Mixed-leavens, Polenta and Pumpkin Seeds

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wassisname on 1 Jan 2012 at 16:40

I don’t usually get much time to bake during the holidays, but when I was asked to bake some bread to go with Christmas dinner how could I possibly refuse?  This was the perfect opportunity to try Andy’s mixed leaven formula.  It’s the sort of bread that will go with just about anything and the overnight  bulk ferment suited my schedule perfectly.  The only major change I made was to bulk ferment in a 60°F part of the house rather than in the refrigerator to accommodate my seasonally sluggish starter.

I scaled the formula to make four kilos of dough for four loaves.  That is definitely the limit for my largest mixing bowl.  Though twice the size of my usual batch of dough it was a really nice amount to knead by hand. 

In search of that beautiful, even crumb Andy’s loaves have I gave the dough a long, gentle knead.  I may have overdone it a bit as the crumb came out tighter than I was expecting, but the texture was wonderfully soft and springy.  No complaints there!  The flavor was excellent.  The bread kept very well.  I’ll be baking this one again!

Just to keep things interesting I added polenta and toasted pumpkin seeds to two of the loaves at the end of kneading.  I have come to love this combination – highly recommended.

Marcus

Looking good Marcus,

I love the crust colour you get when using the two leavens ... the polenta and sunflower would be a great combination.

Hope you had a great Christmas ... best wishes for the new year.

Cheers,
Phil 

Going by the pics, the sort you can't wait to tear into. Great bake to start the year!

Cheers
Ross

Hi Marcus,
Those breads look like they are bursting with flavor, with the burnished color of the crust and the addition of polenta and pumpkin seeds. Yum.
:^) from breadsong

Thank you, breadsong, this method really creates great flavor, especially with the overnight ferment.  With extra goodies thrown in it's just... well, you hit the nail on the head - Yum!

Marcus

Happy 2012, Marcus!

Beautiful loaves.  Especially like the lovely crumb of pumpkin seeded one.  Must've tasted good, too.  Did you add some extra water for those two loaves with added polenta?

 

Thank you, lumos!  The polenta/pumpkin loaf did pick-up some extra water from the polenta, which helped the crumb a bit, I think.  I mixed the polenta with boiling water and let it soak for 8 hrs or so and drained off the extra water before adding it to the dough.  Mixing it in at the end of the knead was a bit of a chore, but well worth it!

Marcus

Polenta, and Pampkin seeds...hmmmm sounds very tasty, Marcus!

Beautiful Loaves, all of them.

Happy New year!

It's worth it for the alliteration alone.   The loaves look great and the crumb is terrific with such a cool color.   -Varda

MmmMmm!

Very nice looking loaves Marcus. Polenta is an addition I've used several times myself and have always enjoyed the extra flavour it brings, but as well for how it can soften the crumb and give it a bit more moisture. Pairing it with toasted pumpkin seeds is a brilliant choice. Looking forward to more of your exceptional baking in the New Year.

All the best,

Franko 

Thanks Franko!  The polenta is more subtle than most additions (nothing subtle about the pumpkin seeds, though!) but as you say, it really adds something to the bread. 

Marcus

This bread from Andy's blog is on my to-do list, too. I like your polenta and pumkin seed addition - can you specify the amounts, Marcus? I understand you used corn grits = polenta grind. Or did you cook it first?

Great looking loaves,

Karin

Thank you Karin, this is definitely one to try.  As for the amounts, I wasn't super-precise on this bake but 10%-12% of the flour weight is a good place to start with the pumpkin seeds, and 12%-15% for the polenta (that's prepared weight, not dry weight).   I didn't include the polenta as part of the flour weight because it brings its own water and I was too lazy to do the math, just don't start with a really wet dough and you should be OK.   The polenta was prepared by mixing it with boiling water and letting it soak for about 8 hrs, longer would probably be even better.  I haven't tried really cooking it because I'm afraid I would lose some of the texture.  I used Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits aka Polenta (very coarse) and the finished weight was about double the dry weight... more or less.   I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Marcus