Day 24 Bread Baking Flour Experiment

What an amazing bread adventure today!  My colleagues and I decided to try baking one bread recipe with six different types of wheat all grown locally and milled at Camas Country Mill.  We have asked our students to design and test an experiment with their starters and collect some data about how the starter reacted to varying conditions.  The faculty decided that we too should experiment with how different flours influence the final product of a loaf of bread.  All other variable were as much the same as we could make them. Along the day of baking we observed differences in moisture content, bubbles, rising, texture, feel, and smell. Tomorrow we will taste the breads as well.

To get ready, I planned to grow up my starter so we had enough to use for all of the loaves.  However, I was concerned that even though the starter had a nice smell and my baking projects were going well, that it would not be active enough to support this much bread baking.

Fortunately last week, we took our students on a great field trip to Noisette Pastry Kitchen where we got a fantastic insider perspective on artisan baking, smelled the bakery mother starters, and tasted several types of bread.

My starter came along on the field trip and afterwards exploded in activity. Two days after our field trip and large feedings (since I learned I was likely underfeeding my starter) it even completely filled a half gallon mason jar.  I saved out a large portion of this very active starter and put it in the refrigerator to prepare for the big baking day.

For the baking day, we prepared six sponges with six different types of flour.  Front to back: Red Fife Wheat, Barley, Hard Red Wheat, Artisan Blend (60% Hard Red, 30% Red Fife, 10% Rye), Emmer, and Rye. The texture after 12 hours of fermentation ranged from wet, to fluffy, to dry.

We were impressed as we started to knead the dough in preparation for the first rise how different the textures were.  The Red Fife was great to work with; it was soft and pliable and quickly formed a ball.

The Emmer was also very soft a pliable and easy to work with; it had a very airy and silky texture.

The artisan blend and the hard red wheat (very similar in composition) took a much longer time to knead but managed to change texture after a longer kneading into a workable dough.

 

The barley was like playdough.  It was hard to work with and took very little flour.

After rising for 2 hours and 30 minutes (and all getting some work done!), we punched down the dough and shaped them into relatively equivalent loaf pans.  The hard red wheat was very solid when "punched;" it even made an amazing "thunk" noise.

Left to Right: Red Fife Wheat, Barley, Hard Red Wheat, Artisan Blend, Emmer, and Rye.  They all had more spring to the dough (even the lump of barley) than before the first rise.  We were especially impressed by the feel of the Red Fife, Emmer, and Rye that were particularly airy to touch and were nice and easy doughs to work with.

After proofing for nearly 90 minutes, all of the loaves had risen to varying degrees.  While we thought that some of the loaves could use a longer proofing time, time commitments didn't allow us to have the luxury to spend more hours watching the dough rise.

So we baked them.  Six loaves baking at once!  The smell is fantastic.

Last five minutes they were out of the pan.
Top Left to Right: Hard Red Winter, Barley, Red Fife
Bottom Left to Right: Artisan Blend, Emmer, and Rye.

Every loaf was a beautiful golden brown when removed from the oven and had that great "thumping" sound of bread.  Based on the way our loaves have cracked, we read sources that not surprisingly indicated that we probably did not give the loaves a long enough second proofing in the pan.

They look so different even baked under the same conditions.

The smells are surprisingly varied as well with distinct differences for each of the different flours. On the extremes, the rye is very earthy and the barley very sweet. The other four had more traditional wheat bread flour smells.

Tomorrow we will have an opportunity to taste these breads in comparison with one another.  It seems rather appropriate that we had our great bread adventure on the same day that the New York Times published a whole section on Bread.  Bread is such a stable of life for many people, and it's easy to overlook that when just making a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a piece of toast.  However, now that we've started exploring the intricacies of biology, physics, history and culture, I am beginning to see how this "simple" food is really amazingly complex.    

Day 13 Sourdough Blueberry Muffins and Chicken Noodle Soup

There's a cold making its way through our family.  Today I fought back with one of my favorite childhood Sunday dinners of chicken noodle soup and sourdough blueberry muffins.  Even if dinner doesn't actually fight off the virus, it certainly provided some comfort food to everyone.

I'm really enjoying using all of these sourdough recipes.  I'm especially excited that the starter that I began less than two weeks ago can be used to duplicate recipes that I've enjoyed at other points in my life.  We've asked our Bread 101 students to create a personal timeline around bread, and I think mine would have to include a 2014 label for realizing just how important sourdough starter has been throughout my life.  Fascinating!

