Tag Archives: Semmelbrösel

July 10th, 2016

Spelt & Seed Sandwich Bread

Category Bread Tags: Biga, flaxseeds, Leserwunsch, only with yeast, Seeds, Semmelbrösel, Sesame, Spelt, wheat free, whole grain 24 Responses

This Sandwich bread is a readers wish. But I needed two rounds, until I was really satisfied. In the first Variant I had a boiled soaker with whole spelt flour and seeds, but this added to much liquid to the dough. This resulted in a very instable crumb. The recipe needed adjustments!

The bread (in both tries) is a pure spelt flour with 30 percent whole grain flour and amixture of flax seeds, sesame and sun flower seeds for an extra nuttiness. The preferment is a biga made from whole spelt flour. This has many advantages: the whole grain flour has enough time to soak up the liquid, a biga helps to strength the gluten network and it adds complex flavour nuances, too. As every sandwich bread this bread needs a fully developed gluten network, and spelt is a sensible. So it is needed to keep a close eye on the dough to find the perfect spot.

At the rerun of the recipe I used a bit mashed potato for fluffiness and a soaker with an only moderate amount of water. This makes the dough recognizable firmer, the dough is easier to handle and the fluffy crumb gets enough stability. So what was my lecture of this day? Sometimes less (water) is more!

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May 18th, 2016

Ribiselkuchen

Category Cake & Pastry Tags: Almonds, Baiser, Johannisbeeren, Semmelbrösel 6 Responses

Am I the only one who has a secret stock of berries of the last season which has to be used urgently before the berries of this season are ripe?

Beside a small package of blackberries I saved a pound of red currant all winter long. And as the currant bushes in my parents garden already promise a rich harvest I had to make room in the freezer. And so I baked my favourite “Ribiselkuchen”. It is a simple cake with shortcrust tarte shell and a filling made of meringue, almonds, bread crumps and berries. The bread crumbs keep the berry juice from soaking the tart shell. And as I used roasted crumbs – which were meant for bread originally – the filling has a deeper flavour as the more traditional way with unroasted crumbs.

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May 15th, 2016

Light Rye Bread

Category Bread Tags: Altes Brot, Rye, Semmelbrösel, Sourdough 20 Responses

I like to bake “by order” as I can then bake bread I bake rather seldom. Pure Rye bread, for example, as I have a rather sensitive stomach who do not like the higher acidity of rye bread. And while I do not eat rye bread I still like to bake it. Its different consistency makes it a bit challenging and is a nice change in my wheat- and spelt-dough routine.

For this bread which I bake for a big birthday I choose so called “Lichtkornroggen”. This is a rye variety containing light coloured rye seeds instead of the normal grey green coloured rye. It is a modern back breeding from ancient rye varieties and yields a lighter bread then normal whole rye flour. Its flavour is milder as well and so I build the sourdough in the classical german “three stages”: The so called “Anfrischsauer” (refreshed sourdough) to activate the yeasts is then followed by the low hydrated “Grundsauer” (basic sourdough) to generate a well balanced acidity and the last step called “Vollsauer” (complete sourdough) in which the warm and soft dough is perfect for yeast and homofermenting lactobacteria and in which the sourdough develops a lot of activity. Continue reading →

August 29th, 2014

Farmers Bread with Old Bread

Category Bread Tags: Altes Brot, Caraway seeds, Rye, Semmelbrösel 3 Responses

We always have small leftovers of bread in our kitchen. I collect them on a small tray which I place on a heater. I let the bread dry completely and when a bigger amount has accumulated I can grind them to bread crumbs. I start with sorting the bread: Bread with whole grain flour for dark bread crumbs and white bread for white bread crumbs. Then I grind the bread (e.g with a food prozessor) to fine crumbs. The white crumbs I use mainly for cooking and the dark crumbs will add flavour to a new bread.

I like it best when the crumbs are added to a preferment, like I did with this famers bread. This bread has a deep, complex flavour and is made with old bread perfermet plus a mild sourdough which I rise in to steps. Its rustic character is enhanced by grounded caraway seeds and rye flour. The Crust is dark and aromatic, and the crust is elastic and soft, perfect for a hearty “Brotzeit”.

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April 21st, 2012

Swabian Potato Bread

Category Bread Tags: Altes Brot, Potatoes, Semmelbrösel, Sourdough 11 Responses

Lutz baked a swabian Potato Bread last year, a little bit later there was a modified version on Grain de Sel, which Petra baked, too. I realized the recipe then and decided to bake my own version of this bread.

I increase the sourdough and preferment amount as well as the amount of potatoes but decrease the yeast amount. After I had such a good experience with old bread (aka bread crumbs) in preferment I decided to add the bread crumbs to the preferment. Instead of oil or lard I preferred Butter.

The bread is very delicious with a soft cumb and a thick, crispy crust. It is very aromatic because of the two preferments, and the higher amount of bread crumbs adds a nice nut-like flavour to the dough.

This is a new favourite!

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April 14th, 2012

Wheat Bread with “old Bread”

Category Bread, Overnight Tags: Altes Brot, Semmelbrösel, Sourdough 14 Responses

When you bake your own bread, you normally have to deal with leftover bread, too. When the bread become stale, I normally place it on top of the kitchen radiator and let them dry out completely. When they are dry, I put them in a food container and keep them for further use, like bribing our guinea pig (not a healthy treat, I know) or crushing them to bread crumbs. The bread crumbs I use regulary for cooking and baking. I like to put them into the filling of sweet pastries. Or I add them into a bread dough, replacing a part of the flour with the bread crumbs.

Lutz like to put old bread into preferments. I like this idea and vary his kind of preferment, so that its made out of bread crumbs completely. Together with some sourdough and a slow and long proof in the fridge, it adds a lot of flavour to the bread. Very delicious!

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