Heirloom Kernza®

I have been baking sourdough bread for several years. Most of the bread that I bake use a blend of flours with a preponderance of whole grain flours, including the heirloom varieties, Kamut and spelt. This recipe blends those two varieties with Kernza, a 21st Century variety of flour.

This recipe produced a hearty loaf of with all the nutritional benefits of the whole grain bread. The Kernza contributed to a rich, complex flavor profile.

Instructions

1. Mix together 410 grams of water, 100 grams Kernza, 150 grams Kamut, 100 grams spelt and 60 grams whole wheat flours and let stand for 2 hours (the autolyze).
2. Blend 75 grams of ripe sourdough starter into the previous mixture.
3. Mix the salt into the remaining whole wheat flour (90 grams) and blend into the dough. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
4. Do a series of 4 or 5 “stretch & folds” at 30 minute intervals, resting the dough in between.
5. Cover and let the dough stand at room temperature for an additional 2 to 4 hours. Then refrigerate the dough and bulk ferment for another 12 hours. During the bulk ferment, the dough should about double in volume.*
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, degas the dough and shape the dough. Place the dough into a proofing basket that has been dusted with rice flour. Cover and let stand for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.
7. Place the cloche in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
8. Remove the pre-heated base of the cloche from the oven, place the dough onto the base, cover and return to the oven for 25 minutes.
9. Remove the cloche cover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.** The bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 to 205 degrees F.***
10. Remove from the oven. Let cool for one hour and savor your handiwork.

Notes 

*Timing for the bulk ferment is variable, depending on the temperature at which the dough is proofed. Refrigeration retards the process. Proofing time would be shorter if the dough is proofed at warmer than room temperature.

**If a softer crust is desired, increase the covered baking time

***Baking times will vary, depending on oven performance.

Sprouted Kernza Variation

The basic bread that I bake uses a blend of flours, at least 75% whole grain and I usually include an addition. One addition that I have used is a sprouted grain (Kamut, quinuoa, lentils or garbanzo beans). So, it made sense to try sprouting Kernza berries (75 grams berries/loaf). After 4 days, fewer than half of the berries sprouted but I still used to result to bake a loaf. I followed the above recipe, blending the berries into the dough after adding the starter. Although the sprouting effort was marginal, the resulting loaf was satisfying.

Sprouted Kernza Variation

A soaker is another addition that I use. For the soaker, I toast 75 grains/loaf of some type of cereal (steel cut oats, rolled oats, multi-grain cereal etc.) over medium heat in a dry frying pan. The toasted grain is then soaked in 75 grams of water for 2 hours. I modified that method a bit when I made the Kernza soaker. It took a short 10 minutes to toast the berries. I removed the berries from the heat after the berries had turned to a reddish brown color. Other indications that the process was complete were the aroma, the appearance of steam rising from the pan and the popping of some of the berries. Then, I covered the berries with water

and let that stand for four hours before draining and adding to the dough. The resulting bread has a robust flavor and a pleasant crunch.