-==== REZKONV-Recipe – RezkonvSuite v1.1
Title: Sweet heart sprouted bread
Categories: Bread, Sprouts, Yeasted
Yield: 2-8 Inch by 4 inch high freeform loaf, or a 9 inch by 5 i
============================= EQUIPMENT =============================
1 Baking sheet lined with parchment or sprinkled
— with flour or corn meal or
1 9-inch by 4 inch (7 cup) loaf pan, greased
— lightly with cooking spray or oil
1 Baking stone or baking sheet
====================== DOUGH STARTER (SPONGE) ======================
158 grams Bread flour, preferably Gold Medal, 1 cup, 5.5
— ounces
14 grams Fresh (not toasted) wheat germ,3 tablespoons,
— 0.5 ounce
7 grams Wheat bran, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, 0.25
— ounce, optional
1 1/4 grams Instant yeast, 3/8 teaspoon (see below for
— brands)
7 grams Honey, 1 teaspoon
322 grams Water, room temperature(70°F to 90°F,about 1 1/3
— liquid cups, 11.2 ounces
=========================== FLOUR MIXTURE ===========================
312 grams Bread flour, preferably Gold Medal, 2 cups, 11
— ounces
1/2 teasp. Instant yeast, 1.6 grams
54 grams Vegetable or olive oil, 1/4 liquid cup, 2 ounces,
— optional
50 grams Sprouted wheat berries, 1/4 cup, 1.75
— ounces(see below)
10 grams Salt,1 1/2 teaspoons, 0.5 ounce scant
============================== SOURCE ==============================
www.hemispheresmagazine.com/cyber/braed.htm
— Edited *RK* 02/11/2006 by
— Ulrike Westphal
For the sponge:
1. Early in the morning, make the dough starter (sponge). In a large
bowl, or mixer bowl if using a stand mixer, place the bread flour,
wheat germ, optional bran, yeast, honey, and water. Whisk until very
smooth to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The dough will be the
consistency of a thick batter. Scrape down the sides. Set it aside
covered with plastic wrap while making the flour mixture.
For the flour mixture
2. Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour (reserve 2
tablespoons if mixing by hand) and yeast. Gently scoop it onto the
sponge to cover it completely. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap
and allow it to ferment for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably 4 hours,
at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge may bubble
through the flour mixture in places. This is fine.)
3. Mix the dough.
Machine Method
If you are making a sandwich loaf, add the optional oil. With the
dough hook, mix on low speed (#2 Kitchen Aid) about 1 minute, until
the flour is moistened to form a rough dough. Scrape down any bits
of dough. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the
dough to rest for 20 minutes. Add the sprouted wheat and the salt
and knead the dough on medium speed (#4 Kitchen Aid) for 7 minutes.
The dough should be very elastic and smooth and sticky enough to
cling slightly to your fingers. If it is still very sticky, knead in
a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little
water and knead it in. (The dough should weigh about 2 pounds / 920
grams + oil.)
Hand Method
Add the optional oil, the salt, and the sprouted wheat, and, with a
wooden spoon or one hand, mix until the flour is moistened. Knead
the dough in the bowl until it comes together, and then scrape it
onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes,
enough to develop the gluten structure a bit, adding as little of
the reserved 2 tablespoons of flour as possible to keep it from
sticking. Use the bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it
together as you knead it. At this point it will be very sticky.
Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
(This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to
work with.)
Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is very
smooth and elastic. It should be sticky enough to cling slightly to
your fingers. If the dough is very sticky, add a little more flour.
(The dough should weigh about 2 pounds / 920 grams + oil.)
Both Methods
4. Let the dough rise.
Scrape the dough into a 4 quart dough rising container or bowl,
greased lightly with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough and
lightly spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover the container with
a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark where double the
height would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75°F to 80°F)
until doubled, about 1 hour.
Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, remove the dough to a
floured counter and press down on it gently to form a rectangle.
Give it a business letter turn, round the edges, and return it to
the bowl.Again, oil the surface, cover, mark where double the height
will now be, and allow it to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2
hours. (It will fill the bowl fuller than before because it is
puffier with air).
5. Shape the dough and let it rise.
Turn the dough onto a floured counter, press down on it gently to
flatten it slightly, and use your fingertips to press out any large
air bubbles. It will still be a little sticky, but use only as much
flour as absolutely necessary. Shape by rounding the dough into a
ball about 6 inches by 2 1/2 inches high, and set it on the prepared
baking sheet. If you are making a rectangular-shaped loaf, gently
press or lightly roll the dough with a rolling pin into a wide
rectangle. (The long side of the dough should be facing toward you.)
The exact size is not important at this point. Place it in the
prepared loaf pan (no more than 1/2 inch from the top of the pan).
Cover the loaf with a large container or oiled plastic wrap. Allow
it to rise until almost doubled and until, when pressed gently with
a finger, a depression very slowly fills in: 1 to 1 1/2 hours. It
will be about 8 inches by 3 inches high. (In the loaf pan, the
highest point will be 1 inch higher than the sides of the pan.)
6. Preheat the oven.
One hour before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 °F .
Have the oven shelf at the lowest level, and place a baking stone or
baking sheet on it and a cast-iron pan or sheet pan on the floor of
the oven before preheating.
