March 16, 2024 - 10:07am
sometimes baking sure is simple
the New York Times featured a 100% whole wheat recipe this past week, with the boast that it took just 2 hours from mixing to eating. I doubted it could be any good ... and I was wrong. Here are my results, followed by the recipe.
Rob
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Rob, glad this worked well for you. It seems like a dead ringer for the Grant loaf, formulated by Doris Grant during the second world war, eg
http://www.lindseybareham.com/the-grant-loaf/
Lance
yes, Lance, the article that runs alongside the recipe (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/dining/irish-brown-bread.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dE0.9sOu.jKZZnZ3R1H9r&smid=url-share) credits Doris Grant.
What's amazing is that her formula achieves good crumb & flavor with essentially no fermentation.
Rob
And what a beautiful part of the anecdote:
“I don’t need a Prada handbag,” she said. “For me, this is real luxury.”
I first came across the Grant loaf in Elizabeth David's "English Bread and Yeast Cookery", and my sister has been making it for many a long year.
It's interesting how the salt content is quite low - maybe about 1%?
Lance
Hmmm. What if it was a prada bread bag?🤣
Yes, the NYT recipe has salt at ~1.3 percent.
This is actually a bit high for me. I've dropped the salt content of the breads I bake to between 1 & 1.2 percent. I think I get more flavor of the grain that way. Also, healthier.
Rob
When I read your post and saw that the Ballymalloe House was mentioned, it jogged my memory of another recipe. I have a paperback edition of the classic Beard on Bread by James Beard, published in 1973. In the book, he has a recipe for Myrtle Allen's Brown Bread that is similar to the current one except that he uses more yeast, salt, and molasses. I don't know if he modified Myrtle Allen's recipe or published it verbatim.
I like the quantities in the current one better and your loaf is a beautiful endorsement of the recipe. I'll have to try this one. I made a loaf of Irish Brown Bread from King Arthur's site yesterday for St. Patrick's Day enjoyment.
... and I have to try the KA recipe. Thx! --Rob