[Sca-cooks] Re:bread, was steirbach holiday fair

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

tsk!
Olwen.. next time ASK.. i would be delighted to have an opinion on any of
the stuff i bake!  in fact, i would have sent you home with some!!!

the multi grain was a whole wheat sourdough starter  (i dont let it "sour"
much) with..
Red wheat whole wheat, white wheat whole wheat, and   a dash of rye flour
plus a scant two tablespoons of honey and between one and two tablespoons of
Canola oil.  that made two loaves worth of dough.. one i left plain, and one
got  boiled wheat berries, pearl barley, brown rice, sesame seeds and flax
seeds added to it (that is the one that came with me)

and for those who didnt know.. there are two basic kinds of "whole wheat"
the typical is from Red wheat.. but there is also a White wheat.. and no, i
dont mean "white flour" i mean white wheat.. which can be milled into a
"white whole wheat"...... which is a whole wheat flour, with all the bran
and everything.. but is a bit lighter and sweeter in flavor.. a bit
milder....i am using King Arthur brand for my whole wheat.. and Hodgeson
Mills for my Rye.

right now i am working on a Rye Sourdough... three cups rye, 3 1/2 cups
whole wheat... tricky!   Rye doesnt have the same Gluten as whole wheat..
and it must be worked a bit more carefully or you get doorstops.
it does make a great sourdough starter.. but the yeast thinks it is YUMMY
and will "boil over" if you dont watch it really carefully.

as to your "lumps of stone" there are two things to check..
1. are you using a *fresh* and high Gluten flour?  all purpose flour doesnt
cut it....

2. are you kneading it enough?  it takes for bloody ever.  and i knead it
really *thouroughly* .  although i have yet to get the " stretchy sheet"
that The Laurel Kitchen Bread book says is "done"
Kirsten
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
http://www.fabricdragon.com

"Did you vote?  No?   Then don't come whining to me...."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Olwen the Odd"
> Yup!  I was fortunate enough to meet Kirsten *and* try her delicious
> multi-grain bread!  It was fun to hear her story about making it.  I kinda
> wanted to try the whole wheat bread as well but did not want to seem
greedy.
>   Both the loaves looked very pretty and the texture was even.  Not like
the
> lumps of stone that I can turn out on a moments notice!
> The honey folks are really nice.  They seem to expand every time I see
them.
>   I would have done some shopping there but that corner of the hall was
> occupied by folks who sold incense and essential oils so my asthma said
> nono.
> Olwen
>
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