Tricolor Sprouted Quinoa Bread

I'm not a fan quinoa and I really don't understand why it's so fashionable. It has no flavor (after careful rinsing), its smell is not appealing, it's very expensive but for sure it has good PR.
I thought I would look nice in my bread so I bought a bag of this Tricolor Quinoa sold by TJ's stores.
Anyway, bread is light, moist and extremely  tasty.

I submit the Tricolor Quinoa Bread to Yeastspotting.

Sprouted quinoa:
128 g raw tricolor quinoa

430 g water

I rinsed the quinoa under running water; then I soaked rinsed grains in the water. I left it in the kitchen. Three hours later I noticed  that the quinoa has sprouted. I drained the seeds, returned them to the bowl and put into my oven. Of course, the oven was cold; it is a safe place (dry and dark) and I always keep there fermenting sourdough or bread dough. I left the quinoa inside the oven for 12 hours. Then I refrigerated it until I was ready to use it. (It should be eaten in 1-2  days.)

Sourdough Starter:
250 g whole wheat flour
250 g water
50 g whole wheat sourdough
I mixed  the ingredients for the starter and let them  ferment overnight.

Final Dough:
I combined:
1000 g  hot water
1000 g stone ground rye flour
206 g pitted  pruned.
When it was cool enough to mix it with my hand  I added:
537 g whole wheat sourdough starter
350 g sprouted quinoa
25 g salt
 4 Meyer lemons, zest only
I combined the ingredients and let them ferment for 4 hours at room temperature. Then I put the dough into 2 loaf pans (lined with parchment paper) and let the loaves proof for 3 hours in the kitchen.

Before proofing

Proofed

 I baked the loaves : for 20 minutes at 500F, for 20 minutes at 460F and for 20 minutes at 450F.

Spelt Sourdough with Prunes

The loaf was a gift so I didn't use whole grain flour to bake it.  I also did not experimented with the recipe. I followed  the simple formula (123-easy-formula-sourdough-bread) by Flo Makanai.

I submit the spelt sourdough to Yeastspotting.

250 g rye sourdough starter (140 g water, 130 g stone ground rye flour, 20 g rye sourdough, fermented for 24 hours )
512 g water
750 g spelt flour
10 prunes, chopped
12 g salt
 I kneaded the dough, covered it and left it to ferment for 4 hours. The dough was wet,sticky and not easy to shape, so I put it into long loaf pan ( lined with parchment paper ) and proofed it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. I removed the proofed loaf and I preheated to 500 F.
I baked the loaf :
for 20 minutes at 500F, covered with a pan similar in size
for 20 minutes at 460 F, uncovered
then I removed it from the pan and baked for another 20 minutes at 450 F.

Hearty Spelt Sourdough

I have read about addictions at Exorphin Junkie about bread baking . This is not a kind of blog where you drop in to see photos and leave a comment like this: "What a lovely loaf/rolls/cake. I would love to eat that now". The author makes you think, his writing needs your attention and consideration.

Let's go back to the subject...The hearty spelt sourdough is a proof of my addiction. The dough and loaf spent almost 24 hour in my refrigerator, only because I started preparing the bread when we still had enough to feed us both for two days. But for me, our bread bin was almost empty and I was under the compulsion of refreshing my sourdough. I had to do it to have a peace of mind. After a few years of the regular bread baking, I can't imagine that I don't have my piece of bread at home.  I need my bread to feel safe and confident. I would feel ashamed if I had to go to a bakery and buy a loaf. Of course, only a few people know that I can bake bread and nobody would criticize me.  I should relax and enjoy my life.  But I can’t help myself.

Thanks God, sourdough is more patient than me; it can slow down and even calm me down.  Thanks to sourdough we could eat flavorful, crusty and warm bread for dinner. And there are no leftovers of the previous loaf in our bread bin.

I submit the hearty spelt sourdough to Yeastspotting.

300 g whole wheat sourdough
130 g stone ground rye sourdough
756 g water
708 g  whole spelt flour
300g stone ground rye flour
Mix the ingredients and set aside for 30 minutes.
Then add:
20 g salt
140 sunflower seeds
Knead the dough, cover tightly and refrigerate for 10-12 hours.

Cold-fermented dough

 Then shape a loaf (using buckwheat groats if available), cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Loaf after removing from the refrigerator

Remove the loaf for 2-3 hours before baking.
Bake :
at 500 F for 15 minutes,
at 470 F for 20 minutes,
at 450 F for 20 minutes.

Teff Sourdough Batons with Mango

It is the longest post I have ever written. It describes how a bread recipe is created. It is an improvisation. Ingredients are my actors, sourdough writes a scenario and I'm like  a director who is trying to control a process.

I submit the batons  to Yeastspotting.

At the beginning I wanted prepare Injera (Ethiopian bread), so I combined :
200g teff flour
350 g water
1 g salt
17 g stiff whole wheat sourdough

and I left it  to ferment for 12 hours in the kitchen. In the meantime I was searching for any Ethiopian recipe to serve it with Injera. I didn't find anything I could cook quickly so I gave up.

12 hours later

...mixed

Then I added:
115 g whole wheat flour
3 g salt

teff sourdough kneaded with whole wheat flour

I left it for another 4-5 hours hoping that I would be able to make quick flat breads from the dough. But the dough was over-fermented and shaping flat breads was too difficult. I fried only two flat breads and I put the rest of the dough* to refrigerator.  

over-fermented dough

Two hours later I removed the dough from refrigerator, added 50 g of kamut flour and I gave it a few stretches and folds. Then it looked much better and I decided to use it up as a starter.

