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Sprouted Wheat Berry Sourdough Loaf with Maple & Beer
I get excited about the science-experiment aspect of sourdough and bread baking in general. Recently, I wanted to see how two types of wheat behaved under the same conditions, and I wanted to try a recipe from Chad Robertson’s Tartine No.3 with sprouted wheat berries, maple syrup and beer.
In my experiment, I used the flour and berries of spelt wheat in one loaf, and the flour and berries of emmer wheat in another loaf. I simplified Robertson’s recipe in terms of ingredients and method. Robertson’s original recipe has four types of flour, whereas if you make one version of this recipe, you’ll need only two flours. Robertson’s autolyse period is 1-4 hours with the leaven, but no salt or wheat berries. In contrast, I let the dough rest 1 hour with all the ingredients before stretching and folding. Also, I lowered the hydration percentage from the high 80s to the high 70s to make the dough easier to handle.
Both loaves turned out delicious — with these ingredients this was not a surprise. The spelt loaf had more oven spring and a more open crumb, which I don’t believe can be attributed entirely to the extra 25 g of bread flour needed to make the spelt dough the same consistency as the emmer dough. Regardless, neither crumb was dense. The two loaves were not dramatically different in flavor, likely because of the high proportion of bread flour, but a brighter wheat flavor seemed to come through in the spelt bread, and a more caramel flavor in the emmer bread. I used a light beer as Robertson suggested in his original recipe, and a more interesting beer could influence the flavor quite a bit.
About Sprouted Wheat
Sprouted wheat berries add texture, flavor, and nutrients to the bread. The grains are noticeable but easy to chew, and they release some sweetness. Soaking and sprouting grains deactivates phytic acid in the wheat, which allows your body to absorb more minerals.
It is actually quite easy to sprout grains and legumes on your own. Wheat berries are very fast, taking about 1 day including the initial soak. The process can be done with just a bowl, colander and towel; though using a wide-mouth jar with a sprouting lid makes it even easier.
You can buy the wheat berries to sprout on your own here, and already sprouted wheat berries here. Before using the latter, you’ll need to re-hydrate them for 12-24 hours in water and then drain thoroughly.
Sprouted Wheat Berry Sourdough Loaf with Maple & Beer
Perfect alongside stew or chili, for sandwiches or with eggs for breakfast, this sprouted wheat berry maple beer sourdough is delicious and versatile. The recipe is an easy-to-follow variation on a Tartine No.3 recipe, and I made it with different wheat flours to test the impact on form and flavor.
Ingredients
For Sprouting
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
For Proofing Basket or Tea Towel
Instructions
Sprouting Instructions
Dough Instructions
Shopping List
Sprouted Wheat Berry Sourdough Loaf with Maple & Beer