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
1 1/2 c Red Fife flour (Lonesome Whistle Farm)
1/2 c rye flour (Lonesome Whistle Farm)
1/2 c milk
1/2 t cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 c oil
1/4 c applesauce (our tree)
1/2 c sugar
3/4 t baking soda
1 c blueberries (Thistledown Farm)
3/4 c sourdough starter

Mix ingredients together in the order listed.  Mix until just moist but do not beat batter.  Put into well-oiled muffin tins or muffin baking paper.  Bake 25-30 minutes 375F.

Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles
1 egg
1/8 t salt
use small egg shell to get water to mix with egg.  Beat well.

3/4 c Red Fife flour (Lonesome Whistle Farm)
Add in flour until mixture makes a sticky ball.  Let dough stand 15 minutes.  Roll dough until very thin and then cut into desired shape.  I roll it over and cut diagonally to make V-shaped noodles.

Heat soup stock (today stock from a chicken that was first roasted with lemon, garlic and spices from Fair Valley Farm) and bring to a boil.  Add in noodles and boil until they float.  Add in cooked chicken pieces and carrots (and other vegetables if desired). The prescription for my family: eat a warm dinner, go to bed early, and enjoy leftovers for the rest of the week.

Sweet Meat Squash Sunday

Our Open Oak Farm CSA included half of a giant sweet meat squash.  I roasted it last weekend and divided it up into three separate freezer servings (each about 4 cups--this was a big squash).  Today is a good day to eat squash all day.

We started breakfast with Pumpkin pancakes from Eating Close to Home.  These pancakes when cooked on the light side tasted a little big like pumpkin pie even with the same gooeyness.  Later in the day moved on to a Pumpkin Scone recipe our friend Jean found in a Sunset Magazine in September 2001.  I'm trying to use rye flour from Lonesome Whistle Farm in my baking and tried this scone recipe for the first time with a mix of flours.

Sweet Meat Squash Pancakes (from Eating Close to Home)
1 egg
1 c sweet meat squash roasted (Open Oak CSA)
1/2 c flour
2 t sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t melted butter
1/4-1/2 c milk

Mix egg and squash together and then mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Carefully blend together and then add butter and milk.



Sweet Meat Squash Scones (from Sunset Magazine)
1 c rye flour (Lonesome Whistle CSA)
1 1/2 c wheat/white mx
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter cut into chunks
3/4 c sweet meat squash roasted (Open Oak CSA)
1/2 c heavy cream (calls for milk...but cream is too good not to use!) + I had to add some more due to the dryness of the flours
cinnamon/sugar mix

Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add butter and use pastry blender to mix into a course crumb mixture.  Combine squash and milk in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients.  Mix until just wet and pour onto a floured board.  Turn over and gently kneed 5-6 times.  Pat dough into a round and 1" thick and cut into equal wedges (12 today).  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 375F for 25 minutes.  I forgot to brush them with an egg yolk, milk and sugar...so I sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on the top and baked again for 4 minutes.

Hearty Brownies

On a rainy day recently, my son and I wanted to make brownies. I decided I also wanted to see how many different types of grains from our CSA we could use, and if I could add in some additional fruits and vegetables like a Sneaky Chef recipe. My son and I thought they were chocolatey and good--and also very hearty.

Hearty Brownies

1 banana

1 c walnuts

1/4 c Scottish oats (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

1/4 c yams

1/2 c cocoa powder (from Euphoria Chocolate)

3/4 c Red Fife whole wheat flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

1/4 c rye flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

1/2 c brown sugar

6T butter melted

1/4 t salt

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

Mix banana, walnuts, yams, and oats together in a food processor until walnuts are pulverized. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Then, stir in banana mixture. Melt butter then add with eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a 9x9" oiled pan and bake 350F for 20 minutes.

Honey Berry Bread

We have lots of rye flour in our freezer from our Open Oak and Lonesome Whistle Farms CSAs. I thought it would be worth while experimenting to see if I could substitute it into a quick bread without anyone noticing. I adapted this recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook for this test.

