Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Bread! Gluten-filled bread!

Rye Bread

I've once again started baking on my days off (from the bakery). My focus is bread, delicious, gluten-y, hearty, light, crusty, toasty, soft, chewy bread. And whole grain bread, naturally.

The week, I started into Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Bread Book (gifted to me by dear Gran last Christmas or so), with the intention of baking my way through most all of the recipes, veganising as I go. Most of the formulas are, at their heart, either vegan to begin with or very simple to modify to accomodate the dairy-and egg-free lifestyle.

In order not to infringe upon Mr. Reinhart's territory or copyright, I shall not include the full formulas or methods for the breads I discribe here. The basic principles of Mr. Reinhart's preparation do, in fact, require quite a bit of explanation. Once you've read the complete introduction and instructions, the whole thing will be largely demystified and undertaken without mental strain.

So as not to step on toes or copy a published work word for word, I will include only the modifications I make to the formula or recipe, as well as helpful photos of the process. My intention is to assist those vegans or dairy-free types who adore real bread in the hassle-free preparation of healthful, whole grain breads detailed in this delightful book.

My foray was the Transitional Rye, one of the simplest varieties included in the book. The only modification required was a substitution of soured soy milk for the buttermilked asked for in the biga. The recipe allows for the use of agave nectar or honey in the final loaf, the choice being obvious for the layperson.

Being that I'm lazy and out of practice, there are only photos of the finished product at this time. Within the next week, full details of the modifications will be posted, as well as another recipe or two, perhaps.

Rye Bread

By the by, Peter Reinhart's lovely blog can be found right over here.