This is my third attempt of the Pain Au Levain formula from Peter Reinhart’s new book “Bread Revolution”.
The first 2 did not come out correctly. I now suspect the main culprit was that I did not dry out the sprouted winter wheat berries enough and the flour was too moist. This time I let it dry out using a fan for a day and half and the bread came out much better.
I used my AP starter and did not add any yeast. I also let the bulk dough rise for a bit in my proofer set at 80 degrees before refrigerating. The next day I let it sit out for an hour before shaping and proofing at 80 degrees for around 3 hours.
I did not achieve much oven spring but the crumb is nice and moist and not gummy like the last bake.
This tastes like nothing I have baked ever before. The sprouted grains really do add such a unique flavor. I can’t wait to start experimenting with different sprouted grains when I return from my annual pilgrimage to North Carolina for Thanks Giving.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
mookielovesbread 