Spent Grain Wholemeal Bread
Spent beer grains can also be combined with wholegrain bread! Since I don’t live very near to a source of fresh spent grains, I dried some the last time I got them. Dried and saved in airtight packaging, spent grains are a great addition to bread baking and are also great for extending the shelf-life of the bread.
Drying should be done in an oven set to a low temperature! Drying the spent grains at room temperature leads quickly to unpleasant flavors and smells.
In order to use the dried spent grains again, they need to be hydrated. Whether in a soak, scald, or a boiled soak is up to you, but salt should be added if they are left to stand for a longer time. This prevents unwanted extraneous fermentation which could have a strong impact on the taste.
Recipe
for a dough weight of 1897g / 3 pieces, each 632g
Total Recipe
| 540g | Whole grain rye flour, fine | 54% |
| 60g | Whole grain rye meal, coarse | 6% |
| 50g | Rye flakes | 5% |
| 350g | Whole grain wheat flour, fine/medium | 35% |
| 50g | Spent grains, dried | 5% |
| 18g | Salt | 1,8% |
| 5g | Yeast | 0,5% |
| 800g | Water | 80% |
| Fennel & coriander for topping |
Sourdough
| 240g | Whole grain rye flour, fine |
| 200g | Water 35 – 40°C |
| 24g | Starter |
Dissolve the starter in water then mix in the whole grain rye flour until lump-free. Then allow to mature for 12-14 hours at room temperature.
Scald
| 50g | Spent grains, dried |
| 50g | Rye flakes |
| 60g | Whole grain rye meal, coarse |
| 250g | Water 100°C |
Pour boiling water over the grains, meal, and flakes and hen mix for 5 minutes on slow in the kneading machine. Then allow to soak for 3-4 hours at room temperature. In the case that the scald will stand for longer at room temperature, salt (from the main dough amount) should be added.
Main dough
| 464g | Mature sourdough |
| 410g | Scald |
| 300g | Whole grain rye flour, fine |
| 350g | Whole grain wheat flour, fine/medium |
| 18g | Salt |
| 5g | Yeast |
| ca. 350g | Water |
Production
- Mix all ingredients but only half of the water amount on slow speed for 8 minutes. With this method, a better cohesion in the dough structure is achieved. After this the rest of the water is added and the dough firmness is checked. Should the dough seem too firm, additional water can be added.
- After the dough production it is allowed to mature for 30 minutes.
- Then divide the dough, form into round, and dip in a mixture of fennel and coriander.
- With the spice mixture side up, place in a baking pan, cover and allow to proof.
- Once fully proofed, place the bread in the oven at 230°C with strong steam. Immediately reduce the temperature to 195°C.
- Release the steam after 7 minutes.
- Total baking time 90 minutes
If you would like to bake your bread with yeast, you should extend the dough maturity to 45 minutes!
