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Kernza® Artisan Bread
Bread baking enthusiasts have different goals, but many of us love exploring different grains, enjoy a chewy crumb texture, and try to optimize the nutrition of our bread. And framing those goals is our dedication to supporting sustainable farming that is healthy for the earth and humans. Here is a bread recipe with the unique Kernza® Perennial Grain that we think will satisfy all of these goals. This wheatgrass-derived perennial has a delicious nutty and herbal flavor. It is high in fiber and protein and, when paired with bread flour, makes an airy, pliable crumb. By itself or paired with another whole grain flour, it makes a superbly delicious, less airy crumb, which we’ll explore more in the future.
As for the last goal, as a perennial grain, Kernza develops deep roots and regrows year after year. Perennials promote less soil erosion, more carbon sequestration, healthier soil microbiology, and they reduce the need for energy inputs like fertilizer, water, and fuel for farm machinery. In the recipe below, fresh-milled Kernza grain makes up 1/3 of the flour and Bread Flour the rest. We include instructions for leavening the dough with sourdough starter and instant yeast.
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33% Kerna flour, sourdough leavened
Methods
Based on slurry testing and four test bakes all detailed in this article: Baking Bread with Kernza® Perennial Grain, we created this dough formula that pairs Kernza and bread flour in a ratio of 33:67. After milling the Kernza grains, you saltolyse the dough — mixing together the flour, water, and salt — to begin softening the large bran pieces and developing the gluten in the dough. The salt slows the starch-to-sugar conversion that begins happening once a flour is wet. This slowing of the fermentation gives you time to develop the gluten in the dough in warm summer temperatures. If it is wintertime, you can do a regular autolyse (flour and water) because your cool kitchen temperatures will serve to slow the fermentation.
Saltolyse and starter
The hydration we landed on is 82%. The flour and water in the sourdough starter and the preferment are factored into that calculation. Kernza flour is relatively absorbent and Breadtopia’s bread flour, at 13.5% protein, can handle a lot of water. The dough will become manageable after some initial goopiness, but please check out the photos in the gallery after the recipe and also trust your instincts. If your dough seems far too wet or dry, add more flour or water.
For the four rounds of gluten development after mixing, do one round of stretching and folding, one lamination, and two rounds of coil folding. In the photo gallery below, you can see how the dough becomes stronger and smoother between the first stretch and fold and the lamination. In my experience, this sequence is the optimal strategy for gluten development, but please feel free to do your preferred gluten development maneuvers. To watch videos on the different forms of gluten development, check out this article: Gluten Development for Artisan Bread. In fact, if you make the fermentation process very long i.e. 12+ hours through cooling of the dough or using only a tiny amount of starter or yeast, you might skip the active gluten developent (and saltolyse) altogether.
Laminating the dough on a clean, wet work surface
Kernza® Artisan-Style Bread (Sourdough and Yeast)
Kernza has a nutty, herbal flavor that is delicious by itself or paired with other flours. For bread baking, it performs similar to einkorn and rye, making beautiful airy loaves when paired with stronger flours, and delicious closed crumb breads when used alone. Kernza has more fiber and protein than conventional wheat, and more fiber and about the same protein as ancient einkorn wheat.
Ingredients
SOURDOUGH
YEAST
Preferment
Dough
* 1 cup Kernza whole grain flour, vigorously tamped down after milling, weighs 110-115 grams
Instructions
See the photo gallery for target dough expansion during the first and second rise.
Preferment or Sourdough Starter
Saltolyse
Mix and Bulk Fermentation
Shape and Final Proof
Baking
Sourdough Leavening
Instant Yeast Leavening
Shopping List
Kernza Perennial Grain
High Protein Bread Flour
Sourdough Starter (Dry)
Mockmill 100 Grain Mill
Danish Dough Whisk — Large
Oval Rattan Proofing Basket
Breadtopia Clay Baker — Batard
Kernza® Artisan Bread