Isand66's blog

          Happy Holidays to everyone.  As usual, we celebrated the holidays with family and friends and cooked and baked and baked some more :).

For Christmas dinner at our good friends house I always bring my homemade pirogi filled with potatoes and cheese and also a cheese only version.  I also bring some type of rye bread to accompany the spiral ham they serve.  This year I made a big miche style rye with porridge, raspberry ale, onions, mashed potatoes mixed with fresh ground rye, white rye and First Clear flour.

I made a smaller loaf to keep for myself and as you can by the crumb shot it came out nice and moist and full of rye and onion flavor.

I made some German pretzel rolls to bring to my family's holiday dinner.  I melted some smoked Gruyere on some of them which was delicious.

For Christmas Eve I made some German Weizenbrotchen Sour dough Rolls brushed with melted garlic butter to go along with the Italian theme our friends were following.  I also melted some mixed Italian cheeses on some of them for something extra special.

I hope you all are having a great holiday season.

Here's more details on the rye bread for those who are interested.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the water called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the water is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the water and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the onions with the ale and let it sit to rehydrate for about 30 minutes or longer.

Mix the flours, ale, and the potatoes for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, caraway seeds and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  A Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

   Wine, Walnuts, Cranberries and Porridge....what's not to like?  I have to say, nothing!  This one is chock full of flavor and good enough to eat by itself, but even better with some cheese.  I gave 2 of these away to some work colleagues.  I think they will enjoy them, I hope.

There is just enough wine in this one to add a nice flavor without overpowering the bread or inhibiting it's fermentation.  The crumb is nice and moist and you get a mouthful of walnuts and cranberries with each bite.

The crumb is nice and open considering how much "stuff" is packed into this one.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the water called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the water is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the water and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the cranberries with the wind and let it sit to rehydrate for about 30 minutes or longer.  Drain the cranberries and add the wine per below.

Mix the flours, wine, Greek yogurt  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, and salt and mix on low for 4 minutes.  Add the walnuts and cranberries and mix for about a minute until incorporated.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

These were made as gifts for some of my office colleagues.  I ended up keeping one for tasting purposes :0.

I used hand milled durum and whole wheat both sifted and a little KAF bread flour.  The ricotta was added for some extra softness and that combined with the olive oil made for a nice smooth dough.  I added some smoked and black sesame seeds as a topping and on 2 of the breads topped it with some melted cheese.

The bread turned out great with a nice nutty flavor from the durum and a soft crumb.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, ricotta cheese and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 1 hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces),  and olive oil and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

   Coming in at 65% fresh milled high extraction Durum flour, this one is bursting with flavor.  The addition of the porridge and ricotta cheese takes it over the top.

This is the perfect bread for some home made tomato "gravy" and or grilled with some good olive oil and melted cheese.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

[caption id="attachment_4618" align="alignnone" width="490"] You can't see me! I'm invisible :0...say's Cosmo...A.K.A. Panda Bear.[/caption]

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.   You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.  Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours  and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, olive oil, ricotta cheese and salt and mix on low for 6 minutes.  You should end up with a cohesive dough that is slightly tacky but very manageable.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

    Well this was supposed to be one of DA's famous Chacon breads but as you can see it failed miserably in the shaping department.  I used the wrong size basket which I think killed it and produced a nice misshapen blob or something that looks like it escaped from Stranger Things.

Any way, it may look like it got hit with the ugly stick, but this is the most flavorful Challah I've ever made or tasted by far.  The idea came to me the other day to try and do something new and different to a traditional challah to boost the flavor.  I figured what better way to accomplish this lofty goal than to add a cooked porridge and also a hefty dosage of fresh milled high extraction whole wheat.

The taste is over the top on this one.  You don't even need the butter or cream cheese and it will make killer French Toast for sure.

Here's how I made this disfigured concoction :).  I rolled 4 equal pieces of dough into spiral balls and placed a cross over them.  Next went the main dough ball.

Download the BreadStorm File here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk, plus the ricotta and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.    Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, egg yolks and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, butter, honey and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 30 minutes.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 515 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

Lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  (I lowered the temperature for the last 15 minutes to 425).  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

These rolls were baked for Thanksgiving dinner at my Brother in law's in North Carolina.  We made our usual pilgrimage down south and as usual I volunteered to make some rolls for dinner.

I actually made 2 batches from the same main dough.  One batch had the cherries, cranberries and pecans and the other was plain with some melted cheddar grated on top and toasted dried onions.  The formula below includes only enough cherries, cranberries and pecans for half the dough so if you want to use it for the entire batch, simply double the amount.

These came out nice and soft and super tasty and went over very well with the hungry family.

