Bushwalk Australia

Anybody got a really good recipe and process for a mild version
I've been experimenting with sour rye fermentations as a way of reducing the heartburn associated with too much Phytic acid in wholemeal breads and I thought a rich and mild black bread would make a decent and long lasting bush bread
Having a bit of trouble deciding on the best ratio of flours and grains and thought I'd ask for some opinions
Last and best batch used 200g barley berries. 200 g coarse barley flour, 200g WM flour [Safeway own brand] 500 g coarse rye meal and 300g plain flour and 4 heaped desert spoons of dark brown sugar because I couldn't find any molasses
I left out the milk soaked stale rye bread I never saw the point of using it
It was a little light and fragile for a pumpernickel but otherwise even Cecile ate ate it
I'll usually substitute yoghurt or buttermilk for the scalded milk as I think it ferments better and tastes much better too

Supermarkets should have molasses next to Golden Syrup but its a ridiculous price. Often in those odd upside-down-bottles in which honey & mayo are sold. I understand you may mean - you couldnt' find any in the pantry but you might like to know - A horse-riding friend insists that the stuff sold at the Farmers depot - you know, those outlets with chookfeed etc in most cities and easily seen in country towns - is exactly the same and a fraction of the cost.

Hi,

Saunders Malt Extract 1Kg is ~$10 per 1 kg in wollies. I like it as a spread on bread. Might do in place of molasses?

The Germans do a very heavy dark bread that I like when travelling there .. packs well as it is very dense and does not disintegrate. Think a half load was 1 kg.
Good luck with the beard.

Warin wrote:Good luck with the beard.

:-)

Orion wrote:

Warin wrote:Good luck with the beard.

:-)

Bread...

It was delicious
Dark Sweet Dense Full of fibre
The most difficult part was waiting a week for the barley to swell up and soften in the fridge so the next batch will just use coarse barley meal
I used treacle in one batch and dark brown sugar in the other, they gave identical results
Buttermilk gave a better flavour than yogurt
There is a product from the USA called "Boston Brown Bread" which comes in tins which is similar apparently, I've made it but not purchased it. more like a steamed fruit pudding than bread.
That uses polenta, rye flour and oats as well as some wheat flour
Cecile says I have to put caraway seeds in the next batch, I tend to agree that the aniseed flavour goes really well with dark rye breads.
We have a farm supply here so I will check out the price of molasses there. Horse feed molasses is the best stuff for this and I kick myself for not thinking about the local farm supply shop