Make Whole Wheat Soaked Grain Bread with...Tibicos!...(Part 2)

Picture Note: Some dough photos will show a lighter dough than others. In some cases this is due to lighting. For others, I used photos of the same recipe but using a mix of wheat and white flour for those who dislike 100% whole wheat. (The how-to's don't change, regardless of dough color!)

**IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOU MUST FIRST HAVE TIBICOS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE. IN ORDER TO HAVE TIBICOS YOU MUST MAKE TIBICOS. THE PROCESS TAKES FROM 2 TO 4 DAYS DEPENDING ON THE SEASON. (FASTER WHEN IT'S WARMER.) GO TO THIS LINK TO LEARN THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE IT. I USED ORGANIC APPLE JUICE FOR THE TIBICOS USED IN THIS RECIPE, BUT THAT'S NOT A 'MUST'...OTHER JUICE SELECTIONS SHOULD DO JUST AS WELL. APART FROM USING IT FOR THIS RECIPE, TIBICOS IS A  TASTY, FIZZY PROBIOTIC 'SODA' BENEFICIAL TO HEALTHY GUT FLORA AND IMMUNITY.**

Now for the results...and if you don't know what I am talking about, back-track to my last post.

Did we notice any difference between the commercial and non-commercial yeast breads I made yesterday?

This is the tibicos-only bread.
It was a bit more dense and it was truly
more tasty.

This is the yeast-added bread. It was
slightly lighter and not as tasty.

Answer: YES! There was a definite difference in both taste and texture. And guess which one we liked the best? The one without the commercial yeast! And in case you didn't see the post or don't remember, tibicos was the difference in the equation.

Although the taste difference was slight, the non-yeast one had a deeper, richer taste and the texture was more dense. It gets my vote and my husband's, but neither of us would turn down the yeast version, either. Regardless, it is good to know that the commercial yeast is not necessary for the bread to rise; it just takes a bit more time and saves you a bit of cash in the process...Something I always enjoy hearing.

My revised recipe for Whole Wheat Soaked Grain Bread made with tibicos is below. You can scroll down to it if you're not interested in reading my skiddley-bop.

Skiddley-Bop:

For soft crust, brush the top of the loaf with milk/cream 5 minutes before it's done, then continue baking until done.

A crustier bread can be had by placing a small bowl of water in the bottom of the oven and starting the bread at the highest heat, backing off to 350 in about 10 minutes. Another method is to take a single egg yolk and whisk it well with a tablespoon of water. Brush bread top lightly with this mixture about 5 minutes before baking time is up. If you like toppings like large-grained sea salt, seeds or oats, this mixture will help them adhere to the crust.

I usually skip both the above and just douse the top of each loaf with a good measure of melted butter, being sure to let some drizzle down the edges of the pan.

Bread is done when the internal temp registers 200 degrees. I never used to take my bread's temperature, but inconsistent results lead me to follow this advice. Now, all my loaves and rounds have a little hole in the middle, but I never have bread that is mushy in the center due to under cooking, either.

As with cakes, bread releases more easily from its pan if allowed to cool 8-10 minutes. It can then be placed on a cooling rack to finish cooling.

DO NOT package bread until it is completely cool.

I am also told bread shouldn't be eaten before an hour has passed since its hot and steamy oven removal. This is partly because hot bread is harder to slice, and partly because it supposedly still bakes a bit even after out of the oven, and some say it is still developing flavor in that final hour. But heaven knows freshly baked bread never makes it that long in this house! We prefer to struggle with the cutting and enjoy the rewards for our effort...There is nothing on this earth like a fresh slice of hot bread slathered with butter. And now with this recipe, you can be assured that your body is benefiting from whole wheat and butter's inherent nutrition as much as your taste buds!

ONE LAST THING BEFORE YOU BEGIN...

THIS IS A 2-DAY PROJECT, NOT A DRIVE-THRU!

RECIPE:

This recipe makes 5-6 loaves of bread, depending on the size of the bread pans used. The recipe may be halved.

