[Sca-cooks] Re: Corn Bread (haring off in a different direction)

[Philip & Susan Troy]

George & Lynn Dimock wrote:
>
> > Now I have a question that has nothing to do with corn bread if I may.  I
> > used to work in natural foods groceries.  The first time, in the early
> > 90's, there were (I think) two United States bakeries producing what they
> > called authentic french breads (including bagette) from whole grains
> > which the bakers claimed were made over the course of a day or so, so
> > that the dough could pull yeast from the air  (this was ten years ago).
> > I remember the bread very well, because it was light, even for being
> > whole wheat, and it was pleasantly sour to taste.  All I had for
> > information was the advertising on the  bag.  The bakers claimed it was a
> > secret technique.  Were they relying on an advertising gimmick of some
> > sort?  If not, why would a method like that produce an airy loaf?
> >
> > Thanks for reading this!
> >
> > Elizabeth
> >
> My Lady,
>
> What the bakery advertises is probably correct.  Whenever you bake yeast
> bread, some of the yeast will escape into the atmosphere.  Furthermore,  the
> proper Egyptian method for baking bread called for the dough to sit in their
> baking pots and pick up some of the wild yeast that exists in the air. The
> atmosphere in a bakery would be loaded with yeast.  Unfortunately, such a
> method runs the risk of catching bad yeast. If that happens, your bread's
> consistency would plummet.  More likely your bakery's "secret technique"
> involved using  a  French sourdough starter.  It is possible to get some
> lovely light baguettes this way, Although technically a proper baguette is
> made with yeast, not sourdough.
> I've noticed that when I bake sourdough breads every day my starter gets
> stronger and more virile with a resultant lighter loaf.
>
> The fact that they used a whole grain will not matter much  -it's simply a
> matter of a bit more kneading to free the gluten
>
> Pierre

I'm with you up to the last sentence. The gluten-rich endosperm of the
wheat kernel is in lower proportion to the total mass of the grain, and
therefore the whole-grain flour. And while a bit more kneading will
produce more usable gluten, the outer, bran-ny layers of the wheat
kernel grind into flaky pieces with slightly sharp edges, which act as a
shortening. At least according to Harold McGee, as well as various
pastry instructors I've had over the years.

Now, other possibilities that may or may not hold more water than the
above theory (I mention this as an explorable alternative, not as a case
of I'm right and you're not) is that a) as with various fast-food
hamburgers allegedly made from 100% pure beef, it may turn out that they
use 100% pure whole-grain flour, plus additives which may include
anything from some percentage of white, bleached, high-gluten bread
flour, or perhaps simply gluten flour itself, or b) they may be using
100% whole-grain flour from some super-hard wheat that has an unusally
high gluten content, even in its whole-grain form. For example, I can
buy whole-wheat chapatti flour from a local Indian market, and it is
made from quite a hard wheat, but very finely ground. It makes a pretty
fair leavened bread, in spite of its intended purpose.

On a completely unrelated note, Pierre, I think I may recognize the
mundane names in your e-mail address as coming from my ancient past...
would you be any relation to Baron Pagan (that's how it was spelled, for
heraldic purposes) Mahon, late of the Barony of Carillion, East Kingdom?

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98