Friday, September 4, 2009

more feedback... this one from Loafchild

"Okay, just so I don't wind up being the completely lazy and non-participating baker here... while I have yet to use this flour to make any actual BREAD I did make some oatmeal-wheat scones (50% whole wheat) with the App. White and it gave a lovely golden color (more golden than [what I am used to]) and a micro-thin crunchy crust. Lovely overall texture too. I have also made a Concord grape pie with a 100% whole wheat crust, again App. White. Again, the remarkable golden color and a rich flavor that stood up well to the filling, a wonderful light crunch to the pastry. I'm gonna try Danish too and then maybe I will be over my sweet tooth."
-- Darci, Loafchild Bakery

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Farm and Sparrow's feedback

"On Monday, I milled up the Nu East Red wheat and sifted the flour to about an 85% extraction, mixed a wet dough, and set it in the cool room for a long bulk rise. Then I clumsily injured my left hand and wound up with a splint. Having only one hand to shape with, all I could think to do was pull it into a ciabatta style rustic log. It turned out phenomenal with a big open interior and good red wheat flavor. I don't think I would have got that crumb with a high protein spring wheat. I agree with Abraham about the mellowness though, I think it has good flavor but lacks some of the bitterness of bran heavy red wheats. This is very promising!
Also, I got to try Steve's loaves last saturday. They were tasty and wheaty and were a perfect illustration of the different flavor profiles of red/white wheat."

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

More results from Dr Marshall's wheat

More feedback is rolling in: Flat Rock Village Bakery said, "We had really good results with both flours mixing up sourdough loaves with each on two different days. I found the flavor of both (NuEast and Appalachian White) to be noticeably fresher and "wheatier" than the [flour] I'm used to. Both flours performed well developing into very nice 100% whole wheat loaves with good volume, structure, and shape. Overall thumbs up, thanks."
Abraham Palmer of Box Turtle Bakery in Chapel Hill, "I baked with all fresh-milled flours in a sourdough hearth loaf (wheat, water, salt, and starter culture) side-by-side a Montana-grown hard white wheat. The recipe uses a Reinhart-style 12 hr soaker for the bulk of the flour. I would be very pleased to have a supply of both of these grains. Loaf height of my Appalachian White was better than Nu East although both performed acceptably. The flavor of the Nu East lacked some of the bite I associate with the tannins and that I look for in a red wheat, but some might like the milder flavor anyway. The Appalachian White I thought had very good buttery/nutty notes and the customers I sampled it with preferred it of the three. It made my Montana-grown hard white wheat seem fairly bland by comparison."
Wakerobin breads, "I just tasted the bread made with the organic Appalachian White whole wheat flour. It is distinctly nuttier and sweeter than [my usual supply of] the whole wheat bread flour. I really like it!"
The above picture is from Farm and Sparrow. This bread was made with the NuEast, hard red wheat (grown in Moore Co on Billy Carter's farm). Baker Dave Bauer hand-sifted out the larger bran, for about a mid-80s extraction.