Two Similar, Yet Contrasting Formulae Using An Element of Dark Rye Flour

These are 2 batches of bread made in College on Thursday of this week.   I have 6 students entered for a bread competition for Young Baker of the Year, with Warburtons.   Their entries are as follows:

• Nettle Bread - has some elements in common with the formula posted by Karin a few months back. See: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18284/vinschgauer-bread-unique-alpine-flavor Includes cumin and coriander spices, plus a wheat levain as a pre-ferment
• Raisin, Shallot and Hazelnut Bread - based on an idea from Richard Bertinet, this bread has a Biga Naturale, appropriate since the baker concerned is originally from Sicily. The shallots are reduced in oil, with a touch of balsamic vinegar and moscavado sugar and the hazelnuts are toasted and nibbed. Flour blend is 25% wholewheat and 75% strong white in total.
• Pumpernickel - a determined effort to perfect a large Pumpernickel loaf [Black Bread] steamed for 16 hours in a Pullman Pan.
• Seaweed and Lemon Bread - thanks Daisy_A, Jan Hedh and Richard Bertinet. The seaweed is wakame, which is soaked overnight. The dough has a pre-ferment with 75% hydration and white flour. The final dough has semolina and wholewheat flour added at 12.5% each, rest of flour total 75%, including the pre-ferment. Lemon zest to bring out the seaweed flavour. The wakame is cut into the mixed dough using a Scotch Cutter; quite a delicate operation. The loaf is shaped as a half lemon, and dusted with semolina to bring out an authentic colour
• "Breakfast Bread" - using a wheat levain, the final dough contains fruit and nut museli, chopped dates and honey
• Flaxseed Bread raised with a Barm - the barm is made from a dry stout from a local traditional brewer. The base for the recipe is Hamelman's flaxseed bread, and Dan Lepard's Barm bread praised by Shiao-Ping and Daisy_A.

I fervently hope all six students will go far.   The regional heat is on 15th October; prize being £250.   A National Bake-off is held in November, with a winning prize of £1000 plus an "apprenticeship" with Warburtons.

A rarity for me; 3 students in the bakery to practice; no other teaching commitments!   So I did some baking experiments of my own at the same time.   Here they are:

Overall Hydration: 65.4%.   Pre-fermented Flour 31.3%

Method:

• The leaven has been built over 2 days from stock, as it was needed for student production as well.
• The dough was mixed in a 10 quart Spiral Mixer for 15 minutes. The machine has single speed and bowl direction, and the mix is wonderfully gentle. I find it important to add the water first, then flour and salt, and finally the leaven. I was very happy with the mixed dough quality; dough temperature 26°C.
• Bulk proof, covered, ambient for 1 hour
• Scale 5 loaves at 1kg each, and mould round. Place upside down in prepared bannetons. At this point I will confess that my bannetons often seem to stick, and I have to learn to use a combination of coarse semolina and dark rye flour to prevent this from happening. In the past I've used different flours for dust to differentiate loaves produced. I've now seen too many loaves spoilt to continue this practice!
• I proved these loaves for around 3 to 3½ hours in a prover with gentle humidity, at around 30°C.

After tipping onto the peel and cutting, they were baked in my lovely deck oven on the sole, using steam.   Top heat was set at 6.5 and the bottom at 5, with the temperature pre-heated to a solid 240°C.   After 15 minutes I turned the heat down to 220°C.   I opened the damper after a further 10 minutes and baked out a further 5 minutes before unloading and cooling on wires.

2.   Pain de Siègle [Rye Sourdough]

Overall Hydration: 66.7%.   Pre-fermented Flour: 20%

Method:

• Stock sourdough had been built over 2 days as for the first dough
• The dough was mixed in a 10 quart upright mixer. Mixing times were 2 minutes on first speed and 6 minutes on third speed. Final dough temperature was 26°C.
• Bulk proof as above, 1 hour.
• Scale 3 loaves at 1kg and 4 at just over 500g. Mould round and place upside down in bannetons prepared with dark rye flour.
• Proof as above for just under 3 hours.
• Bake to the same profile given above.

Notes:

• The rye sourdough ferments quicker, even though the amount of pre-fermented flour is lower. The stiff levain is so much mellower than the rye. All down to ash content and water levels, methinks!
• These are unashamedly commercial recipes. I am so pleased with the end resulting breads. Great feedback from all the staff too; not always forthcoming from those with such expertise over various areas of food and hospitality!

Photos below: 

All good wishes

Andy