After a
couple of days at the Oven Recovery center, it seemed most appropriate to bake
a loaf of bread to test the oven to the max and see how it holds up when under
'duress'.
The bread
baking was a 3 day exercise, from converting my white sour base to rye sour
base and then feeding it so that it could be active for service. Rye sour has a
texture quite different from the usual white sour, mainly because of its short
gluten strands.
Together
with a soaker made of mostly ground flaxseeds and rye, this bread could be
considered artisan, cliché though it sounds. Such bread which costs up to
slightly less than $10 in a specialty store could be had for a tiny fraction ,
discounting the time spent nurturing the sour starter and so-on.
And
because it was conceived in a lengthy period, I was partial towards it that
even the signature sour from the rye seemed like a personal accomplishment.
Makes one
loaf.
Ingredients
:
Grain
soaker:
150g
Tepid water
100g
Ground flaxseed
20g
Sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Final
dough :
All of
the above grain soaker
113g ryesour
90g warm
water
2g malt
syrup
150g
bread flour
100g rye
flour
3g
instant yeast
8g
sea salt ( sea flakes would be better )
Coating :
2 cups
Toasted sesame seeds
Method :
Day 1 :
Bring rye or white sour to room temperature
overnight.
Day 2 :
Convert
white sour to rye sour, see ratio here. Ignore this step if you already have
rye sour.
Feed rye
sour, 35g rye sour + 100g rye flour + 100g warm water. Mix well and leave
overnight.
Prepare
soaker by mixing ingredients under
'grain soaker ' together. Leave overnight for liquid to be fully
absorbed.
Day 3 :
Combine
soaker, rye sour, water,syrup and mix to combine.
Add bread
and rye flour, yeast and salt. Mix well. Add these to wet sour mixture. Knead
for 5-7 minutes at low speed. The dough will be wet and tacky with partial
gluten formation.
Transfer
dough to oiled bowl, cover and let ferment for about 45-60 minutes. Dough is
ready when it springs back halfway when gently touched.
Prepare a
clean towel.
Meanwhile,
shape dough to a longish round. Moisten
dough with mist spray and then roll dough
on sesame seeds .
Transferred
dough to the towel.
Let dough
rise again , 60 minutes.
Place a
shallow tray of water under a baking rack in the oven. Preheat oven to maximum
temperature.
Place
dough on a baking tray, removing the
towel.
Score the
loaf with a very sharp razor at 45 degree angle, making 1/2 inch cut
lengthwise. Mist dough again.
Bake at
230 C for 30 minutes. Remove and cool well before serving.
