May 5, 2013 - 3:15am
Multigrain sourdough with ricotta studded with toasted sunflower seeds and monukka raisins
i baked this with a wonderful blogger in mind.. inspired by his colorful personality and his no boundries yet no nonsense bread baking. if you missed out this blog of his, here is the link http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/32553/sd-yw-durum-ricotta-bread-pistachio-nuts-pumpkin-millet-seeds
finally, got a good ear to my loaves :) 
yes, indeed the ricotta soften the crumb.
and yes.. everyone loves it.
thanks to dabrownman :) inspiring bread blogs
Cheers..
evon
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Comments
Beautiful!
Firstly, the crust color is very attractive. The seeds and raisins contrast very well with this bread.
Your scoring is improving really well.
I'll tip you on a method i use to consistently obtain grigne (ear): preheat another stone above your loaf, so you have two stones. With enough steam, the radiant heat from above curls a flap away from the bread, thus the ear is created.
-Khalid
hi Khalid, how r u? especially your back, recovering well? i did have a bad experience with a herniated disc between L4 n L5 16 years ago.
thank you for your generous tip! i will have that done the next bake :)
evon
Beautiful.
Now what are Manuka raisins? And I'm intrigued by the combo of sunflower seeds and raisins. Thinking...-Varda
hi Varda, let me correct the spelling of Manuka (this was from the pakaging) to Monukka (this i checked on the web).Monukka Raisins are made from Black Monukka grapes. They are larger than other raisins, very dark, and sometimes have a bit of a crunch from tiny edible seeds in them.
They are not mass produced, so are a little harder to get than other raisins.
Read more: http://www.cooksinfo.com/monukka-raisins#ixzz2SREcZGSj
they are packed with flavor not like the normal raisins.
evon
have to be twice as good regular raisins. I love the big red globe grapes with the seeds in them and used them the last time to feed the yeast water. They are much more tasty than red blaze seedless grapes - but folks don't like messing with eh the seeds and prefer easy to tasty!
Your bread is perfectly done in every way; scoring , color, crumb...Just lovely Evon. So what kind of multi grains did you use for your bread and what hydration did you end up at? The ricotta makes the crumb soft and moist every time just like cream cheese does. You can hear better with those ears too!
Glad to provide the inspiration! Did you see the white bread you inspired me to make? It was delicious.
So glad to see this post after coming in from pool cleaning, lawn mowing and raking.
Happy baking Evon.
i bought a pre packed multi grain flour. (product from India) wheat, Bengal gram flour, soybean, dehulled barley, fenugreek flour and psyllium husk.
i always aim for 75% hydration or slightly more. depends on what kind of bread flour ( eg. canadian strong bread flour) i used and add ons.(eg. chia seeds and flaxseeds)
yes.. i did see the lovely chewy white bread you posted. it is on my list to do!!
and yes, it is always a joy to see fellow bloggers new bake on this site. high five to Floyd for such wonderful site.
evon
Wait! psyllium husk? that is the gluten substitute for non-gluten breads. Just a thought
-Khalid
thanks Khalid for that thought. it is used for gluten-free baking, where ground psyllium seed husks bind moisture and help make breads less crumbly. other than that it is a source of soluble dietary fibre to improve and maintain regular human gastrointestinal tract transit. i don't think they have a high percentage of psyllium husk in the total flour. i have email the supplier for the breakdown in % of each ingredients.
evon.
Indian aisle st the Chinese grocery store. I always though it was a hallucinogenic. Now I know to buy it next time and make Psyllium Seed Bread out of it! Love that combination of flours too. What manufacturer would have thought that combo up? One of your long lost relatives must work there in marketing :-)
The spell checker says to replace Psyllium with Asylum. Now that would be interesting?
the funegreek flour is lovely.. add that in!! you will love it.
you are too fun!
evon
Evon,
Beautiful loaf! I am impressed with the loaves you are creating by pulling different ingredients from different breads all into one! Took me a long time baking before I would try that. Seems like every time you do it you come out with a winner!
I like making soft cheeses like ricotta so I frequently have extra in the refrig. They end up in my breads too and always add a nice softness to the crumb. This week I have extra yogurt and Creme Fraiche so I know where they will end up...just not when.
Thanks for the post and the lovely photos.
Take Care,
Janet
i am the adventurous baker!! lol.. can't follow straight recipe from the book. it is because i can't get all the exact flour and ingredients around here. i need to revamp!
well, Janet just don't hesitate, use the extra on your next bake!! that is what i do.. clearing the fridge for new ingredients.
evon
Another wonderful looking bread Evon. It must taste as good as it looks. Those are some beautiful looking ears! I like your combo of ingredients inspired by DA.
Regards,
Ian
thanks Ian, always good to hear from you.
evon
Sunflower seeds & manuka raisins look like a winning combo!
you should try!!
I wish I could make mine like yours. I can never get my crust to look this good. Are you based in KL? How do you manage to bake in such hot weather? I've only recently started to bake with a starter and would have loved to try out your seeded sourdough, but when I saw the many different flours you've used, I chickened out.:)
Judy
hi Judy,
yes i am in KL. baking in a hot weather have the advantages n disadvantages. firstly, get a digital thermometer to know the dough temperature. you can control the temperature using the fridge! little more attention needed to make bread in a hot weather as the dough resting and proofing time may be shorten quite a lot. practice makes you confident in handling the dough. you can still follow the formula just substitute some with what u have in hand. trials and errors along the way.... no worries, all the blogger here are ever ready to assist in giving advice. this is how i progress.
happy baking Judy.. looking forward to see your next bake!!!
evon