Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:16:52 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v115.n003 -------------- 001 - Seth Godin Subject: Question about ancient Challah Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 12:25:45 -0500 I've been lurking for a long time, but haven't seen this addressed on the digest. Do you know where I can find a 200 year old recipe for Challah? Whole wheat + sourdough, almost certainly, right? What do you think the bread was like before bleached flour? Thanks... Seth --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v115.n003.2 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Quinoa-Whole Wheat Bread with Raisins Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:40:44 -0800 * Exported from MasterCook * Bread, Quinoa-Whole Wheat Bread with Raisins Recipe By :Nanna Rognvaldardottir's Icelandic Food and Cookery Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Bread Bread-Bakers Mailing List Fruit Low Fat Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 cup flax seed 5 tablespoons red quinoa 3 ounces fresh yeast -- crumbled 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- plus more for dusting 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 3/4 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 cup golden raisins Heat flax seeds in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium until toasted, 2-3 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add quinoa to pan; heat over medium until toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in reserved flax seeds; let cool. Whisk yeast, both flours, and salt in a bowl; transfer to a work surface and make a large well in the center. Whisk honey and 1 1/2 cups water in a bowl and add to well; using your hands, slowly mix dry ingredients into honey mixture until a loose, sticky dough forms. Mix in reserved quinoa mixture and the raisins. Using your hands and a bench scraper to move dough, knead by pulling and folding dough up and onto itself, until puffed and airy, 4-5 minutes. Shape dough into a tight 6" round and drape a damp towel over top; let rest 4 hours. Lightly dust dough with flour. Knead, by once again pulling and folding dough up and onto itself to incorporate air, until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Shape dough into a tight 6" round; transfer to a lightly dusted baking sheet and chill 1 hour. Arrange racks in lower and top third of oven; place a pizza stone on lower rack. Heat oven to 480F. Shape dough round into a 12" long oval and pinch ends; transfer to a flour-dusted pizza peel. Lightly dust dough with flour. Use a razor or paring knife to slice a decorative leaf pattern into top of dough, cutting about 1/4" deep. Use a pastry brush to brush dough with water. Slide dough onto pizza stone; bake until bottom of bread is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer bread to upper rack; bake until bread is cooked through, 15-20 minutes more. Let bread cool completely before serving. Source: "saveur.com" S(Internet address): "http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/icelandic-dark-rye-bread" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 240 Calories; 3g Fat (9.2% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 996mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v115.n003.3 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Best Heirloom Wheat Producers Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:58:42 -0800 I thought this was interesting. So I am adding it so any of you who are interested can read it. Reggie Best Heirloom Wheat Producers Bluebird Grain Farms; Winthrop, Washington "Ancient wheat varieties have this incredible history in other countries, but we couldn't find many farmers growing them in the US," says Brooke Lucy, who co-owns Bluebird Grain Farms in Winthrop, Washington, with her husband, Sam. After searching for inspiration (and seeds), the couple decided to focus on emmer wheat, also known as farro, beloved by Egyptian bakers in the days of the pharaohs. This past spring they introduced protein-rich einkorn, which they are calling einka, a teeny variety of wheat berry popular in Germany; dating back to about 7,500 BC, it was one of the first species of cultivated wheat. Each time the Lucys work with a new grain, it takes them years to bring it to market: Once they get their hands on starter seed (often from a university in Germany), they have to plant several harvests, amassing more seeds each time, until they can grow enough grain to sell. Even now, the Lucys only produce enough einka to sell at local farmers' markets and on their website. Rarity isn't the only reason their grains are sought-after. Bluebird is one of the few farms in the US to mill its own grains. "It's more common to find farms doing that in Germany and Austria," Brooke says. When the Lucys decided to launch a mill, they connected with producers abroad to learn their methods-and then took them a step further. When most millers remove the supertight, papery husks of ancient grains, they rub off part of the bran layer in the process, selling the results as "pearled." The Lucys wanted to keep the bran intact, so they got creative. They worked with an engineer to develop a machine that whisks off the husk by centrifugal force. "Why would we go through such great lengths to raise a healthy grain, only to shave off most of the nutrients?" Brooke says. From $7 per lb of einka; . Carolina Ground; Asheville, North Carolina Former bakery owner Jennifer Lapidus has made it her mission to turn flour into a locavore food. With both a grant and money raised on Kickstarter, she purchased a stone mill from Austria, launching Carolina Ground last year and an online store in April. Most mills, large or small, blend flour from different farms so it always