7. Slash and bake the bread.
Using a single-edged razor blade, make a 1/4-inch-deep long cross in
the top of the freeform loaf. If using the sprouted wheat, pick off
any that are on the surface, as after baking they become very hard.
Mist the dough with water, quickly but gently set the baking sheet
on the hot stone or hot baking sheet, and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes
into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door, lower the heat to
400°F, and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown
and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. (An instantread
thermometer inserted into the center will read about 205°F.) Halfway
through baking, with a heavy pancake turner lift the freeform bread
from the pan and set it directly on the stone so it is turned
halfway around for even baking. (Turn the loaf pan halfway around
also.)
8. Cool the bread.
Remove the bread from the oven (if in a loaf pan, unmold it from the
pan), and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely, top side up.
For the freeform loaf, to recrisp the crust before serving, return
the bread to a 350 °F oven for 5 minutes.
TIME SCHEDULE:
Dough Starter (Sponge): 4 hours Minimum Rising Time: About 3 hours
Oven Temperature: 450° Fahrenheit, then 400°F Baking Time: 30 to 40
minutes
Sprouting Wheat
Equipment: a 2 cup canning jar with metal screw band and a small
piece of plastic screening or cheesecloth
It takes two to three days to sprout the wheat. If the sprouts are
ready before you are ready to make the bread, refrigerate them.
Place the wheat berries in the canning jar and add tepid water (80°F
to 85°F) to cover them by about 2 inches. Cover with the plastic
screening or cheesecloth and keep it in place with the metal screw
band. Let sit for about 1 hour, and then turn the jar upside-down to
drain out all the water, saving this water in another jar of at
least 1 1/2 cup capacity. Refrigerate the water. Store the jar with
the wheat berries on its side, in a dark warm place such as a
kitchen cabinet, covered with a damp cloth.
Rinse the wheat berries in the morning and at the end of the evening
by adding enough tepid water to cover them through the top of the
jar, swirling them around in the jar, then inverting the jar to
drain them, always saving the water until you get about 1 1/2 cups.
Do this until the sprouts are the same length as the wheat berries.
Then drain them well and use at once or refrigerate.
Pointers for Success
? Making the sandwich loaf: If you don’t have a large enough loaf
pan, before shaping the loaf, press the dough into the pan and if it
fills it more than 1/2 inch from the top, cut off the excess (don’t
tear it, as that destroys the gluten) and bake the extra as rolls.
Let the dough relax, covered, for 20 minutes before shaping it.
? The crust: The crust on this bread is crisp but not crunchy,
unless you omit the wheat germ. The sprouted wheat contributes a
delicious sweet/wheaty crunch to the crumb, but any sprouted wheat
berries close to the crust become quite crunchy.
© Flour: It’s fine to use unbleached national-brand all-purpose
flour such as Gold Medal instead of bread flour, but it will produce
a less chewy, slightly softer texture. The weight of the flour will
be the same, but you will need to add about 1/3 cup more flour if
measuring by volume. Bleached flour, and some soft wheat regional
flours, lack strong enough protein to produce a good textured bread.
© Wheat germ and bran: Purchase wheat germ at a health food store
that does a brisk business, so that it is fresh, and store it in the
freezer. The bran is much less prone to rancidity. Store it in the
freezer or refrigerator.
© Types of instant yeast : The element that once kept people from
achieving a full measure of success was the yeast, which required
activation by “proofing” in warm water. This presented the real
danger of killing the yeast by proofing it in water that was too hot.
This problem has completely vanished with the new instant yeast that
you can add directly to the flour.
Instant yeast is nationally available in supermarkets under the
following brand names:
Fleischmann’s Bread Machine Yeast or Rapid Rise Red Star’s QuickRise
Red Star’s Instant Active Dry Saf Instant Saf’s Gourmet Perfect Rise
If unopened, it will last at room temperature for up to 2 years.
Once opened, it should be stored in the freezer. If you buy it in
bulk, it is best to remove a small amount for regular use and freeze
both the larger and smaller amount to ensure maximum shelf life,
which is at least one year.
? How to tell when the dough has risen enough during proofing: If
you are using a round bowl instead of a straight-sided container,
it’s difficult to see when the dough has doubled. The best test is
inserting your finger into the dough. If it keeps the depression,
the dough has doubled.
? Controlling the timing: If you are not ready to bake the dough the
same day you mix it, after the first rising deflate the dough, set
it back in its container, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it
overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1 hour before shaping
it. This will actually improve the flavor and texture of the dough.
? How to serve it: Not hot from the oven! Cooling is part of the
bread baking process. The bread needs to be cooled on a wire rack
until it is room temperature or barely warm. If you like warm bread,
reheating it is the way to achieve this.
? How to ensure a crisp crust: Use a baking stone, steam when the
bread is placed in the oven, and reheat it before serving.
? How to store bread for freshness: Refrigeration stales bread, but
freezing will keep it fresh for weeks. I like to slice the bread,
wrap the slices in plastic wrap, and put them in a freezer-weight
storage bag. You can also freeze the whole loaf if well-wrapped. You
can allow it to defrost at room temperature or put it in a 350 °F
oven until a skewer inserted in the center no longer feels cold when
removed. If the crust is very brown, tent it loosely with foil until
the last few minutes.