It was quite tasty and the rye flour worked just fine with both texture and taste in this recipe. It made it a little more "earthy" than white wheat flour, but everyone liked the bread for dinner and with cream cheese for breakfast the next morning.

Honey Rye Bread

2 c rye flour (from Open Oak CSA)

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 t ginger powder

1/2 c honey (from Thistledown Farm)

1 egg

1 c milk

1/2 c blueberries (from our garden)

1/2 c Marion berries (from our garden)

Combine dry ingredients and then mix in wet ingredients (except berries). Beat in mixer on medium speed for 10 minutes. Stir in berries. Pour into butter bread pan and bake 350F for 40 minutes.

Whole grain bread

Fresh baked bread. Yummy! My brother shared this recipe with me. It's very adaptable depending on the ingredients that the baker has on hand. My favorite commercial bread that we buy includes sprouted grains. I didn't have the patience to wait and let them soak a few days, but I decided to try adding cooked wheat berries and purple barley.

As it finished baking, I was just keeping my fingers crossed that it would taste okay, because the house had that wonderful fresh bread smell.

The bread had a really nice flavor and texture except that the barley was a little too chewy (even crunchy for those kernels on the outside). I would experiment again with the cooked grains, but probably soak them longer next time.

Sam's better bread

Part I

2 1/2 c scalded milk

1/4 c oil

6 T molasses (or other sweetening honey, brown sugar)

1/4 c warm water

1 T yeast

3/4 c rye flour (from Open Oak CSA)

2 c Red Fife wheat flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

1 c white flour

Scald milk, then let it cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add molasses and oil to cooling milk. When milk cooled, add in yeast mixture. Stir in flour until thick. Mix on medium/high in mixer for 10 minutes. Let rise 50-60 minutes.

Part II

2 T salt

1/4 c dry purple barley cooked (1/2 c cooked) (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

1/4 c dry wheat berries cooked (1/2 c cooked) (from Open Oak CSA)

2 c Red Fife wheat flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)

2 c white flour

Cook purple barley and wheat berries together on stove top with 3:1 water ratio until soft and water is absorbed. Switch mixer to dough hook. Fold in salt. Fold in flour and mix until dough comes away from the bowl. Transfer to oiled bowl. Let rise 50-60 minutes.

Punch down. Divide into two, shape, and transfer to prepared bread pans. Let rise 50-60 minutes.

Bake 350F for 50-60 minutes.

Wheat, corn, rye, blueberry muffins

On a cold winter afternoon we needed a preschool friendly activity. Muffin making! These are adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I like them. They're really substantial and the mix of flours was really nice. (Our cat likes to eat muffins and she liked them too!)

Muffins

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c rye flour (from Open Oak CSA)

1/2 c Saskatoon corn flour (from Open Oak CSA)

4 T molasses

1/4 t salt

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/3 c canola oil

1 c blueberries (from McKenzie River Organics)

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine until just mixed. Pour into oiled muffin tins. Bake 375F for 25 minutes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs

These crowd pleasing cookies are called Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, and Snowballs in our family. My husband's mother included this recipe in a lovely book she made for us of family recipes. I wanted to use up a little rye flour that was in my freezer so tried to make these with rye flour rather than wheat flour. I liked the taste, which was a little "earthier." My four-year old proclaimed that they were delicious and ate many cookies!

Recipe
1/2 c butter
4 T powder sugar
1/2 c ground nuts--filberts (from Thistledown Farm)
1 t vanilla
1 c rye flour (from CSA)
Powdered sugar for top

Grind nuts in food processor. In mixer, beat butter until soft, add sugar and beat well. Mix in flour, nuts, and vanilla and beat well. Roll into small balls or scoop with melon baller and place on cookie sheet. Bake 325F for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from pan and roll in powdered sugar or dust tops and bottoms with powdered sugar.

Cabbage Fritters

This is such a simple recipe which has become one of our favorite cabbage ideas. Our Open Oak CSA farmers suggested this recipe developed by one of their farm hands during the winter 2010 season. It's a super easy weeknight dinner.

5 eggs

1 1/4 c rye flour (from CSA)

cabbage cut into strips or shredded (by hand or in the food processor)--enough to be completely coated by eggs and rye flour

oil for cooking

Whisk eggs, flour, and cabbage together. Cook over medium heat on the stove top until browned on both sides. Serve plain or with yogurt, ketchup, or hot sauce.