has the same protein level (essential for consistent baked goods). "But we want to embrace where the flour comes from," says Lapidus, so she mills what the local farmers harvest and helps bakers find ways to use the flour. For instance, when she received hard wheat flour that didn't have enough protein for bread, she recommended that her wholesale customers use it for crackers. If the protein isn't even good for crackers, she sends it to nearby Riverbend Malt House, which turns barley, rye and wheat into malts for beer brewers. Because Carolina Ground's flours are so flavorful and fresh, they have a passionate following among local bakers-Lionel Vatinet at La Farm Bakery in Cary, North Carolina, for example, goes through 500 pounds a week and extols Carolina Ground in his forthcoming book. Recently, Lapidus started working with restaurant chefs. "They love creating new recipes that can really showcase the different flour flavors," she says. Chef Jacob Sessoms of Table in Asheville makes gougmousse. Lance Gummere, chef and co-owner of Atlanta's Bantam + Biddy, uses all of the flours at home for his sensational biscuits. Gummere recently wrote in an email to Lapidus, "Like a crackhead, I'm addicted to your flour, and the world is going to come to a screeching halt if I don't score more." From $5 for 2 lbs; . http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/best-heirloom-wheat-producers#bluebird-grain-farms --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v115.n003.4 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Challah recipes from the old country Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 01:56:27 -0800 Seth Godin asked about old recipes for challah. According to "Inside the Jewish Bakery" by Ginsberg & Berg (ISBN 978-1-933822-23-5), there were a huge number of different varieties of bread used for the Sabbath, each with its own name. In America, the word challah (which dates back to the 1400's) replaced all the other names. Recipes varied by location, sometimes even between neighboring towns, and by the level of affluence of the community. Ginsberg and Berg present five recipes for different types of challah. Here is one of them. Reggie & Jeff Rich Sourdough Barches This recipe approximates the challah of Rabbi Isserlein of 15th century Austria. It starts with the preparation of a sourdough sponge on Thursday evening. A small amount of yeast is added to the dough on Friday morning to shorten the fermentation and proofing time without affecting the flavor. The oil and egg in these challahs will keep them moist for days, making this recipe ideal for those who prefer to bake their Shabbes loaves a day or two ahead of time. Makes two 24oz loaves. Thursday evening: 1 2/3 cups (8.2oz/230g) bread flour 1 cup (8.2oz/230g) warm (90F/32C) water 1/4 cup (2.0oz/55g) sourdough starter Combine the flour, water and sourdough starter in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover and put in a warm place until it doubles in volume and is soft and bubbled on surface, 8 to 12 hours. Friday morning: 3 1/2 cups (25.0oz/710g) bread flour, unsifted 1 Tbs (0.6oz/18g) table salt 1 Tbs (0.6oz/18g) granulated sugar 1 1/4 tsp (0.1oz/6g) instant yeast 1 cup (8.0oz/225g) water 1 1/2 cups (18.0oz/510g) sourdough sponge (above) 3/4 cup + 2 Tbs (7.0oz/200g) beaten egg 1/3 cup (3.2oz/90g) vegetable oil 2 Tbs (0.5oz/14g) poppy, chernushka, or sesame seed for sprinkling (optional) 1 large egg (for glaze) In a separate bowl, beat the one egg for glaze gently with a fork and refrigerate until needed. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Blend with the flat (paddle) beater at low (KA 2) speed for 1 minute. Combine the sourdough sponge and water and add to the dry ingredients along with the egg and vegetable oil. Mix until the dough is fully hydrated, about 2 minutes. If using the stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead at low (KA 2) speed for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth, glossy ball that leaves the surface of the bowl. If kneading by hand, turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead for 12 to 14 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball, put it into a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel or cling wrap and allow to ferment until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Refrigerate 4 hours. Remove the fermented dough from the refrigerator and turn it onto a lightly floured kneading surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces of about 24 oz. each, and divide each of these into as many pieces as needed for the braid you are using. Roll each piece into a tight ball, cover the balls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for 20 to 30 minutes to relax the gluten. Using your hands, roll each ball into a long sausage that is thick in the middle and tapered to a point at the ends. Braid the loaves. Put the braided loaves on a piece of baking parchment, cover them with a damp towel and allow them to proof until the dough doesn't spring back when a finger is pressed into it. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C for 20 to 30 minutes with the baking surface in the middle. At bake time, brush each loaf lightly with beaten egg, wait 1 minute and give them a second coat. If desired, sprinkle with seeds to taste. Slide the loaves and parchment onto the baking stone or bake on a sheet pan until they reach an internal temperature of 205F/95C, about 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the loaves halfway through baking so they'll brown evenly. Transfer the finished loaves to a rack and let cool for at least one hour before cutting. --------------- END bread-bakers.v115.n003 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2015 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved