Isand66's blog

I love this basic formula that Karin came up with for these German style rolls.  I've made a Yeast Water version and a Sourdough version with great success.  I have been baking so much rye bread lately as a recipe tester for Stan's new book, yet to be released that I needed something lighter.  My Yeast Water starter is no more and my SD starter was not refreshed, so IY would have to do.

On another note, my wife and I were very excited to find out they were opening up a new German restaurant in our revitalized downtown area in Patchogue, NY.  We were eagerly awaiting it's opening and the other night we accidentally discovered that it was open after our original destination was closed for a private party.  All I can say is after eating there it will be the last time I set foot inside.  I can't wait to go back to our favorite German Restaurant, The Village Lantern and eat some real authentic style German fair, and not the poor excuse for German food from this dreadful imposter.

Anyway, back to these German style rolls, which by the way blow away the pathetic attempt at Pumpernickel rolls they served at the aforementioned restaurant.  I pretty much followed Karin's original formula from her blog,  but to make things interesting I replaced part of the 00 flour with Durum flour which is one of my favorites.

I also decided to try an interesting shaping technique to create the tower effect by using a small doughnut cutter.   Immediately after shaping the dough into rounds I pressed the cutter almost to the bottom of the dough.  I thought the final result was pretty cool, but it does make it difficult to toast them :).

I used some smoked sesame seeds, toasted onions and poppy seeds for the toppings after applying a double egg wash.

The Caputo 00 style four really makes these rolls light and airy and the little Durum flour adds an extra nutty flavor and yellow crumb.

Happy New Year to all of my family, friends and baking buddies and followers.

You can download the BreadStorm formula here.

    Holy Sprouted Wheat Batman!  There is something about sprouted wheat that adds a softness and creaminess to the crumb that is hard to describe unless you try it for yourself.

The last bake that I used sprouted whole wheat flour in came out great but I only used around 30% sprouted flour.  This time I upped the ante and used 50% sprouted flour and it worked great.  Of course I had to add some onions, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese to bring these bad boys over the top.

I hope you give this recipe a try if you can get your hands on some sprouted whole wheat flour, or better yet do what I did and sprout and grind it yourself.

Formula

Here is the link to download the BreadStorm .Bun file.

Directions

Mix the dehydrated onions with the water and let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften up.

Mix flours with the yeast to combine.  Next add remainder of the ingredients except the Parmesan cheese and mix on low for 6 minutes.
Now you can add the shredded Parmesan cheese and mix for about 1 minute to make sure it is thoroughly incorporated into the dough.

Take the dough out of your mixer and form it into a ball and place in a well oiled bowl or dough rising bucket and immediately place it in the refrigerator overnight.

On baking day, take the dough out of your refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for around twenty minutes to get the chill off.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into rolls as desired and place on a baking sheet.  Cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with vegetable spray and let proof at room temperature for around 1 hour until the rolls start to get puffy and when poked with your finger the indent springs back slowly.

Around 30 minutes before ready to bake the rolls, pre-heat your oven to 525 degrees and prepare your oven for steam as well.  I use a heavy-duty pan in the bottom shelf of my oven and pour 1 cup of boiling water in right before placing the rolls in the oven.

Right before you are ready to bake the rolls apply an egg wash and sprinkle shredded Parmesan on top of each roll.

Bake the rolls at 450 degrees for the first 5 minutes and lower the oven to 425 degrees until they are nice and brown.

These should take about 25 minutes to cook thoroughly.  When done  let them cool on wire rack for at least half an hour before digging in if you can wait that long.

  If I could only eat 3 things, 1 of them would be cheese, the other bread and the third I'm not so sure. There is nothing that smells so good as bread baking with cheese oozing out of it.

Continuing my exploration of sprouted flour I decided to make a porridge bread using freshly ground and sprouted whole wheat for around 36% of the flour with the balance being KAF European style and AP from the levain.

I used what I had left of a nice semi-sharp New Zealand cheddar cheese which worked very well with this formula.  If I had to do it again I would prefer to add even more cheese to take it over the top.

The porridge portion consisted of KAF Organic Six Grain Flakes which consisted of oat, barley, rye and a couple of other grains which I mixed with milk.

On one of the loaves I decided to top it off with some smoked bamboo sesame seeds which really added a nice finishing touch.

The end result of this bake was near perfection.  This one tastes as good as it gets.  The crumb is nice and moist from the porridge and the sprouted whole wheat adds another layer and dimension to the final bread.  If you get a chance I highly recommend you try this one as it won't disappoint.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4’s of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot on your stove, set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and cooled porridge, and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Add the cubed cheese and mix on low for 1 minute until it is evenly distributed.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 1.5 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 500 degrees and after another 3 minutes lower it to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

This is one of my favorites from the recipe testing group to date.  It has hints of fennel and caraway and overall just tastes great with a nice moist crumb.  It's perfect for sandwiches or just about anything.

