Bread day- multigrain flour and wheat gluten addition


I’ve been making our bread since before Scotland was born. You’d think two years would be an adaquet amount of time to master my simple recipe. Unfortunately, I’m still rather inconsistent. Sometimes it’s a result of my experimentation, Maybe I’ll add three cups of rye flour this time, or I think I could really half the honey in this recipe. But I think more often than not it’s because I don’t knead it long enough to get the proper gluten development. 
A few months ago I ran out of white wheat, so I tried to make 100% red wheat bread, but the results were never as good. The bread was dense because it didn’t rise properly. When I finally restocked my white wheat, I was delighted when the first week the loaves once again far surpassed the pans, while also maintaining a tight crumb. But the next two weeks- the bread was crumbly and dough pulled apart easily when I was trying to from it into loaves. While the bread tasted great, the texture and structure was poor. 


Yesterday, I was determined to get it right. I still experimented, adding two cups of multigrain flour, and then 2TBS of wheat gluten to make up for the lower gluten levels in the barley, and oats. But then I kneaded and kneaded and kneaded until I had a beautiul “window pane” when I tested it. The idea is that the bread’s gluten isn’t properly developed unless, when you slowly pull apart a small portion of the bread, it stretches so thin that part of it is translucent before it breaks. This meant that I kneaded it probably five-seven minutes longer than the recipe called for. Fortunately for me, I have a Bosch, so the only hassel was the hum of the motor. (Which didn’t compare with my wheat grinder that was running outside the garage door at the same time!) I also tried the trick I read in “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice,” and let the dough rest for one minute then kneaded it for another 2-3 before checking it again. (Apparently allowing the bread to rest helps the gluten grow.) I could tell a real difference in the dough compared to the last two times I’ve made bread. Before the bread pulled apart easily, this time the bread was super stretchy and you could see bubbles forming in the dough. (My grandmother included “bubbles forming at the edge of the bread” as her indicator for a dough’s readiness, in her life history.) It rose beautifully the first rise. When I punched it down and formed it into loaves, it stretched properly, forming a tight crust. I made three regular loaves, and since I only have three regular bread pans I opted for an artisan style loaf for the fourth. 

Notice the tight crust and bubbles on the inner parts of the bread.

Slowly, but surely, I’m learning about the art of bread baking. I aspire to making beautiful artisinal multi-grain loaves. I want to get to the point where I can say, Hmmm, today I think I’ll make a rye-barley bread with a sesame-poppy seed crust. I’d also like to add sourdough into my repertoire. 

The multigrain flour and wheat gluten was a fun addition. The crumb is tighter and fluffier than the whole wheat version, and there is a bit more nuttiness that I like. Adding wheat gluten, in general, results in a chewier bread, which lends itself well to a heartier sandwich.

As I write this, I’m realizing this was my last Cleveland batch. Next time I’ll be in Seattle dealing with a different alltitude and humidity level- let’s hope my experience lends me enough flexiblility to continue the bread baking success.

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2 responses to “Bread day- multigrain flour and wheat gluten addition”

  1. Thanks, Devin. That means a lot coming from the German guy. I’m glad to know I have your approval! Wish you were closer so you could slather butter on some!

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