Pain aux Céréales

This is another delectable bread that I made from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking which is flavored by a combination of sesame and flax seeds in both the crust and crumb.  The formula makes use of a pâte fermentée, making up almost 40% of the final dough.  Interestingly, the formula also calls for the addition of diastatic malt powder which I believe could have been omitted though it didn't state that this was optional.  I found the bread to be slightly on the chewy side because of the addition of DMP so feel free to use less of it or completely omit it if you don't have any on hand.

Pain aux Céréales 

(Adapted from The Fundamental Techniques of Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute)

Yield: 2 - 500 gram loaves

Pâte fermentée:

97 grams  Bread flour

66 grams  Cool water

0.8 grams  Instant yeast

2 grams  Salt

167 grams  TOTAL

Combine the bread flour and water with the yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mic on low speed with the dough hook until completely blended; the mix will be quite stiff.  When blended, scrape the mixture into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic film, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.  

Final Dough:

443 grams  Bread flour

310 grams  Water

9 grams  Salt

1.6 grams  Instant yeast

18 grams  Diastatic malt (optional)

167 grams  pâte fermentée

27 grams  Sesame seeds

27 grams  Flax seeds

A combination of 1/4 cup flax and 1/4 cup sesame seeds for coating set on a tray

1000 grams  TOTAL

Procedure:

Combine the bread flour, yeast, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Mix on low speed until blended then stop the mixer and autolyse for 20 minutes.  Add the salt, diastatic malt, and pâte fermentée and mix on low for 5 minutes.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix for about 8 minutes or until the dough comes together but remains slightly sticky.  Add the sesame and flax seeds on low speed, mixing until integrated.

Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic film and set aside for 45 minutes.  Uncover and fold the dough.  Cover again and set aside to ferment for another 45 minutes.

When the dough is ready uncover on a lightly floured surface and divide into two 500-gram rounds.  Cover each with plastic film to bench rest for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, ready the tray filled with the seeds and wet a kitchen towel and lay it beside the tray.  When the doughs have been sufficiently relaxed shape them into batards or boules then dip the surface of each dough on the damp towel then immediately coat with the seeds.

Lay the coated loaves on a floured couche or linen coated side down and cover with plastic film.  Proof for 1 hour.  

About an hour before baking, place baking stones inside the oven and pre-heat to 450 F.  Place whatever items you use for steaming in the oven as well.

Uncover the loaves and invert on top of a well-floured peel.  Using a lame or razor, immediately score the loaves.  Transfer to the hot baking stone then bake with steam for the first 20 minutes, then another 20 minutes without.  If you used DMP, the loaves may brown faster than usual so you can decrease the oven temperature 20-30 degrees lower.  

Remove the loaves and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

*Submitting this post to YeastSpotting*