Soya and linseed loaf

[mercurius]

I have had a go at a sourdough version of Dan's yeasted Soya & Linseed loaf.

For the recipe I used 160 g of white flour levain (@100% hydration) and cut back on the soya milk (175ml rather than 275ml). Method was my usual one for sourdough; 3 short kneads, folding and stretching at hourly intervals for 3 hours, then prove in a basket for 3-3 1/2 hours.

To be honest the dough was stiffer than I normally prefer it, so I could have added more soya milk at that stage, but my previous experience of the yeasted version led to a sloppy dough which made the loaves collapes after baking. Perhaps could have proved it for a bit longer too. The result in this version is a tighter texture than I normally like, but eats well, if not with the same intensity as the yeasted version.



Will give it another go soon.

[Dan Lepard]

Looks good!

[Jacqueline]

Hi mecurius, you beat me to it! My sourdough attempt is proving as we speak (well I certainly hope it is proving). You loaf looks great! It has such a nice neat shape. I'll be very pleased if mine comes out anything like it....

[Jacqueline]

Well, the sourdough version of this loaf turned out very well. It's lovely and soft, packed full of seeds but not at all heavy. I used 113g leaven (my leaven is 100% hydration, 70% white and 30% rye), 268g flour and 219g scalded semi-skim cow milk (that's what I had on hand). All the other quantities were the same.

The first proof ended up being 51/2 hours with folds after the first and fourth hours- a big longer than I had planned as the day got a bit disorganised. Second proof was 3 1/2 hours. I think I probably over-proved it somewhat as there was zero oven-spring. Nevertheless, I'm pretty pleased with it, despite my uneven shaping. I'm really looking forward to making it again and experimenting with different seeds and grains.



The one drawback was that I found it quite salty. This is odd as I'm a big fan of cooking with salt and really dislike bread that doesn't have enough. Is it possible additional flavour might result from the longer fermentation in a sourdough version, thus reducing the need for salt? I'd be interesting to hear what you think.

Thanks for a great recipe!

Jacqueline

[mercurius]

Jacqueline,

That looks like a lovely loaf! You used more milk and less leaven than I did - how did it make handling the dough? Also how did you find the flavour in comparison with the yeasted version? I must say that I preferred Dan's yeasted version to my sourdough attempt

Regards,

[Jacqueline]

Hi Mecurius,

I found the dough very sticky to handle, actually, which surprised me as I'd read in your post that you found it a bit dry. But still firm, not fluid- when I first started baking from The Handmade Loaf, for instance, I found the basic white leaven almost like liquid like an egg yolk- of course it seems dry to me now! But this one was just sticky- maybe because of the oats? But it wasn't at all difficult to manipulate.

I must admit I haven't tried the yeasted version! I went straight for the sourdough. But I will give it a try and let you know what I think. This one surprised me with how robust the flavour was, and next time I try it I might reduce the salt.

Cheers,

Jacqueline

[llyyww]

I used King Arthur All Purpose Flour & rye flour from a local store to make the bread. It's quite sticky at the beginning. But after Dan's first fermentation method, it's ok, gluten is formed like regular enriched doughs.

I like this bread, as it doesn't got butter, milk powder, etc, a healthier choice to me. But why can soya milk make the bread stay well? Is it because of the soya oil in it?

Thanks!

(you might find my picture here)

[Dan Lepard]

Hi Natalie,
It's a combination of three very slight changes caused by the soy protein that adds up to a longer 'soft' life for the crumb. Firstly, soy protein binds more moisture into the dough than water alone, so you can make the dough wetter using soy milk but still end with dough that can be shaped easily. So the loaf will contain more moisture than one made with just water to the same recipe and baked for the same time. Next, some of the oil used to knead the dough will be emulsified by the soy protein, and this will help the crumb to stay soft. Finally, the soy will help the loaf colour quicker as it contains sugars that can't be fermented. This last characteristic means you're likely to take the loaf out of the oven earlier, giving you a softer loaf with less water loss.
Dan

[Jeremy]

Dan,
What if you used soy flour and substituted water? I have tried soy flour and it has a sort of green taste! Though many German and Austrian bakers use dry soy beans in soakers.

Jeremy

[llyyww]

Dan

Thanks! I never thought it would be that complicated. Interesting! There's still some soya milk left in the fridge, maybe i'll use it to make white bread to see how it'll turn out.

Thanks!
Natalie