BBD11: Breads with Sprouts

This month marks the 1^st anniversary of Bread Baking Day, so it was fitting that the hostess was Zorra, the talented creator of this baking event. As the theme, Zorra (1x umrühren bitte aka kochtopf) chose breads with sprouts. I’ve eaten sprouted breads, but have never baked them myself, so it took considerable research to find an appropriate recipe, specifically one where I had all the required ingredients.

Now, I fudged a bit. Years ago, I used to make sprouts, so somewhere, buried in a box, is the appropriate jar with mesh top. But, I knew that if I searched, I might not get the bread baked. I also had to figure out where I could buy wheat berries, which could prove challenging. I recalled that one of the vendors at our Saturday Farmers Market sold a large variety of sprouts, so last Saturday (6/21), I made the trek downtown and picked up a small bag of sprouted wheat berries.

Then, even though that Saturday was unbearably hot here, I baked 2 batârds of sprouted whole wheat bread. Well, a better description would be 2 doorstops. The bread tasted good and looked good, but was hard as a rock and only got harder as it cooled.

Shoot.

So, yesterday morning (6/28), I drove downtown again to get another bag of sprouted wheat berries. When I returned home, I searched again for a different recipe, and finally found a simple one that had possibilities. Today isn’t as hot, thankfully. The new recipe also uses a bread machine, so I took advantage of the mix, knead, and rise cycles, but decided to shape and bake the loaf in a conventional manner. All went well this time. I ended up with a gorgeous loaf of bread. It will be perfect for sandwiches.

White Sprouted Wheat Bread

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/3 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup sprouted wheat berries

3 1/3 cups bread flour

1/4 cup dry milk

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or bread machine yeast)

Place all ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the machine manufacturer. Select the Basic/White bread cycle and press start. If you wish to shape and bake the bread in a conventional manner, also select the Manual cycle. When the dough has completed the knead and rise cycles, remove it, shape, and let have its final rise. Bake at 375°F until the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F. My loaf baked for one hour.

I have to say, that the Sprout Lady at the Farmers Market has a nearly infinite variety of sprouts. One can purchase them singly or mixed together, but they all look quite tasty. It might be fun to experiment with the different flavors and textures in future breads.