It’s been a while since I’ve made a bread with a soaker. A soaker is a mix of seeds and/or grains that are soaked in hot or cold liquid in order to make them softer. There are a few good reasons for using soakers in breadmaking. Some grains simply must be soaked otherwise they will be inedible. Some nuts may be too chunky and hard to slice through if not soaked which may result in the bread tearing when cut. Dry seeds and grains will absorb water from the dough drying it out. Soaking them beforehand will prevent all of it. You can find a whole video about soakers right here.
Various ingredients can be added to a soaker. Pretty much any seed that you can eat can be used. And many grains which do not require a lot of cooking. Small seeds can be soaked in cold water while harder grains may do better in a hot water soaker. You can customize this recipe to your taste by using any seeds that you like.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the soaker –
20g (0.7oz) millet
30g (1oz) golden raisins
40g (1.4oz) roasted chopped hazelnuts
2g (0.07oz) toasted anise seeds
2g (0.07oz) toasted fennel seeds
2g (0.07oz) toasted caraway seeds
200g (7oz) boiling water
For the dough –
280g (9.9oz) water
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
8g (0.28oz) salt
50g (1.75oz) wholegrain (dark) rye flour
50g (1.75oz) wholewheat bread flour
300g (10.6oz) white bread flour
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
1. Make the soaker. Combine the seeds, raisins, hazelnuts, and millet in a small bowl. Pour in the boiling water. Leave to cool down completely and then drain well.
2. Make the dough. Combine the water, yeast, salt, rye flour, wholewheat flour, and soaker in a large bowl. Mix well to dissolve the salt and yeast. Add the white bread flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 24C (75F).
3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Fold.
5. Cold ferment for 18 – 24 hours.
6. Pre-shape the dough and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Shape the loaf and place it in a banneton. Cover and proof for 1 hour.
8. Score and bake at 220C (430F) fan on or 240C (465F) fan off with the lid on for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the lid and place the loaf back into the oven for 10 minutes.
Leave to cool down before slicing.
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
