Harry and Rose--
Rose said,
Harry, I bet i'm not alone in wanting to have your recipe because i'm dying
of curiosity how you get FLUFFY 100 percent wholewheat bread. By fluffy I
assume you mean light and soft? Mine has a nice grain and soft chewiness
but fluffy would be a stretch! Please share!
Ithink the secret of fluffy 100% whole wheat bread is 1) using whole wheat
"bread flour"-- i.e. sufficient protein and finely ground (I use Guisto's),
2) large portion of prefermented dough, 3) using sufficient yeast and
hydration.
Here is one example, of many, to prove my point. Here is my adaptation of
a 100% whole grain adaptation by Tom Park of an adaptation by Peter
Reinholdt of his infamous struan. It's not fluffy like a croissant or
baguette--but I think it qualifies for those adjectives in the sense we're
using here.
100% WHOLE-GRAIN MULTIGRAIN SANDWICH LOAF
Biga:
1 1/2 c whole wheat bread flour (200 g)
6 Tbsp cracked 7 grain mix* (60 g)
1/4 tsp yeast
3/4 c water, room temp (180 g)
*e.g. Arrowhead Mills 7 grain non-wheat
Dough:
The biga
1/2 c buttermilk (120 g)
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 c whole wheat bread flour (200 g)
1 1/2 tsp salt (8 g)
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
NIGHT BEFORE BAKING, MIX THE BIGA: In a small bowl mix together the biga
ingredients just enough to hydrate. Add a few more drops water if
necessary but this should be stiff and coarse. Cover and let sit
overnight. (**Note: The biga yeast can be ordinary dry yeast or bread
machine yeast and does not need to be proofed.)
THE NEXT DAY MAKE THE DOUGH: Break up the biga into pieces. Add in the
buttermilk and other dough ingredients in the order your breadmachine
prefers. Run the dough cycle for 5 minutes, add a teaspoon or so of water
if necessary to make things mix. Turn off machine and let this shaggy mass
sit for 20 or 30 minutes. Re-run the whole dough cycle (on my machine:
knead plus rise is 90 minutes). At the beep let the dough sit undisturbed
in the warm pan in the machine for another 30 minutes. Take out the dough
onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rough rectangle. The dough
will be moist and tacky but still somewhat extensible--be careful not to
rip it. Roll up the rectangle tightly like a carpet to form a log, fold
over to form a log roughly the length of your oiled loaf pan. Press down
into the pan, evening the shape and pushing into the corners.
Cover lightly and let proof till the dough rises solidly over the top of
the pan, anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on temperature. This
dough proofs unusually quickly.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven till richly brown crust, about an hour. Cool
before eating.
Sources: Adapted for ABM by Jonathan Kandell from an adaptation by Tom Park
of an adaptation by Peter Reinholdt (in BBA) of his Struan (in BJ).