While in my book,this would not be an accolade for a good loaf of bread,this quote comes from my three children who love my recent bread baking experiment. (You should know that I am an ardent baker of whole grain sourdough.)
I started with the Yogurt Bread from The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book. My children immediately fell in love with the yogurt bread’s “commercially”soft interior and thin crust. All was well,but the loaf didn’t quite meet my standards:Only half of the flour content in the bread is properly fermented and the addition of more yeast yields a more acidic bread.
If you are not familiar with the significance of fermenting whole grains,a visit to the Weston A. Price website is a good place to start. http://www.westonaprice.org/Be-Kind-to-Your-Grains…And-Your-Grains-Will-Be-Kind-To-You.html
In an attempt to meet my fermentation standards,I took the Yogurt Bread recipe and combined it with a basic sourdough loaf. The results:“Whole Wheat Bread that tastes like White,”according to my children. Here’s what I do:
Yogurt Sourdough Bread
Sponge I Ingredients:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
2/3 cup yogurt (preferably homemade or of a very good quality)
1/3 cup cold water
To Make Sponge I:
I start this process at night,just before I go to bed. To make both sponges takes about 10 minutes with an electric mixer.
Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl;add the Sucanat,yogurt,cold water and dissolved yeast,making a stiff dough. Knead about five minutes (by hand or with your electric mixer and the dough hook),and set aside in a cool place,snugly covered to keep the dough from drying out,but with plenty of room in its container for the sponge to rise. The stainless steel mixing bowls with lids from Pampered Chef work great for overnight bread rising. Leave in a cool place where it can rise slowly while you sleep. (You could also do this phase upon waking in the morning and bake the bread in the evening. You want about a 10 hour rise)
Sponge II Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sourdough starter
approximately 1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Combine all Sponge II ingredients and knead as with Sponge I. Place in a separate bowl with snug fitting lid and allow to slowly rise about 10 hours.
After the Rise:
After both sponges have risen,combine the two doughs to make one. I use my electric mixer to knead them together until I have a smooth,elastic loaf. This dough may be on the moist side,but it should not slump. When you press the dough between your thumb and forefinger there should be a light resistance like pressing the flesh of your earlobe.
I then cut the dough into two equal portions and form into loaves by pressing them into flat rounds and snugly rolling down the length of each loaf to form tight seamless loaves. I grease two stoneware loaf pans with Spectrum palm oil and lay the loaves in. I let them rise in the oven with a damp tea towel laid across. I leave the oven light on for warmth. It may take up to two hours for the loaves to crest the pans. Once they have nicely risen,I slash the length of the loaves with a razor blade and bake them in a preheated 350 oven for 50 minutes or so. The loaves,when done,will be golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on their bottoms.
This recipe is still in the experiment phase. You are welcome to share your successes and failures. I’ll try to help troubleshoot the latter.
Note:You can make your own sourdough starter,but it’s easier to be gifted some from a regular baker. If you live in the Asheville area,I’d be happy to share some of mine. Also,quality of flour is very important. Whenever possible,grind your own,or source freshly ground. I purchase 25 pound bags of whole wheat flour from Lindley Mills in Graham,NC and immediately freeze it after purchase to retain the nutritional value of the grain.
