February 14, 2012 - 3:18pm
whole grain recipe should be more moist
With all your help and references, I tried the following whole grain recipe in my bread machine:
1 1/4 cup warm water
2T soft butter
2 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7-grain hot cereal
1 1/4 t salt
3T honey
2t yeast (didn't have any bread machine yeast)
It came out very well, quite dense which I wanted, and tasty. I'd like it a little more moist and chewy. If I soak, or maybe even cook, the cereal before adding it? Also, would it be important to use bread machine yeast? And it only rose to fill two-thirds of the baking pan. Is this to be expected or should I add a touch more yeast? Thanks.
I just made a loaf with 7 grain and I did soak the grains for 30 to 40 minutes. Just enouth water to moisten. Others will post i'm sure . Patrick
If you pre-soak your whole grains, the 7-grain cereal, and, at least, half of the whole wheat, with a 1/4 tsp. of the salt, you will not only improve the taste, but, also, be better able to judge whether additional water is needed.
Whether you use active dry yeast or instant yeast (=breadmachine yeast) shouldn't really matter too much, you will need a bit more active dry than instant yeast (100% fresh yeast = 50% active dry yeast = 33% instant yeast).
Whole grain breads will always be a bit denser than loaves made with white flour.
Karin