Buttermilk Bread

Another new recipe book that needed trying out. Buttermilk takes the place of water in the grain soaker as well as in the main dough. And a longer proofing period requires less yeast in the poolish. Both the sourdough as well as the poolish are made from whole grain flour which gives the bread a rich flavor.

Sourdough

• 80g (2 3/4oz) whole grain rye flour
• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 8g (1/4oz) rye sourdough starter

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Cover and let proof at room temperature for 16-20 hours.

Poolish

• 80g (2 3/4oz) whole grain wheat flour
• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 0.1g fresh yeast

Dissolve the yeast in the water, pour over the flour and stir until smooth. Cover and let proof at room temperature for 16-20 hours as well.

Soaker

• 40g (1 1/2oz) sunflower seeds
• 80g (2 3/4oz) cracked wheat
• 160g (5 1/2oz) buttermilk
• 10g (1 1/2 tsp) salt

Roast the sunflower seed in a pan with no oil until you can smell a nice aroma and let cool down. Then combine all ingredients in a bowl with a lid, stir well, cover and transfer into refrigerator. Let the grains soak for about 8 hours. For timing I did this later at night so sourdough, poolish and soaker are all ready around the same time.

Main Dough

• Sourdough
• Poolish
• Soaker
• 200g (7oz) all  purpose wheat flour
• 40g (1 1/2oz) whole grain rye flour
• 80g (2 3/4oz) buttermilk
• 5g (1/4oz) fresh yeast
• 5g (1/4oz) honey or agave sirup
• 5g (1/4oz) butter

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead with the dough hook on the lowest speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to the 2nd level and knead for another 8 minutes. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours. During that time the dough has to be folded twice, so using an air-tight lid is probably the better choice. 30mins and 1 hour in, use a dough scraper and fold the dough from the edge into the middle. Go around the dough until you get to a round shape again.

On a floured surface form the dough into round shape and transfer into a well floured banetton (dough seam up). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 485°F (250°C).

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and turn banetton over to place the dough on the sheet (dough seam is now down). With a sharp knife cut a grid pattern into the surface of the dough; don't cut deeper than 5mm.

Transfer into oven (middle rack), spray a lot of water in and let bake for 10 minutes. Then let the steam out, reduce the temperature to 395°F (200°C) and bake with falling temperature for another 35 minutes. For a nice crust open the oven door a bit for the last 5 minutes.

Let cool on a cooling rack.

Original recipe (German language) in "Das Brotbackbuch" by Lutz Geißler, published by Ulmer Eugen Verlag.