Sourdough loaf with Wild Rice

Stefanie of Hefe und Mehr is the lovely host for this month’s Bread Baking Day #68. She likes us to bake with ancient recipes of ancient grains and with sourdough. When I read this I had 3 days until submission day. So, it’s time to bake!

I couldn’t find an ancient recipe which appealed to me. I found Wild Rice on the local market. It’s a weekly market where local Thai people and people from nearby hill tribes bring their products. Thailand is one of the largest rice producers and exporters. But, I’m not looking for “rice” even though I’m looking for “Wild Rice”. Wild Rice is categorist as a cool season cereal.

Wild rice (also called Canada rice, Indian rice, and water oats) are four species of grasses forming the genus Zizania, and the grain which can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America and China. While it is now a delicacy in North America, the grain is eaten less in China, where the plant's stem is used as a vegetable.

Wild rice is not directly related to Asian rice (Oryza sativa), whose wild progenitors are O. rufipogon and O. nivara, although they are close cousins, sharing the tribe Oryzeae. Wild rice grains have a chewy outer sheath with a tender inner grain that has a slightly vegetal taste.

The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The grain is eaten by dabbling ducks and other aquatic wildlife, as well as humans.

Today I’m baking a loaf with sourdough, ancient flour: spelt and ancient grains: wild rice.

Wild Rice

Normally I use my electric mixer for kneading dough. But, not today. Chad uses his hands instead. He uses “the master method” for most of his breads. I followed Chad’s instructions using my hands and let time do the rest. The result is a good looking, good smelling, good tasting and healthy bread. 

Makes: 1 big loaf 

Adapted from: Tartine No 3 by Chad Robertson

Leaven

0.5 tablespoon mature starter, 70 grams unbleached flour (550), 70 grams water

Place the mature starter in a bowl and feed it with flour and water. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the starter rise overnight. I fed the starter 2 times before using it. The smell was light sour, like a mild yogurt. 

I tested the leaven with the float test (a bit floats on the water). 

Wild Rice

140 grams uncooked gives 250 grams cooked wild rice (approx. 1 uncooked gives 2,5 cooked). I cooked the wild rice in my rice cooker and let it cool down. 

Dough

150 grams leaven, 425 grams water, 250 grams unbleached flour (550), 125 grams spelt flour, 125 grams wheat flour, 35 grams wheat germ, 250 grams cooked and cooled wild rice, 12 grams salt

Pour warm water into a large bowl.  Add the leaven and stir to disperse.  Add the flours. Use your hands to mix the dough until all of the dry bits of flour have been incorporated.  So I wet my hand and worked the dough until no dry bits of flour remained. Let the dough rest for 25 to 40 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a plastic container with lid. Leave for bulk fermentation for 3 or 4 hours, until it doubled. During the first 2 hours I stretched and folded the dough every 30 minutes (stretches a corner of the dough onto the main dough, fold it like an envelope). After one hour (2 stretch and folds) I gently added the wild rice. I incorporated it with
a stretch and fold.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. 

I wanted to bake one large loaf. After shaping it into a batard I dusted a kitchen towel with a lot of flour and placed the dough on it. I placed the kitchen towel in a banneton. I left it to proof for 2 hours.  

In the mean time I pre heated the oven to 250°C and placed the Dutch oven on the lowest level.

After about 1 hour the Dutch oven was sizzling hot, and I worked carefully and quickly to keep the heat in the oven. Take the lid of the Dutch oven and quickly place the loaf in. Quickly score the loaf with a double sided razor and close the lid and the oven. Bake with lid for 30 minutes. After 20 minutes lower the temperature to 230°C. Then take the lid off and bake another 20-25 minutes until the loaf is nicely brown colored.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. This loaf smelled so good. Enjoy it!

I send this loaf to Stefanie of Hefe und Mehr, she is the host for Bread Baking Day #68. Thanks Zorra of Kochtopf for yet another great Bread Baking Day experience! 

I send this loaf to Susans YeastSpotting. Don’t forget to visit Wild Yeast, there is so much to see.