Breakfast Porridge Mash Experiment

The other request for the weekend was a porridge bread.  I've made this one quite a few times now, and it's becoming a go-to bread when I get a request for a loaf.  To-date, I've always made the porridge as a soaker about 1-2 hours before final mix.  This time I made it as a mash following Benny's recent post.  My usual mash method followed Peter Rhinehart's (heat water to 165 deg F, add grains, hold temp at 150 deg F for 1-3 hours).  For this bake, I cooked the porridge in the microwave until it just started to boil (about 40 seconds) and then set in on the counter top to cool.  Porridge temp after removing from the microwave was just over 200 deg F.  Let cool to 150 deg F and then add 0.5g of malted wheat berries (crushed).  

Biga
120g    Bread Flour
72g      Water
0.4g     Active Dry Yeast
Mix until flour wetted and then ferment at 70 deg F for 12-14 hours

Porridge (Made as a Mash)
24g    Rolled Oats
12g    Corn Meal (or polenta)
6g      Hulled Millet
5g      Flaxseed
5g      Chia Seed
5g      Roasted Sunflower Seed
4g      Almonds (finely chopped)
0.5g   Malted Wheat Berries (crushed) (or diastatic malt powder)
107g  Water

1)   Set Crockpot to warm with Inkbird temp controller set to 148 deg F. 
2)   Add 1.5-2 inches of 150 deg F water to the Crockpot, put lid on, and cover with towels to insulate it.
3)   Combine ingredients except malted wheat berries in a microwavable bowl (preferably clear) and cover to avoid losing too much water.
4)   Microwave until the mixture just starts to boil 
5)   Allow mixture to cool at room temp in a covered bowl until it reaches 150 deg F.
6)   Stir in malted wheat berries
7)   Keeping bowl covered, place it in the Crockpot for 3-6 hours (I went for 4 hours)
8)   Remove from Crockpot and let cool to <110 deg F before using in Final Mix.

Final Dough
200g   All-Purpose Flour
20g    Bread Flour
60g    Whole Wheat Flour
152g  Water
8.8g   Salt
2g      Active Dry Yeast

1)   Combine all Final Dough ingredients except salt.  Mix until flours are all wetted.  This will be quite a stiff dough.  Let rest on bench in a covered bowl for 15 minutes.
2)    Break up biga into chunks and spread across autolyzed dough.  Starting working the biga and salt into the autolyzed dough along with small amounts of the porridge.  Slowly fold in the porridge until the dough is uniform.  The moisture from the porridge will loosen the dough.  Let rest for 10 minutes.
3)    Develop medium gluten by doing 3 sets of bowl kneading with 10 minute rests.
4)    Place in oiled bowl and bulk ferment at 74 deg F.  Do a fold at 30 minutes.
5)    Let dough double in volume.  Degas and preshape.  Bench rest 15 minutes.
6)    Final shape and final proof at 74 deg F.
7)    Preheat oven at 465 deg F with Fibrament baking stone in place for 45-60 minutes.  Pre-steam oven with 1/4 cup of water 5 minutes before loading dough.
8)    Bake at 465 deg F (1 minute); 400 deg F (19 minutes); vent oven; 425 deg (10-15 minutes); remove from oven when you get a hollow thump.

This one progressed a little faster through bulk and final proof than previous loaves.  Best guess...  The mash process converted more starches to sugars than my regular soaker process.  Crumb is moist and tender!