Desem-style pain au son, as baguettes (25% bran, lean dough)

Pain au son is one bread that I am so attached to. Not because I'm good at it, but because it took me hundred-something trials and errors until I got my accidental oven spring (lol).

It all started out as my frustration with whole wheat bread, and my unwillingness to do extra steps outside the main fermentation timeline (like sifting and soaking). Trust me when I say I prolly am the laziest among you all when it comes to baking, so lazy that I devised various methods to allow me be lazy even harder.

The fermentation technique is not traditionally desem, but the principles are all there, except adjustments I made in order to make low-acidity fermentation in hot climate possible. I did three stages fine bran levain and extra low hydration.

The first two stages were 30% hydration bran levain fermented until smelling sweet, alcoholic and chocolatey (about 4 hours). The last stage I did 30% hydration for 2 hours, then added the remaining water from the formula, retarded the levain overnight to soak (see what I did there?)

The next day, I added flour and vital wheat gluten (I added VWG to firm up the typical cakey gooey texture of pain au son for more bready texture, also to improve nutritional protein), did 20 minutes autolyse, mixed until windowpane (yes, it's possible), straight into fridge again overnight.

Day three was only proofing and baking.

I abide by the 25% bran minimum rule for pain au son, according to internet (who am I to go against the almighty internet?). I did 80% hydration.

If you feel like trying, do not be tempted to add more water. The dough will initially feel really elastic, but will be a lot more extensible for it's remaining existence. It can even melt away if overworked. Be careful.

Summary

fine-bran starter (bran:sugar:water 8:1:3, 0.6% baker's percentage) 80% hydration, 25% fine-bran, 25% prefermented flour, 14% protein white flour, three stages levain, 30% hydration bran levain (remaining water added before levain retardation), 2% salt, cold bulk, autolyse, spiral mixer, gas deck oven, parchment and plywood, electric water spray, 300 °C upper 230 °C lower, cordierite stone, 3% vital wheat gluten

Taste and verdict

I love pain au son, fermented right. At least to what my starter did to the bread. It taste chocolatey and literally sweet. This batch I added instant coffee to enhance the chocolatey-ness. This is part of my bread rotation.

Oh, I sometimes add instant coffee granules to enhance the chocolatey flavor.

I still ruminate over soybean bread. In fact, I have soybean levain fermenting for CB material right now. I have an interesting flavor twist in mind, just not as baguette ;)

Jay