Use ceramic, stainless steel or glass bowl. Use wood spoon for any mixing that isn't done in the mixer. Soaking is a form of fermentation and fermentation doesn't mix well with metals. (Stainless steel is okay, though.) There's nothing to be done about the dough hook if it's metal, but the total time it will be used is comparatively short. Do NOT leave it in the dough while it's soaking.

I have found that coated metal bread pans work best for me. For some reason, the bread likes to cling to glass and clay pans even when I've well-greased them.

Ingredients for Part 1: (Creating a 'Sponge')
(I start this process in the afternoon or evening the day BEFORE bread baking.)

6 C. Water (filtered)
7 TBS. Tibicos (You may find the need to add 1/8 - 1/4 C. more later.) 
10 Cups freshly milled whole wheat flour. You will add 2-4 Cups more of this later. (If this is out of the question, a good alternative is King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill whole wheat. Keep it in the freezer for freshness. If you're in the market for a great grain mill, look into Wolfgang-Fidibus...Looks great, works great. It's a bit of an expense, but worth every cent to the serious bread baker.)



In the beginning, the sponge looks like this.

Mix all the above on low speed in bowl of Bosch or Kitchen-Aide type mixer.





Silent fermentation...

 I use the bread hook throughout. When thoroughly mixed, remove hook, cover bowl w/towel and allow to sit ('soak'/'ferment') 12 hours. More time is fine, even beneficial, but periodically check for moisture. If the surface looks like it's starting to dry...(crusty appearance?)...add tibicos by tablespoons to as much as 1/8 C. and hand-knead/mix right in the bowl-just enough to incorporate.(If needed, another 1/8 C. may be added throughout the fermentation time. More should not be needed.) Cover again and allow to sit another several hours. (I like going a total of 18 hours so this would be covered another 6 hours, but you neither have to go this long or stop at 18...Some go as much as 24 hours.) Keep an eye on moisture...Unlike the recipe this is based on, there is not an overabundance of liquid, however, moisture is key to fermentation so don't let the sponge dry out.

Begin Part 2

Ingredients for Part 2:

2 TBS. large-grain sea salt
2/3 C. Honey*
2/3 C. Unrefined Coconut Oil*
4 C. whole wheat flour (Freshly milled is best-see suggestions under Part 1, above.)

* Maple Syrup, Molasses, Sorghum or a mix of them to equal 2/3 C. may be used for the sweetener, as well. I have used all three in my experimenting. Our family likes the taste of honey the best.

* Use other oil if desired, but please don't use canola or vegetable oils. See why HERE. In my opinion, you can't get a better taste for this recipe than unrefined coconut oil and it's SO good for us!! (See why HERE.)

Start mixer on low speed, using bread hook. Slowly add all of the above ingredients until well-incorporated into the sponge.

Start adding flour, one cup at a time. Stop the mixer between each cup, lift the dough with a rubber spatula, peeking beneath to be sure all flour is incorporated. Continue adding flour slowly, w/mixer on "1" or "2" setting.

THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT: DOUGH THAT PULLS AWAY FROM EDGES AND BOTTOM OF BOWL.
 As soon as this is evident, stop adding flour. The dough should be  a bit sticky.

Set timer for 5 minutes.
Set mixer on 'low' or no more than '2' and check the dough for elasticity* after 5 minutes.

THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT: DOUGH THAT LOOKS SMOOTH AND MOVES TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE BOWL. IT MAY EVEN CLING TO/CLIMB THE HOOK SHAFT. IF THIS OCCURS BEFORE TIME IS UP, STOP MIXER, PUSH DOWN DOUGH WITH CLEAN FINGERS, AND TEST FOR ELASTICITY*. IT'S POSSIBLE MORE TIME ISN'T NEEDED.

This batch is so elastic it can be pulled
into a non-tearing'ribbon'
right from the bowl.

