I am fairly new here - but I've been home milling and baking bread for many years. I spent weeks reading the forum and trying to get a handle on hydration. Going strictly by water and flour weight, my breads are low hydration but the dough seems plenty wet and the bread is terrific. Whenever I tried higher hydration I was creating terrible bread. So I'm just putting it out there that this recipe works fantastic for me - at sea level, in the high humidity where I live (been raining for weeks) and with fresh ground wheat milled minutes before I make the dough. If you are using storebought flour or you are in low humidity, you may have different results - my dough seems dry at first but when the yeast is really working it seems to get very wet (does the yeast pull moisture out of the air? I can't explain why) - this was bordering on too wet even though the hydration is low. You may need more water than I use - if anyone tries this, please let me know because I'm very curious :)
This is for one loaf - double triple etc. as desired for more. This bread is great for sandwiches - it is rather sweet which I think works well with all the seeds.
210 grams hot water (not boiling hot, I just need to warm up the stainless steel bowl - my house is cold)
300 grams wheat - ground medium fine - screen with #40 screen and set bran aside for later
Mix the screened flour with hot water and let sit a few minutes until cool enough for yeast
1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast (wait until mixture has cooled enough before adding yeast)
Knead until gluten develops (about 5 minutes)
I dump in the following dry ingredients and then add the lecithin, honey and vinegar to wet them, makes it easier to mix them in:
6-7 grams salt
20 grams sugar (I use Sugar In The Raw - coarse crystals)
10 grams dry milk powder
10 grams malt powder (non-diastic - this is for flavor - the malt I use is 100% malt so it adds a lot of flavor)
1/2 tsp diastic malt powder (this is for the enzymes)
1 tsp liquid lecithin
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp Bragg's applecider vinegar
Once that is all mixed and doughball is well formed (slightly too moist and sticky), add the bran (it will seem really dry but seems to moisten up later when the yeast is working)
add the seeds and mix just enough to distribute into the doughball
1 Tbsp flax seed
1 Tbsp sunflower seed
1 Tbsp pumpkin seed
(now it will really seem too dry and stiff)
Wrap loosely in plastic (I use those lightweight plastic bags you get for veggies at the grocery store) and put in fridge overnight.
Next morning, remove from fridge to warm up for an hour (I keep my house very cold, so I warm the dough in the oven with light on 95-105F) after an hour it should be getting up to room temp and yeast will be getting active - the dough will still seem stiff and a little too dry - do a few folds and wrap it back up (loosely, so it can expand) and let rise 30 minutes to an hour
Do a few folds and shape into a loaf with some olive oil on your hands (now the dough will feel moist and sticky - the olive oil on your hands helps, otherwise it sticks to everything), put in bread pan and tent with plastic wrap and let rise until double (about 30-45 minutes - I let it rise in my oven with light on 95-105F).
Bake in preheated 350F oven for 38 minutes.
of the dough is coming from the large sugar crystals dissolving. They act like liquid even though dry. The malts are also sugars (diastase) also act like liquids. They pull moisture from the dough and from the air if the humidity is there.
Have you ever tried weighing the dough when done mixing and later after the dough has been standing exposed to the air?
Very nice bake and must taste great.
What is the purpose of the lecithin? I've never used this before and curious what benefit it provides.
Lecithin is a dough conditioner (for tenderness) and is also a natural preservative. Although I have some King Arthur lecithin granules in the pantry - and the granules are far easier to use then the syrup - I have never done a side by side bake test to see how much difference it makes, and so I rarely use it. I suppose I'm also influenced by my various bread books that don't really talk about it.
seeds in there. Perfect for sandwiches. Well done and happy baking
I haven't tried weighing the dough later - good idea! I'll have to try weighing just before it goes into the loaf tin and see.
I confess that I don't know the purpose of the lecithin - I know what "I think" it does :) I think of it as lubricating the dough and letting the gluten strands develop with less friction (no idea if this really happens or not - just what I imagine). And I do like the texture of the bread better with it - but you can certainly leave it out and the loaf will still turn out good.
Just about ready to transfer the risen loaf from the warm (oven lights) oven to the smaller side oven that is preheated to 350F. I'm just doing one loaf at a time since the kids are grown and on their own and it takes me 2-3 days to finish a loaf.
and after 40 minutes baking - it's cooling and the house smells wonderful!
And inside:
Just Lovely :)