<< I recently returned from a trip to Germany. The breads displayed in the
bakeries were amazing, especialy the rye breads, some of them containing
whole rye cernels. The astounding thing was that they were all very moist
and
had a beautiful crust. I bought some German bread baking books and they
mention "Dinkel" flower. Does anybody know what that is? The breads were all
baked in pans. Do they get this fantastic quality due to their ovens or
what?
Does anybody have an idea what they do to make such good bread??? >>
Unfortunately, it does have a lot to do with the type of ovens and the method
the Germans use. It is unfortunate because the methods are very difficult to
reproduce properly. The true German rye bread is baked in a brick lined oven
(or stone) with much steam, which accounts for the chewy crust. As for the
breads with whole rye kernels (Vollkorn brot), I believe they are baked in an
enclosed container (which accounts for it being perfectly square). Also, the
German pretzels (which are a specialty) are different from any available in
the States, due to the fact that it is a food-grade lye which is used in the
water bath before baking. There truly is nothing on earth like a good German
"lauge weckle"!