*Checking for elasticity: Lightly oil hands and pull off a quarter-sized ball from the dough. Roll it into an actual ball. Pinch the ball with hands on either side and pull outwardly an inch or two...Does it stretch smoothly or tend to tear? If it tears, it needs to go back in for further kneading. Check every 2 minutes, but it shouldn't take more than a total of 10 minutes kneading time.

RISING

Onto a piece of wax paper, parchment paper, or simply an oiled counter, (which you will use again when forming bread loaves), dump the dough out of the bowl. Oil the bowl with clean hands...I use my hands for oiling because it saves time, paper and I need oiled hands for the next step anyway.



This dough is from a batch where I
mixed in some white flour because I was
making it for some folks who don't
love 100% whole wheat. However, it
is a good example of how the dough ready
for rising should look.

Pick up the edges of the dough, one section at a time, pulling each handful to the middle of the dough, to form a pretty, large ball.

Place the ball into the bowl, smooth side up. Oil hands again and run them over the top surface of the dough. Cover with damp towel and leave it alone in a warm place. (I like using the oven with the light on.)

Because this recipe uses no commercial yeast, the bread most likely will take an hour and a half to two to rise. It is ready to be 'punched down'* after it doubles or nearly doubles.

To 'punch down': Punch with fist right in the middle, pull edges to center as at the beginning. Turn over, oil top again, cover and return to warm place to rise again...same as the first time.

When it has risen sufficiently the second time, it is time to shape.

Shaping

Oil 6 medium-sized bread pans.

Remove dough from bowl onto oiled counter or large cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into 6 equal sections. It's helpful to do this as if making two opposing 'peace signs'. If cutting on the counter, be careful not to cut into the counter!



Re-oil counter-top and hands as needed. Adding extra flour is not the best way to handle the dough as it can make the final outcome too dry and crumbly. Some opt to simply wet hands rather than oil them. This is fine, but only for hands...It makes the counter-top too slick/goopy.
Shape one section at a time:

Form a rectangle a few inches longer than the bread pan.

(In the following, older photos, you will note there is flour around the dough. I learned after making these loaves that using an oiled counter-top rather than extra flour is a better way to retain bread's moisture. So, today, you won't see the flour on the counter. An additional benefit to this is that it's much easier to clean the oiled counter than the floured one!!)

Fold the top, long edge to the center of the rectangle, then keep rolling it toward you. Pinch the seam.

Fold each short end under, making it a little shorter than the length of the bread pan. Pinch the seams.
Turn over to smooth side.


Using a very sharp knife, make 3 slits, evenly spaced in slightly diagonal lines across the top surface. (This gives the bread extra rising room so it doesn't split at the edges or elsewhere.)
Place loaf seamed-side-down into prepared bread pan.
Repeat for remaining loaves.
Cover with towel and set in warm place. In colder months when our home is not as warm, I start my oven at this time (350 degrees) and set the bread pans on top, leaving the oven cracked open just a tad, helping to further warm the kitchen, BUT if children are on the premises, I leave the door shut.

One of many great ways to
pass the waiting time...

Wait again. Anywhere from an hour to 2 hours. (Tic-toc, Tic-toc...)

WHAT YOU DON'T WANT: BREAD OVERFLOWING THE TOP EDGES OF THE BREAD PAN. Bread needs to be baked before that happens!

When the bread has risen sufficiently, bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Take it out and test the temperature - If it's not yet 200 degrees internally, put it back in another 5 minutes...It should be ready by then unless you have a slow oven, in which case it may take another 5 minutes.

While in pan, brush with melted butter or simply hold a stick of butter by the end and rub it over the bread's surface.

Wait 8 minutes and remove from pans onto cooling racks. Do not package until completely cooled.



Do you think you could wait an hour before
testing your bread? THAT's a very good
reason to make more than a single loaf
at once!

But really, you should eat a well-buttered slice well before it cools. (And incidentally, I am sharing a piece of heaven with you in this suggestion.)


To make round bread like this, just place the bread
in a well-greased, medium-sized, oven-proof bowl.
You'll use more dough for this, so decrease
loaf pans to 4.