Post by jacktheknife on May 2, 2011 23:54:27 GMT -5
My favorite Bread to make myself is German Sauerteigbrot, or German Sourdough Bread. The rye flour and oil brushed on before baking makes a crust thick enough to keep the inside soft for a week. It will be one of the first breads baked in my Pompeii WFO.
Gentlemen,
I have wanted to be able to make bread for a long time.
Pizza dough has been a speciality of mine for 35 years.
I always thought 'French bread', or 'Italian bread' was what I wanted to make,
but when I 'bought' a loaf of French or Italian bread,
it was hard as a rock in two days and had to be fed to the horses.
Which is one reason I have not gotten started in the art of bread making.
Till now.
From making pizza dough for so long,
I know from experiance the longer the dough rises
the more 'winey-yeasty' 'ie. better' it tastes,
the more 'developed' and the more complex the flavor of the dough becomes.
I am a homebrewer of 16 years
and consider 'Mein Acht Pfund Hammerbier' about my favorite beer-ale.
Bread is a process of yeast working on flour,
as Ale is a process of yeast working on Malted barley.
I finally found a recipe for bread which 'fits the bill'.
It isn't stale after a couple of days.
And is an interesting, tasty and profoundly useful bread.
Deutsch Sauerteigbrot,
or German sourdough bread.
Half wheat flour and half Rye.
The crust is so heavy it doesn't let any air inside the bread to dry it out.
I made some Saturday and this is Wensday.
Four days old and I am just getting into the second of three loaves.
It is the best bread I could have hoped for.
The crust is the best part.
But for a sandwich the crust is real hard and difficult to bite into.
For dinner bread I trim the crust and butter the pieces,
cook the bread in a pan with a little salt which acts like little ball bearings
and lets the bread roll around and not stick.
Till the bread is a little toasty on one or both sides.
Serve the bread {or brot} on a plate,
and the bread alone is good enough for a meal.
It really is.
The next day too!
The crust gets eaten while I am working in the kitchen.
It would be better if a little olive oil was on it,
but I have never bothered.
One could make 'Deutsch Sauertieigbrot' once a week and eat it all week.
I just keep it in a plastic bag {not closed}
on the counter, unrefrigerated.
Deutsch Sauerteigbrot
{This recipe makes 3 giant loaves and I could only eat 1 1/2 loaves before it got stale. If you live alone like I do, cut this recipe in half}
{Or if you have horses never mind}
Sourdough starter...
1 1/2 oz yeast
1 qt warm water
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
The Bread...
8 cups Rye flour4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoons sugar
2 cups warm water
Make starter and let stand 24 hours
stir and cover and let stand 24 hours more
Make dough and kneed 15-20 minutes
let rise till doubled {1-2 hours}
after dough has risen again,
kneed 5 minutes
Make 2-3 loaves and let rise another hour
425 degrees for 45 minutes or untill browned to suit
cool before cutting.
Mein Freund from Germany, Donar said:
"German bread, like German beer,
is an art form."
I say:
"Hell, with meat and vegetables"
"I'll just have another piece of Sourdough bread
and another ale".
J. Winters von Knife