I'm not posting the other recipe from this group which was a Cider Rye since it didn't turn out the way intended and ended up with a gummy crumb.

Look forward to week 6 which I will start this weekend with a nice Black Bread.

I just returned from the annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to North Carolina and needed to make some bread.  I refreshed my trusty AP starter and decided to incorporate some of my freshly milled and sprouted whole wheat flour with some Durum flour and some good old KAF Bread flour.

The results are in and this one is a keeper.  A nice moist and open crumb with the nutty taste of Durum along with the unique flavor of the Sprouted Whole Wheat really makes this one worth baking and eating.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and olive oil, and mix on low for 6 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 500 degrees and after another 3 minutes lower it to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

 I needed to take a break from baking and eating rye bread .  I was in the mood for a nice lighter loaf and since I had some leftover sweet potatoes and roasted fingerling potatoes along with some caramelzied onions the rest fell into place very easily.

I used a combination of European style flour from KAF (you can substitutes bread flour or AP along with about 5% white whole wheat), Durum flour and a little First Clear.

If you love onions you will be very happy with this one for sure.  There is nothing that smells better when baking than a bread with onions and the taste was fantastic.

This formula would also make great rolls for the holidays.  I would probably add some crannberries or cherries and maybe some walnuts if desired.

Hope you get a chance to try these for yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Download BreadStorm .BUN file here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours with the main dough water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, potatoes, (make sure you mash up the potatoes), butter and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes and then add in the onions and mix for one additional minute.   You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but  manageable.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.   Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Who knew there were so many different styles of rye bread?  This is just the third week of testing and I am continued to be amazed and impressed by the recipes in the new yet to be published book on international rye breads.

This week's breads included one from Poland called Wroclaw Trencher bread which is meant to used as a plate to hold your meal.  This was by far the most sour tasting of any of the breads to date and would go great with a nice beef stew.

The second bread for this week was the Weinheim Carrot bread. 

I have to admit I wasn't sure how I would feel about a bread with carrots in it since I'm not a big fan of carrot cake, but you really don't taste them very much.  This bread includes a whole bunch of seeds and other goodies and is a real nice and hearty loaf.  Definitely something I can see being very popular in Germany.

So far all of the breads I have made have been well received by my own gang of taste testers and I look forward to baking the next batch this week.

This is my third attempt of the Pain Au Levain formula from Peter Reinhart's new book "Bread Revolution".

The first 2 did not come out correctly.  I now suspect the main culprit was that I did not dry out the sprouted winter wheat berries enough and the flour was too moist.  This time I let it dry out using a fan for a day and half and the bread came out much better.

I used my AP starter and did not add any yeast.  I also let the bulk dough rise for a bit in my proofer set at 80 degrees before refrigerating.  The next day I let it sit out for an hour before shaping and proofing at 80 degrees for around 3 hours.

I did not achieve much oven spring but the crumb is nice and moist and not gummy like the last bake.

This tastes like nothing I have baked ever before.  The sprouted grains really do add such a unique flavor.  I can't wait to start experimenting with different sprouted grains when I return from my annual pilgrimage to North Carolina for Thanks Giving.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

This is the fourth recipe I have been asked to test from the upcoming Rye Bread baking book by Stan Ginsberg.  This one was much different than the first three.  It ended up being pretty simple to make and the final bread had a very tender crumb and soft crust with a nice mild tang to it.

This is definitely one I would make again.

I also baked my second attempt at the Sprouted Wheat Pain Au Levain from Peter Reinhart's new book "Bread Revolution".  I am really enjoying reading the book so far but unfortunately my first two attempts at this recipe did not come out correctly.  I am using my own sprouted flour and I think I didn't let the sprouted berries dry enough which could have an effect on the final outcome of my dough.

The first attempt I let the dough over-proof and it had no oven rise and ended up being a door stop.  The second attempt below I thought I proofed it correctly but it may have been under-proofed.  It still had no oven rise to speak of and ended up with a very gummy crumb.  Both attempts were not really edible.  Once I stock up on some more wheat berries I will give this another go and hope for better results.

Stay tuned for the next 2 recipes from the Rye book soon.

This is the third recipe I have been asked to test from the upcoming Rye Bread baking book by Stan Ginsberg.  The beer is not too overpowering and the crumb is fairly moist for this hydration level of bread.  Overall a nice rye bread that makes a nice sandwich with some pastrami or corned beef.