Black Bread

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/04/black-bread/

Yum.  This was basically delicious.  Recipe duplicated below for posterity.  I did not grid the spices, but next time I may consider grinding some of them.  And there will be a next time.

Makes 2 loaves

2 packages (1 1/2 tablespoons) active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 cups water
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3 cups medium rye flour
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose or bread flour
1 cup bran
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/4 cup cornmeal (optional)
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour (optional)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

Special equipment: Spice grinder (optional), instant-read thermometer

1. In a small bowl, combine yeast and sugar with warm water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat two cups water, molasses, vinegar, butter and chocolate until the butter and chocolate are melted. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm warm.

3. Combine whole-wheat, rye and white flours in a large bowl. Set aside.

4. In bowl of a heavy mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine two cups mixed flours, bran, 2 tablespoons caraway seeds, fennel seeds, salt, espresso and shallots. At low speed, add yeast and chocolate mixtures. Mix until smooth and beat at medium speed for three minutes. (If you don’t like whole seeds in your bread, grinding them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle allows their flavor to come through without the texture. I always make my black bread this way.)

[Note: This, or any bread, can also be made by hand, simply mixing the ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and kneading the dough on a counter until springy and smooth.]

5. At low speed, add half cup of remaining mixed flours at a time, until dough clears sides of bowl and begins to work its way up paddle. It will be very sticky but firm.

6. Scrape dough off paddle, flour counter well, and knead to make a springy yet dense dough. You might not use all of the flour mixture.

7. Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Turn once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Combine cornmeal, flour and remaining caraway seeds, if using, and set aside.

8. Gently deflate dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two portions and form into two rounds or loaves. Loaves should be placed in a loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray, while rounds should be placed seam down on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle loaves with cornmeal mixture, if using. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled and puffy, about 45 minutes to one hour. Slash an X into the top of a round before baking it; no such slashing is needed for bread in a loaf pan.

9. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until loaves are well-browned, or register an internal temperature of 200 to 210°F on an instant-read thermometer. Baking time in your oven may vary — check in on the bread when it is 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through the baking time to make sure it has not super-speedily baked. Remove from baking sheet to cool completely on a rack.

Country French

Made it like last time, except:

375g water, 1/2 t yeast

We'll see how it turns out.  EDIT: fairly decent loaf.  Good amount of yeast.

I think I've got the honey whole wheat dialed.

Country French

Back to the drawing board for this one.  I don't think I measured well.  So:

Water: 357g is 1.5 c + 2T.  I upped it to 370g.
Bread Flour: 260g = 2 C = 130g/C
Whole Wheat (stone ground): 225g = 1.5c = 150g/C
Rye: 40g = 1/3 c = 120g/C

3/4 t yeast.

Total flour: 525g.  Still seems too much...

We'll see how it turns out.

EDIT: turned out like how it used to, prior to the scale.  Back to square one.

Country French

Mixing it up just a bit.

370g water (not 376)
242g bread
169g wheat
48g rye
3/4 t yeast

Probably will get a bit dry since we're making it at night which means it will probably sit out all night.  And get eaten by ants.

Honey Whole Wheat

Same as last time on the flour/water:

317g water this time.
159g bread
287g regular whole wheat

1 to 1.5 t yeast.  I think just 1.5.  Turned out well.  Had a better density I think.

Honey Whole Wheat

Made it just like last time, since I can't remember how last time turned out.  Better records good sir!

Notes: This turns out quite well.  Perhaps a bit too fluffy though, so next time maybe less yeast or more whole wheat flour.  No word yet on how dry and crumbly it gets.

Country French

190g whole wheat this time. Seems like it will be delicious. Still cratering on top though. Need to search for high altitude and cratering.

Turned out pretty well.  Got dry and crumbly though.  Maybe I didn't wait long enough to cut into it.  Don't know how to reconcile dryness with cratering/too much water.

German Dark Rye

http://www.food.com/recipe/german-dark-rye-bread-43285

Made it more or less how the recipe said.  Used more caraway seeds though.  Made two free-standing loaves that were a bit squat, but turned out pretty well.  Yay St. Patty's day!

Honey whole wheat

317g water this time.
159g bread
287g regular whole wheat

total 446g flour = 71% water/flour.  Lower than country french, but there is some butter.

1.75 t yeast

We'll see how this turns out this time.

Country French

Same as last time, except used 183g whole wheat flour.  Mostly all stone ground, but 3-5g regular whole wheat.  3/4 t yeast again.

Edit: turned out quite well.  Better this time than last.  Maybe up the whole wheat just a bit more even next time.

Honey Whole Wheat

312g water
159g bread
287g stone ground whole wheat
1.75 t yeast (maybe?)

Better do a better job writing down how I did it.  It turned out pretty well.  Not super delicious, but pretty well.

Soft Sandwich Rye

Reinhart, pg 109.  Didn't use the sour rye starter (some day, some day...), but added the rye flour to the bread flour and salt at the beginning.  Also added about 195g yoghurt to the mix.  Last time I added the cocoa powder and caraway seeds.  This time I did neither.

Everyday whole wheat sandwich

The Peter Reinhardt standard. Pg 83. Used 300g water instead of the called-for 283g. Brown sugar. Stone-ground whole wheat. Used the mixer this time, which seemed to work well. Sort-of forgot to let the dough hydrate though.

Results: It didn't rise very well, probably because of the stone-ground whole wheat.  If using stone-ground next time, might want to add more gluten like he mentions in the alternatives section.

Country French

Used 376g water, which should roughly be +1T over what the recipe calls for.  Also used 3/4 t instant yeast.  Have not tried it yet, but it might be too much yeast still.  It'll be close.  Stone ground whole wheat.  I wonder if I should decrease the bread flour and increase the whole wheat a bit.

Last time I made this, I used 391g water (roughly +2T), and 1 t yeast.  That seemed too spongy.  Also used as much as 404g water, which seemed too much.

376g water (room temp)
1T olive oil
1t honey
1t salt
241g bread
170g stone ground whole wheat
48g rye
total 459g flour = 82% water/flour.

I think next time I'll do 180g whole wheat (75% of the bread flour).  According to Bob, 1/4c stone ground is 33g, so 1.5c is 198g.  There's room to go up with whole wheat.


Edit: turned out pretty well. Good amount of yeast. I think more whole wheat flour is a good idea.