My 111th loaf: Whole wheat flat bread

After a day of exuberant successes with baking, I encounter a flop again. This time, I guess the primary reason is still the shortage of time, though my dough has been given days to ferment.

Recipe: Whole wheat flat bread (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- about 2 to 3 cups KAF whole wheat flour
- water
- 1/2 tp salt
- 3 TB honey
- 1.5 tp active dry yeast
- 3 TB oil

Procedure:
1. Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup and 1/2 tp yeast to form a soft dough. Chill and allow to ferment overnight.
2. Feed the culture after 2-3 days. Allow to sit in room temperature for half a day. Return to fridge at night.
3. Feed the culture one last time. Allow to sit in room temperature.
4. Add salt, honey, and 1 tp active dry yeast dissolved in warm water to culture. Mix to form dough. Adjust hydration accordingly.
5. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.

Day 1, 8:51am, initial culture of 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, water, and 1/2 tp active dry yeast:

Day 4, 12:40pm, on the 4th day:

Day 5, 12:37am, feeding dough:

Day 5, 6:24pm, culture stirred:

Day 6, 5:40pm, culture growing:

Day 6, 5:52pm, state of the culture when just about to add remaining flour, 1 tp yeast, salt, honey and oil:

Day 6, 6:16pm, gluten developed in dough:

Day 6, 6:20pm, dough done (actually too moist this time):

Day 6, 6:40pm, dough to proof:

Day 6, 6:40pm, dough's height to proof:

Day 6, 7:06pm, dough risen 26 minutes on warm stove top:

Day 6, 7:07pm, dough to bake at 350F:

Day 6, 7:30pm, loaf baked 25 minutes:

Day 6, 7:32pm, loaf top brushed with butter:

Day 6, 7:42pm, loaf baked 35 minutes:

Day 6, 7:42pm, loaf's corner:

Day 6, 7:43pm, loaf's top:

Day 6, 8:19pm, loaf's bottom:

Day 6, 8:19pm, loaf's interior:

Observations:
1. This dough has all the smoothness and gluten it needs for a good bread.
2. However, it is probably too moist and does not have the time needed to rise properly. Therefore, the loaf ends up very dense.
3. This loaf has a rather rubbery texture.

My 106th experiment: whole wheat loaf

Since hubby's comment on the density of my last loaf of nut bread, I start looking back at the old experiments to figure out what has been done to create the light loaves. This time, I take out my earliest 100% whole wheat loaf, and try to juggle with it a little. The ingredients are roughly from my 27th experiment.

Recipe: Whole wheat loaf (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- 3 cup KAF whole wheat flour
- 1 tp active dry yeast
- 1 tp kosher salt
- 5 TB buttermilk powder
- 1 TB honey
- 1 tp oil
- 1+1/2 cup warm water

Procedure:
1. Proof yeast in 1+1/2 cup warm water with 1 TB honey.
2. Sieve together flour, salt, and buttermilk powder.
3. Add 1+1/2 cup wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
4. Chill dough for 6 hours.
5. Take dough out of oven. Shape in pan. Allow to proof on counter top for 7 hours.
6. Brush top with water. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.

Results:
8:37am, dough ready:

8:37am, dough's height before chilling:

3:06pm, dough chilled 6 hours, ready to shape and warm up:

3:17pm, dough shaped and dusted with rye flour:

3:18pm, dough to proof in pan:

3:18pm, dough's height in pan:

10:01pm, dough proofed 7 hours covered by foil in cool kitchen:

10:01pm, dough top:

10:08pm, dough to bake at 350F:

10:54pm, loaf baked 47 minutes:

10:54pm, loaf top:

10:56pm, loaf's height:

10:57pm, loaf's side:

10:57pm, loaf's bottom:

00:36am, slicing:

00:39am, 14 slices:

00:39am, center slice:

00:40am, heel slice:

00:40am, crumb:

00:40am, a bite:

Observations:
1. Two things distinctive about this loaf are: (1) the buttermilk taste, and (2) the rye crust.
2. This loaf is much better than my 104th experiment in that it is not as dense.
3. I could have either used more yeast, or let it chill longer.

