Peter Reinhart whole grain baking class

ericajones80 · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 14 Location: PA

you guys are lucky to live so close to brewers!
_________________
All Recipes.com | Chocolate Gifts

Rainey · Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:17 am Post subject:

I made the hearth version of struan yesterday. My soaker was quite liquid due, I think, to trying to cook a number of whole grains together and semi-liquifying some of the rice in an attempt to fully cook wild rice. I was very concerned comparing it to the consistency of soaker I've been using and the consistency of the biga.

In the end, I had to add massive amounts of rolled oats and cornmeal to the soaker and then bread flour to my combined dough for a shapeable mass and assurance that it would rise. Rise it did! I had a lovely airy dough but when I dropped it from a banneton into the inferno-like heated casserole, it completely deflated. Fortunately, it rose enough from the oven spring and very lively biga (I had added the portion of my sourdough that I was discarding to refresh the remainder) to be have nice texture.

I think what I've learned for next time is 1) accumulate separately cooked (possibly steamed) grains in the freezer until I have a good assortment of cooked but fully intact grains and 2) to let it have the final rise on a peel and then transfer it to the heated stone putting the inferno-like pot upside down on top of it.

Whatever! Made an awesome grilled cheese sandwich!
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Donna · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA

I'm printing this out for Sam!

We have the entire weekend slated for garden projects this weekend. However, if we can get started early tomorrow, maybe he can take some time to bake - or pre-ferment or make a biga or something bake-y!

The idea of the bread on the stone with the dutch oven on top is genius Rainey!
_________________
L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Rainey · Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:42 am Post subject:

Well, one of the nice things about this method is you can have soaker going for days in the fridge and then bake when you're ready to. And you can use starter instead of a biga so that you can do your rising, shaping and baking in a single day.

The down side is, if you don't have those things waiting in your fridge and you decide to have a hearty soup for dinner, there isn't going to be enough time to get a whole grain bread to go with it.

I feel like I'm back in the 60s. I have wheat berries just sprouting for my next bread.
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Rainey · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:57 am Post subject:

I tried the pot-on-top thing and it worked wonderfully. I think. See what you think:

...at least I know it was easier than trying to gently drop it into cast iron heated to the temperature of a small inferno.

Can't cut it yet and see what the crumb is like. But wish me luck because I'm taking it to a gathering of local homebrewers first thing tomorrow morning to coax them into giving me their spent grain. Hope they'll be interested enough in bread and cheese right after brekkies.

Fingers crossed! Wink

_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Barbara · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:11 am Post subject:

That is impressive Rainey.
_________________
Barbara

Donna · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA

Sam is making the struan bread today! Oh Yay! I will show him this pic!

Rainey, was the crust CRIIIIIIIIIIISSSSPY??

How did your brewers receive it?
_________________
L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

Cook's Illustrated version of no-knead bread uses an 18 inch length (12 inches wide) of parchment paper. The dough rises on the paper, and gets gently lowered into the hot pot on the paper. I tried this 2 days ago, and it does keep the shape (and height!) of the ball.

The CI version is very much like the original Lahey's -- just a little beer and vinegar added to zing up the flavor.

Rainey · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:44 am Post subject:

One step forward and two steps back!

I went to the brewing with a basket of sliced bread and some cheese. I now have a dozen new BFFs, a standing invitation to their monthly brewing events, an offer of a couple bottles of Mexican-style beer (I declined; I don't like beer) AND 44 qts. of spent grain. Only, apparently, Mexican-style beer is made from unhulled rice.

So far, it seems like it's about 30% useable grain and 70% hull that's just altogether too coarse and fibrous to eat. I tried putting in water and skimming off the stuff that floated but the most part of the hulls are so heavy they didn't float. Now I'm trying to dry the whole thing out and hoping that will help me separate it. If not, it's supposed to be very good for compost. And they're doing stout next month. ...so I'll get to find out what kind of grain they use for that.

NICE and enthusiastic group of people! One of them — possibly the only woman there — told me she'd had some awesome pizza made with a spent grain crust. I'm thinking tomato isn't so much what I'd pair it with but some caramelized onions and possibly the right kind of sausage and it could be very interesting.

Then the starter I got from P Reinhart's class seems to have gone flat. Don't really understand it. It was lively when I fed it and I fed it the same way I had before but in the days since — nothing. I'll leave the flour and water culture out uncovered and see if it can incubate something. Bummer!

Where did you connect with your spent grain, msue? How about Sam, Donna?
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Donna · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA

Rainey - I called a local micro-brewery and spoke to the brew master. he told me what day he was brewing and when to come. I explained I only needed a gallon size baggy of it and he was happy to oblige.

Also, they are usually making the same variety of beers from month to month. Mostly ales, IPA's, stouts. That's where you'll get the grains you are looking for I think. (I think)

Originally he was a little chilly because he thought I wanted a barrel full for compost - so when he found out it was for bread and I only needed a little, he warmed up...

I am sure your kids can recommend a nearby microbrewery!

Sam made three baguettes of the struan today using the no knead baking method - he put a dab of water in the bottom of the fish poacher (he thought the recipe didn't have enough water to just bake using that method) and put the baguettes on the poaching tray and covered it. Then uncovered for 1/2 hour. Looks very good - too hot to slice just yet!

I really don't know why I keep responding to this post - I am just an observer in the game of bread! Rainey - you and Sam need to talk!
_________________
L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Rainey · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:27 am Post subject:

Yes! How come Sam doesn't post?!
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Rainey · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:00 pm Post subject:

I'm experimenting with combining the 5-minute bread (could anything be named with more hyperbole or wishful thinking?) with my favorite Peter Reinhart recipe, the multi-grain hearth bread.

I mixed the dough up last week, divided it into two parts, baked the first and refrigerated the second. Today I'm going to bake the second one.

It was nice and airy last night in the fridge. But I'm not fooled — that could as easily be an artifact of yeast cells that gave up the ghost as still live ones. So, factoring some faintness of heart in with that possibility, I added half of my starter that needed some refreshing anyway and kneaded that in with a good spray of fresh water and some fresh flour. Yeast lives on the water and flour in the dough after all. And there is a point when they've exhausted it. ...not that I can recognize that point, mind you, but I'm aware of it and hedging my bet.

So this morning I took it out of the fridge a few hours ago to warm up. I gave it another knead with another spray of water and some more flour to help it warm up. It's shaped and rising (skipping the initial rise since it's been "initially" rising for something approaching a week).

I've got errands to run. I'll bake when I get home or when it looks like it's gotten some loft. I'll let you know how the marriage of these two concepts works.
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

David · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:28 pm Post subject:

Rainey---please post another photo of the finished product. You do a great job with both camera and bread!
_________________
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

Rainey · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:22 am Post subject:

I started my running around and completely forgot about the bread rising. I got home after 6PM. I guess it had been rising for 5 hours or more!

It's in the oven baking now. It didn't rise terribly high. I don't know how it can have anything left for the oven spring. It may be completely collapsed (can't see; it's under a heavy pot). But it sure does smell wonderful!
_________________
God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor