DLB Whole Wheat Bread with Wheat Berries & Maple Syrup
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RECIPE
Servings 2 loaves | Prep Time 20 min| Total Time 3-4 hr
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup wheat berries [approximately 1 cup cooked wheat berries = 180 g] (I used @palouse_brand hard red spring wheat berries)
2 cups water
1 T pure maple syrup
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760 g whole wheat bread flour (I used @palouse_brand 100% hard red spring wheat [stone ground] Whole Wheat Bread Flour
14 g vital wheat gluten
1 ½ Tablespoons diamond kosher salt
1 ½ Tablespoons rapid rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon diastatic malt powder
760 ml water (lukewarm); use purified (not tap) water..
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Additional whole wheat bread flour for shaping and dusting bread
1-2 T oat bran (I used Bob’s Red Mills)
DIRECTIONS
Rinse and drain 1/2 cup of uncooked wheat berries and place them in a microwave-safe dish with 2 cups of purified (not tap) water and the 1 T of maple syrup; cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 15 minutes. Let the wheat berries sit covered for 5 minutes.
The wheat berries will still be slightly firm. For this bread, the wheat berries are “done” when you can bite one and it is still chewy with texture; you do not want to overcook them or they will be mushy.
When they are done, do not discard the excess “wheat-berry-maple-syrup“ water that they cooked in; instead, drain the wheat berries over a bowl, being sure to measure the amount of the excess “maple syrup” water that you have left and then adding as much additional purified water to total 773 ml. Set aside.
.Weigh out each of the dry ingredients and then combine them in a large bowl, whisking thoroughly. Add the wheat berries to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly..
Add the total 773 liquid and, using a dough whisk, combine until there are no dry spots. It will be a very wet dough.
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 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 rise for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
Approximately one hour to 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. Use a dough scraper and your hands, to continue turning the dough ball as you shape it into a mound of dough with the edges tucked underneath, forming a smooth surface; sprinkle with additional whole wheat flour, as necessary, to prevent sticking.
Line a pot with parchment paper and place dough into the pot. [To learn how I line my pot with parchment paper, see 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. Lightly dust with a small handful of the whole wheat flour. Use a pair of scissors to make a design with 4-6 deep cuts on the top of the un-baked bread.
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.
After 25 minutes, remove from oven and remove from pot. Bread is done if it is least 190 degrees F. inside.
Allow loaf to cool completely (several hours) on wire rack, before cutting.
