I’m sorry your bread didn’t come out as expected. I’ve been pondering the info you shared and I’m not sure what is the culprit. The corn has no gluten to begin with, so I think overheating it wouldn’t be an issue one way or another, at least not in terms of texture. Perhaps extra high heat impacted the starch converting enzymes and so sweetness got limited.
Bricklike and sour would indicate possible overproofing. Or it’s possible the medium grind of the corn played a role in the density too (as opposed to fine milled).
You mentioned you got nice bubbling during the preferment. Did you also get a nice final rise?
I’m confused about the mash step. Do you add the cornmeal to boiling water then take it off the heat so it goes down to 150? Or do you simmer it for awhile? I don’t understand the part that says "Mix thoroughly and aim for a mash temp of 158-194F. "
Thanks
Water boiling temp is 212F, so to start the mash between 158F and 194F, a good strategy is to boil the water separately and then pour it onto the corn flour that is in a bowl with room for stirring.
That way a good amount of the excess heat will be absorbed by your flour and bowl and the mash is likely to be under 194F.
You can also just mix the cornmeal into cold water and bring it up to temperature together. I do this in a saucepan and simply put the saucepan into my Brod & Taylor proofing box in slow cooker mode for the last step. If you are not doing the whole mash in a vessel that you can heat the water in, like, say, the thermos method, this might be less convenient than what Melissa describes, due to having to scrape it out of one vessel into another.
My favorite local restaurant makes the best walnut date bread ever. I’ve been eating here for years and never had the gumption to ask about it. Recently at an event catered by the chef/owner and got my chance. She said she uses a mash and describe to me this very process. “it brings out the sweetness and makes for a nice soft text”. So I had to know more , that’s how I found this article. I can’t wait to try this. Chad Robertson gives a rather poor and disappointingly wrong description of this process in his newest “Bread Book”. My first try I burnt the flour before I could even get the desired temperature, and gave up until I could get better instructions. Here it is. Thanks.
That’s so cool to hear a chef is using this process at a restaurant, and I’m glad you found this blog post. @raven is indeed so knowledgeable about grain mashing and bread baking!
In Tartine No. 3, the process illustrated is to first ferment the grains prior to cooking/scalding, then the levain is added separately. Do these different approaches yield similar results as scalding first, then fermenting the porridge with the levain?
Here the grain is chemically changed through saccharification before fermentation. The process you describe as “cooking/scalding” is not saccharification. Saccharification - Wikipedia
Absolutely no reason for it. I just use a teaspoon measuring spoon and scoop some out and sometimes it is heaping and hardly a level spoonful and it is approximate. Just use what you are used to. Scalds will open up a new world of possibilities for you from rye to wheat to spelt and using a grain mix in a scald instead of a soaker. The flavor of the bread will go to a new level.