Five-Grain Bread with Pâte Fermentée

When the sourdough starter is not ready for action, I reach for yeasted pre-ferments to jumpstart the bread making process. Or if a starter is not available to you, using a pâte fermentée can get you a good loaf of bread in a day or two. I was homebound during the Nor’easter, there was nothing better to do than baking bread! This five-grain bread with pâte fermentée from Bread by Jeffrey Hamelman delivers great flavor, nutrition and high in fiber. The bread is a pleasure to make and to eat. By the way, the herbed-baked eggs go very well with the bread.

Unlike the natural sourdough cultures, pâte fermentée has a limited life expectancy. You may mix it the night before and use it the next day. The effort and time requirement is rather minimal. Whatever the time schedule you choose, start by dispersing the yeast in the water. Add flour and salt and mix until smooth. Let it rest, covered at room temperature, for 12 to 16 hours. That’s it. The high percentage (50%) of pâte fermentée has the benefit of shortening the time the dough takes in the initial bulk rise.

The grains I used besides the wheat flour are: cracked rye, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and oats. The additional grains and seeds help to increase the nutrient density of the finished loaf. Checked!

Prepare a hot soaker by stirring to incorporate the rye, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and oats in a bowl of water. Let them absorb the water and soften for a few hours before mixing the final dough. Feel feel to change the grain types and percentages in the soaker. Just make sure the overall hydration remains balanced.

Mixing the dough in a mixer goes fast. The dough becomes loose but with definite gluten strength when it finishes mixing. I folded the dough once and added some water since the dough seemed to be on the dry side. My kitchen is dry in the winter months. Bulk fermentation takes about 2 hours at room temperature.

Since it was late in the day, I put the container of dough in the fridge to rest overnight. Divide and shape it the next morning and let the loaves rise again in the proofing baskets. They are ready for the oven when they pass the dimple test. (The indentation remains as you poke the dough with your finger.)

I baked the loaves in three Dutch ovens at 460°F for a total of 40 minutes. The earthy aroma wafting from the kitchen was alluring. I couldn’t wait to take a bite. One slice of the freshly baked five-grain bread, flecked with color and texture, is all it takes to induce my enthusiasm for breads like this. The fact that it’s fast to make, relatively speaking, adds to its appeal. The flaxseeds and sunflower seeds add a great deal of crunch and heft to the bread. A pleasure to eat, indeed!