After some steady years of once a week+ bread batches, I’m ramping up my whole wheat/whole grain bill per batch (for too long I played it safe, 10-25% whole grain flour, the balance white bread flour). Recipe Based loosely (mostly process) on Breadtopia’s Bolles Whole wheat loaves.
Makes 2 loaves (about 980 g each)
450 G King Arthur white bread flour
500 G “Dirty Blonde” whole wheat (Carolina Ground)
50 G Abruzzi Med Rye flour (Carolina Ground)
720 G H2O
180 G active starter (mostly rye fed)
20 G diastatic malt pwd
20 G honey (German whipped)
20 G salt
25 G of saved starter is fed 3X over the course of 36 hours prior to mix – last feeding 3 hours prior to beginning batch.
Mix diastatic malt + honey into water. Whip in starter til frothy. Let sit 15 minutes. Slowly beat in about 3/4 of flour to make a pancake batter-like mix (a la Tasajara sponge). Let autolyse about 30 mins. Add remaining flour to make a raggedy dough. Rest 30 minutes.
Folds:
4 ‘folds’ 20 mins apart
I did 3 vigorous slap/folds (5 minutes ea) and one lamination. The Bolles Wheat recipe recommends slightly longer, vigorous folds/lams to develop structure in higher wheat/grain content batches.
Continue Bulk (about 4.5 hours total) until doubled. Divide and rest until finger poke does not spring back. Form into desired loaf shape. I like long torpedoes as I have a long covered, Terra cotta baking vessel. I also coat in sesame or oats (a little water brushed on aids in adhesion)
Cold ferment, overnight, 12-18 hours or so.
Preheat oven to 500F
Slash tops. Place in oven and reduce temp to 475F.
Bake 25 mins. Remove cover (if baking in a covered vessel), reduce heat to 425. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until internal temp reaches about 203, deep golden brown, dark on bottom, and a thump yields a hollow reply.
I was very pleased with the loft (for a high grain%) and flavor. Muy yummy! I plan to continue increasing the % of wheat (or rye), working on the mix/folds etc to develop an open crumb for an increasingly grainy bread.
Comments/suggestions?
by monoprintedman
7 Comments
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Looks great – if you want to continue to open the crumb make sure you increase water alongside your increase in whole grains
It’s a piece of art 🥲
Absolutely stunning. I’m trying to increase my whole wheat percentage beyond 50%, but the flavor change is holding me back. Do you think the fancy flour is better tasting than King Arthur’s golden?
Looks like a perfect loaf to me ! Very well done . 👍
Niceeee
I can’t address whether KA’s Wheat is better/worse than others… I appreciate knowing more about stuff I use (e.g. flour): where it was grown, when it was milled. Most mills (Barton Springs, Carolina Ground, etc) usually provide source info – even the names of farmers, organic or not. Often date of milling is on the bag (some of my flour was milled in the last month). Grandma would approve. I think there is a flavor difference. More wheat, enter flavor! Really, white flour is very neutral. All my flava comes from whole grain additions (or seeds, caraway, fennel, black pepper, small amounts of honey, molasses).
Go for it! If you are ever in Boulder, check out Moxie Mill… they have some good ancient grains milled etc.