Download the BreadStorm File here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.   Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.    You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.    Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Add the dried cherries and cranberries to the water and let it hydrate for about 30 minutes.  Strain the add-ins and set aside and use water for main dough.  Mix the flours, and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, cream cheese and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Add the pecans, cherries and cranberries and mix until incorporated or you can add it by hand during the stretch and folds.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and divide into pieces approximately 110-130 grams depending on how big you want them.  Shape into rolls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets or jelly pans.  Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with oil and let them rise until they are 1/3 to doubled in size.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, apply a simple egg wash and for the batch with the cheese and onions add after applying the egg wash.  Next add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

Lower the temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the rolls are nice and brown.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 1 hour before eating.

  We just went from Spring/Fall to Winter in one day on Long Island New York.  It was in the low 20's last night and this morning, perfect for a nice hearty porridge bread!

I recently bought some nice plump organic dried cherries from Trader Joe's and we had bought some Parmesan Cheese rinds at Whole Foods to use in sauces, etc. so of course both went into the porridge mixture along with oats, malted wheat flakes and cracked spelt (left-over from sifting the spelt flour).  I used milk to add some extra creaminess in the porridge.

The majority of the flour in this one was freshly milled with my Mock II grain mill and sifted to get the big bits out.

The cherries and cheese were a perfect combination.  This is one of the those loaves you can eat with nothing on it, but a schmear of butter or cream cheese doesn't hurt either :).

Download the BreadStorm File here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. (Note: I cut the Parmesan cheese from the rind into small pieces and added it to the levain).   Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.    Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and the water for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, olive oil and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Add the cheese and mix until incorporated or you can add it by hand during the stretch and folds.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I finally had a chance to sprout some grains and mill them with my new Mockmill II.  I bought some Einkorn a while ago and was saving it to sprout.  I love the nutty flavor that the einkorn flour imparts and the sprouted and sifted flour is amazing.

I decided I needed to stock up on some rolls and wanted to add some creamy grits to the mix along with some fresh high extraction rye and whole wheat.  Just to take it over the top some Greek yogurt was added to give it an even softer crumb.

Someone on one of the Facebook groups I follow had suggested coating rolls with polenta so I tried using the grits the same way by coating with an egg wash and then sprinkling on the grits.  I also used some smoked black sesame seeds and toasted onions as toppings.

As you can see the color is perfect on these.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here

These came out as good as I could have hoped for.  The crumb is nice and open and soft and the combination of flours and fat made a great tasting roll.

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Grits Directions

In a medium sauce pan turned on medium high, mix the grits with the butter to coat and then add the water and stir until the water is almost evaporated and the grits start getting thick.  Take off heat and add the cheese and mix thoroughly  Let the grits cool down to at least room temperature or put in the refrigerator covered and use when ready.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours , Greek Yogurt and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 1 hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and cooled grits and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and shape dough into rolls around 135 grams each.  Place the rolls on cookie sheets and cover with either a slightly misted tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with oil to prevent sticking.  Let the rolls rest and rise for around 1.5 to 2 hours until they pass the poke test.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, using an egg wash paint the rolls and apply your toppings as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 435 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the rolls are nice and brown.  I used two sheet pans and rotated them half way through the bake.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before eating if you can resist :).

This is the first bake after using fresh milled flour from my new toy, the Mockmill 200.  My wife was nice enough to buy this for me as a present and I couldn't be happier.  I have the Kitchenaid mixer attachment Mockmill but this new stand-alone version is so much quicker it's well worth the investment.

I decided to use a mixture of whole wheat and rye both freshly milled and sifted with my #40 sifter.  I re-milled the sifted out bits once more and sifted one more time and ended up with only a small amount of discard which can also be used to add into your levain for added flavor.  The fresh flours were mixed with a small amount of KAF French style flour and some ricotta cheese and grilled left-over onions.

This one came out great and my taste testers at work devoured the loaf I brought them in record time.  The combination of the whole wheat and rye with the onions really made a great sandwich and/or grilled bread or just plain old toast.

Formula

Download the BreadStorm File Here.

Levain Directions

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours and water together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute.  Let it rest in your work bowl covered for at least one hour.  Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), and ricotta and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.   Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.  The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

   This is the softest crumb of any bread I've made to date.  The combination of the porridge, cream cheese and potatoes made this one soft like a "pillow".  The taste was fantastic with the combination of 5 different flours.

If you decide to try this one, make sure to leave the skins on the potatoes when you mash them up.  This really gives some added texture and flavor to the bread.  I left the potatoes chunky on this one and you can see some of the potato chunks of flavorful goodness in the crumb and the crust.

The crumb was also nice and moist and open which is to be expected for this style of porridge bread.

Here are the Zip files for the above BreadStorm files.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together  for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled.  I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours.  You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4's of the water called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the water is absorbed.  Add the remainder of the water and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge.    Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough.  I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

 Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours,  and the water together for about 1 minute.  Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour or longer.  Next add the levain, cooled porridge, potatoes, olive oil, cream cheese and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds.  Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold.  Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold.  After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1 to 1.5 hours.  Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it's size at most.  Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam.  I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.