561 g dough*which I adapted for a starter 

Final dough:

561 g  teff sourdough starter*
1332 g whole wheat flour
951 g water

I kneaded the ingredients carefully and then I left the dough for 30 minutes and I added:
26 g salt
I kneaded for 10 minutes or so (I love kneading a large amount of dough) and then I covered the bowl with the dough and I put it to the refrigerator. It was 4 PM. Next day, about 9AM I removed the dough from the refrigerator. It looked very well. I degassed and divided the dough into 6 equal parts and pre-shaped them into batons. I brought them back to refrigerator for another 4 hours. 

Proofed batons

Then I flattened each baton and stuffed it with dried mango slices (170g). I proofed them at a room temperature for 1 hour and 40 minutes (time for heating the oven to 500F with  two baking stones inside, included).


I baked the batons with steam at 480 F for 20 minutes.

Rye Sourdough Cubes

I submit the loaves  to Yeastspotting.

1100g rye flour, stone ground

140 g dried dark cherries

140 g dried apricots, chopped

982 g hot water

Combine the ingredients, cover and set aside for 12 hours.

Then add :

289 g whole wheat sourdough starter

26 g salt

86 g cooked wild rice

Combine the ingredients, cover and let ferment for 12 hours.

Divide the dough into four pieces. Shape 4 cubes and coat the with multigrain cereal (rye, barley, oats, wheat) and put into loaf pans. Proof at room temperature for 5 hours. Heat your oven to 500 F with a baking stone inside.

Proofed loaves

Bake for 20 minutes at 490-500F.
Remove the loaves from the pans and bake on the baking stone for another 20 minutes at 470F.

Millet Sourdough with Walnuts

I submit the loaves  to Yeastspotting.

200 g rye sourdough

200 g whole wheat sourdough

766 g water

300 g whole grain millet flour*

783 g whole wheat flour

Combine the ingredients and autolyse for 1 hour. Then mix in:

200 g chopped walnuts

23 g salt.

Knead the dough and set aside for 30 minutes. Knead again, cover and let ferment for 3-4 hours.

 Shape two loaves and let the proof for 2 hour.

Bake for 20 minutes at 490 F and for 20-30 minutes at 450F.

*millet makes the dough rise like crazy, but from my experience millet flour also makes crumb drier and crust    was though on the next day after baking; but I really liked the taste.

Buckwheat Sourdough with Wild Blueberries

I submit the loaf  to Yeastspotting. 


Sourdough Starter:
240 g water
200 g whole wheat flour
40 g whole wheat sourdough
Let ferment for 6 hours.

Soaker:
806 g whole wheat flour
136 whole grain buckwheat flour
700 g hot water
Mix, cover and let cool. The knead the dough and let sit for at least 6 hours.

Filling:
400 g frozen wild blueberries
8 tablespoons  whole grain buckwheat flakes
Defrost the wild berries in refrigerator for 24 hours than drain and pat dry

Final dough:
440 g sourdough starter
all of the soaker
23 g salt
 Knead the dough, cover and let ferment at room temperature for 4-5 hours.
Divide the dough into four pieces. Flat each piece. Arrange 2 tablespoons of the buckwheat flakes over the each flattened pieces and than cover with 100 g wild berries. Shape a round loaf from each of the filled pieces.

Prepare a large proofing basket and place all of the round boules into it to make a pile. Flat the pile with your hands to create one large boule. Cover tightly and put into the refrigerator for overnight retarding.
In the morning, remove the loaf from the refrigerator and  preheat your oven to 500F.
Bake:
for 20 minutes at 490 F
for 20 minutes at 470 F
for 20 minutes at 400 F.

Cold Fermented Whole Spelt Sourdough with Spanish Cold Meats

I submit the loaf  to Yeastspotting.

210 g rye sourdough
680 g whole spelt flour
477 g water
In a large mixing bowl combine the ingredients and let sit 1 hour. Then mix in 13 g salt. Cover the bowl and refrigerate* for 18 hours. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat your oven with a baking stone to 500F
Flat the dough and arrange 6 Chorizo Cantimplano slices*, fold the dough and arrange another 4 slices **Salchichon (Spanish Salame). Fold the dough again and flatten the stuffed dough with a rolling pin. Cut in four long pieces,  twist each piece and than connect them into a round loaf.
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 F at for another 15 minutes at 480F.

* cold  fermentation of spelt sourdough dough was a great idea; spelt has weak gluten and should not be kneaded too much;  it also improved the taste of the finished loaf and

** both cold meats are sliced very thinly, 10 slices weighted 84 g

New Year Sourdough Loaves

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I submit the New Year Loaves to Yeastspotting.


Soaker:
385 g sprouted kamut
140 g dried prunes, chopped
241 g stone ground rye flour
806 g hot water
Cover and let sit for 10-12 hours.

Sourdough Starter:
345 g whole wheat flour
346 g  warm water
1 tablespoon whole wheat sourdough + 2 tablespoons water
Knead the dough from the wheat flour and water. Dissolve the sourdough in water and add it to the dough. Knead, cover and let ferment for 10-12 hours.

Dough:
all of the soaker
all of the sourdough starter
464 g stone ground rye flour
25 g salt

In a large mixing bowl combine the ingredients listed below, cover and let ferment at room temperature for 12 hours.
Put the dough into two loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Let proof for 2 hours.
Bake:
for 15 minutes at 490 F and for 15 minutes at 470 F; remove the loaves from the pans and parchment paper. Then bake for 20 minutes at 440F.
Turn off the oven, leave the loaves inside the oven, leaving the door ajar.

Slice after 24 hours.