in article t, Randall
Nortman at wrote on 2/12/04 7:25 PM:

> On 2004-12-03, Will Waller > wrote:
> [...]
>> I keep a bucket of hydrated grains in my refrigerator. I find that after a
>> two days or so they have absorbed all of the water they need. I add them to
>> my doughs as inert ingredients, meaning I subtract their volumes from my
>> formula but do not otherwise alter my ratios. So if I want an 1800 gram
>> dough, I'll build for 1400 and add 400 of grain. You will have to work on
>> shaping technique to minimize exposed grains in the crust. This translates
>> to minimal handling and very modest final rounding. If the grain is well
>> hydrated, it behaves much like the regular crust anyway. Retarding the dough
>> does quite a bit towards equalizing the water content throughout the loaf. I
>> do not add whole or cracked grains to doughs I do not age.
>
> I'm skeptical about not pre-cooking, but I guess I never tried soaking
> for a full two days. I may give it a try, but the important part is
> that you do not include the grains and the water they absorb in your
> flour:water calculation. The more I think about it, the more sense
> this makes to me. It still seems a bit inaccurate given that some
> moisture exchange is bound to occur during a long fermentation, but
> there doesn't seem to be any better alternative. (Aside from finding
> a source of data on the absorption properties of various grains and
> building a spreadsheet to figure it all out for a given mix of
> grains... any takers?)
>
>
>> When baking consider using an enclosed pot/pan/container (like a
>> cloche). Bake covered for the first 20 minutes then remove the top
>> for the last 15 to finish the bread. You get the initial benefits of
>> a very moist environment and the finish provides a good mature crust
>> without creating "rocks".
>
> I don't have a cloche, but I might try to approximate one. I have a
> 3.5qt Le Creuset (enameled cast iron) pot that might work for a single
> loaf, though I'd have to let the dough rise inside it and put the
> whole thing in the oven cold, because it would be pretty hard to lower
> a risen loaf into the pot without deforming it.
>
>
>> If you really are into the whole or cracked grain approach, you should look
>> into making pumpernickel. I've been fooling around with Samartha's 16 hour
>> water bath variety. It's a wonderful change of pace from levain style bread:
>> dense, grainy, wonderful nose, very complex flavor.
>>
>> http://samartha.net/SD/procedures/PPN01/index.html
>
> Yes, I came across that recipe a couple of weeks ago and it's been
> haunting me ever since. I don't have a grain mill or a local source
> for coarse rye meal, though, so I'm afraid it's a bit out of reach for
> me at the moment. If I don't lose interest, I'll probably buy a grain
> mill in a year or so, and then you can bet I'll be giving pumpernickel
> a try. I've also considered that perhaps I could use the process with
> a slightly different type of flour -- I can get both whole-grain rye
> flour and rolled rye flakes locally, and the combination might get
> close to the texture of coarse rye meal
>
>
> Thanks for the tips.
But you could lower the pot down over the loaf.
Ellen
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