As part of my attempt to eat better, I’m avoiding processed food. Carbs without fiber equal sugar spike equals high insulin equals insulin resistance, difficulty with satiety, lots of bad stuff. Because nobody in my house knows any of the passwords or how to fix the thermostat, I need to stay alive. Thus I eat hippy food.
But what about bread? Most bread doesn’t fit the bill. Robert Lustig suggests that fiber : carbs at least be 1 : 4. Here’s my attempt. It works alright! Let me know if you bake it.
Karl’s high fiber protein bread
grams
Baker’s Percentage
Ingredient
Note
750g
100%
Whole wheat flour
250g
33%
Flax seed flour
515g
69%
Water
11g
1.5%
Yeast, instant
15g
2%
Sugar
15g
2%
Malt syrup
I use sugar for this
22g
3%
Nonfat milk solids
I use butter here
30g
4%
Shortening
Butter again here
15g
2%
salt
This is the Whole Wheat recipe from Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking. I adapted it by adding flax seed flour.
It’s in Baker’s percentages. Measure out whatever whole wheat flour you want, and then use the percentages to calculate the weight of the other ingredients. A good scale will have percentage and tare buttons, which makes it easier.
Knead 4-5 minutes on lowest setting, 8-15 minutes on second speed. I find it needs the full 20 minutes of kneading. Ferment for 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Form your loaves as you like. Baguettes or loaf pans. I have done both with good effect.
Bake at 400° for about 30 minutes, until a thermometer reads at least 200°.
Ive been making sour dough for quite some time. More so recently, though I eat less of it. Sour, in this sense, is more of a verb than a flavor, though fermentation can give it that flavor too. Usually a 75% hydration. As low as 50% for baguettes. Pizza dough, sandwich loafs, boules even English muffins.
Interestingly, ive read that the process of fermentation actually reduces some of the harmful effect of gluten. The accuracy, and to what degree, perhaps someone else might be able to speak more on.
Thanks. I’m mostly following the Tartine book. Great pictures but the directions are sometimes confusing. Ive kept my current starter alive for a year and I think its just comings into its own so to speak
My wife gave me some dehydrated starter for Saint Nicholas’ Day. Any tips on sourdough baking?
We made a loaf of white bread last night using some of the discard and commercial yeast and I have levain going right now for my first sourdough loaf. I have been enjoying the mini version of animal husbandry that is keeping your starter alive, micro husbandry?
Tartine Recipes are a great place to start.
I didn’t use my starter until three months of caring for it. There’s a natural selection you are doing of selecting for vigorous fermentation. Patience in building a culture. I have one a year old and is nice and predictable. If i started over and baked with a new culture in two weeks, would be very different.
Not too crazy exact, feed mix is 50/ 50 whole wheat and AP with occasional rye. Discard all but a half cup, add two cups, and water till its like a thick pancake
