with seeds) I must say, the dough felt fairly slack for  67% hydration. Scoring posed no particular challenge although I could have scored a little deeper for a more authentic coburg look. The baking process was straightforward.

So how does it taste? The taste is great!...earthy, nutty, malty...yummy!  I've never eaten a sourdough version of this bread before (most versions you'll see in british bakeries use commercial yeast)  but I've got to say it's a winner.  Of course, it's the texture is what gives granary its reputation - those toothsome grain flakes are wonderful little nuggets of nutty flavour which are balanced by a soft crumb (not overly chewy thanks to the relatively short proofing).  There were no big rustic holes in evidence which came as no surprise given the nature of the flour. The crumb was plenty moist without being 'uberdense' (ie not a brick)  A little longer baking at a lower temperature might have improved the crust (which is still substantial even if the photo doesn't seem to show)

Will I make it again?  Definitely! Future baking may include the addition of some honey or oil for a sandwich loaf and perhaps a longer ferment to see whether the flavour can be further developed.

Cheers for now and enjoy!

FP