DLB Crusty Bread with Wheat Berries & Oat Bran
RECIPE
Servings 2 loaves | Prep Time 20 min| Total Time 3 hr
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup wheat berries
1 cup water
760 g all-purpose flour
26 g vital wheat gluten
1 ½ Tablespoons diamond kosher salt
1 ½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon diastatic malt powder
735 ml water (lukewarm); use purified (not tap) water.
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Additional all-purpose flour for shaping and dusting bread
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2 T oat bran to sprinkle on top, right before baking.
DIRECTIONS
Cook the wheat berries by rinsing them first, then placing them in a rice cooker with the 1 cup water filled to the first line; alternatively, you can use a microwave safe dish with 1 cup of water, covered with plastic wrap, and microwaved for 15 minutes. Let them sit in the water for 5 minutes before draining.
Weigh out each of the ingredients and set aside.
Combine all of dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add the drained wheat berries.
Add all of the measured warmed water and, using a dough whisk, combine until there are no dry spots.
Place shower cap over bowl and let dough rise in a draft-free area for 2 hours, until doubled in size. I often place a small rotating heater about 2 feet from the dough to keep it warm while rising.
Once the dough has risen, transfer the dough in the covered bowl to the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 2 hours before baking. You can wait another day, if you don’t want to bake it the same day.
Forty-Five minutes before you are ready to bake the bread, place your empty/covered dutch oven (I use the small potato pot by Emile Henry) into the oven and set the temperature to 450 degrees.
To bake one loaf at a time, remove ½ the dough from the refrigerated dough (cover the remaining dough in the bowl and place it back in the refrigerator) and place on a well-floured countertop or board. On a floured board, use a dough scraper to shape the dough into a mound of dough with the edges tucked underneath, forming a smooth surface on the outside of the loaf; lightly flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
Line a pot with parchment paper and place dough into the pot. [To see how I line my pot with parchment paper, you can watch my May 20th Instagram post, “Parchment Paper Problems SOLVED!]
Place the dough into the parchment paper/pot and cover with shower cap; let rise approximately 30-40 minutes, while your covered bread pot or dutch oven is heating up in the oven.
Remove the hot covered bread pot from the oven and uncover.
Remove the plastic covering from the pot with the rising dough. Carefully lift the parchment paper edges with the dough inside, and place the parchment paper with the dough in it, into the hot pot. Dust the top of the loaf with a generous handful of oat bran and use a scissor to make 4-6 cuts in the top of the loaf, in any design of your choosing.
Replace the cover and place the hot covered pot back into the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the cover off the bread pot and allow to bake for an additional 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and use a thermometer to see if inside is at least 190 degrees F; remove from pot and separate parchment paper from loaf, allowing it to cool completely on wire rack, before cutting.