This is one of those loaves that I bake in anticipation of a need. It's wednesday. I have a long night of work. Hubby likely needs some bread for the next day. So I start making this loaf early in the morning, and let it chill for 6 hours. This may not be long enough for the 1 tp of yeast to grow. But in any case, it's better than just 2 hours. Then, just before I head out to work, I let it warm up on counter top. By the time I am back, it has proven quite alive. There isn't much of an oven spring though. When this loaf is done and cooled, it's already past midnight. I get it all sliced up, leaving a few slices out for hubby's breakfast and lunch... The next day is rainy and hard on us. Hubby ends up not having any of the sandwiches. At first, I wonder why I have to go through all that trouble to find out that what I make is not eaten. But then, on a second thought, I do have what I mean to get. After all, isn't all this trouble meant to provide hubby with a choice of convenience and ease? And if he chooses to eat a pot of hot noodle because of the weather, there is no conflict. Love has its ends met in whichsoever way seems best.

My 105th experiment: Rustic whole wheat bread

Recently, I noticed that the quality of my homemade bread has been declining. I blame it on the lack of time and attention. The loaves have become too dense to be appetizing. It almost defeats the purpose of home baking. So I decide to go back to delayed fermentation again. In this experiment, I am trying out a wet dough. This is an adhoc loaf. It turns out to be a little too wet, but not bad. This is probably the way people made rustic loaves in the past.

Recipe: Rustic whole wheat bread (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups KAF whole wheat flour
- 1 tp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tp salt
- 5 TB buttermilk powder
- 1/4 can guinness beer
- water

Procedure:
1. Sieve whole wheat flour, active dry yeast, salt, and buttermilk powder.
2. Add beer. Mix. Then add water to make a wet dough.
3. Chill overnight. Then allow to warm up.
4. Dust the wet surface of the dough with rye flour. Place in greased pan to proof.
5. Brush top with water.
6. Preheat oven to 425F. Then bake at 375F for 30 minutes.

Results:
Day 1, 3:43pm, initial mixture:

Day 1, 4:04pm, final dough before chilling:

Day 2, 4:07pm, dough after overnight chilling:

Day 2, 4:07pm, dough's height after overnight chilling:

Day 2, 7:10pm, dough warmed on counter for 3 hours, then dusted with rye flour and allowed to warm on stove top:

Day 2, 9:00pm, dough warmed 2 hours:

Day 2, 9:03pm, dough poured into greased pan:

Day 2, 9:03pm, dough's height in pan:

Day 2, 9:09pm, dough's surface moistened:

Day 2, 9:10pm, oven preheating to 425F:

Day 2, 9:10pm, dough to bake at 375F:

Day 2, 9:39pm, loaf baked 29 minutes:

Day 2, 9:40pm, loaf's top:

Day 2, 9:41pm, loaf's internal temperature:

Day 2, 9:45pm, loaf's bottom:

Day 2, 10:45pm, loaf's interior:

Day 2, 7:35am, loaf cut and sliced:

Observations:
1. This loaf has a rich flavor of wheat, beer and buttermilk. The texture is a little chewy. But it's nice even when left overnight. In fact, the slightly sour and grainy taste makes a great sandwich with ham and pickles.

The evening I bake this loaf is a tuesday. Dough has been feeling a bit gassy after a huge drunken rib eye at lunch. So hubby decides not to have dinner. When I start baking this loaf, it's past 9 pm. It's ready in 40 minutes. Since it's fresh, I place it in front of hubby so that he may have a bite if he wants. Then I go off to make a call as he starts tearing off bits and pieces to munch on. When I return, he has finished nearly half the loaf. The remaining half is left on the counter overnight. It remains pretty good, and goes into his lunch box as a sandwich. I think hubby likes it.