Vapor Baker: Soaked Grain, Jalapeno Soda Bread (Baked)

[ Equipment: oven or slow cooker with temperature control, a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 (inch) loaf pan. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].

This savory sandwich bread has a texture and taste like that of a soft yeast bread, chewy with plenty of heat and tang from the pickled jalapeno peppers and sour cream. Leave out the peppers and it would make a great sourdough soda bread. For the same amount of flour, it doesn't rise quite as high as yeast loaf could. It's a heartier bread with an open crumb.

The flour was a blend of regular all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, about 25% by volume. My first LTB soda bread, a Harvest-Spiced Gluten-Free Soda Bread, contained a binder of egg and ground flax seed. This eggless bread didn't require a separate binder. It wasn't kneaded; instead the crumb got its chewy quality from long fermentation of the wheat flour - like a slow-rise yeast dough.

Soaking whole grain flour in an acid medium broke down phytic acid, which inhibited absorption of nutrients in the body, and improves digestibility and taste (for those who are partial to the taste of whole grain flour). It seemed to break down some of the gluten proteins, but may also have helped with texture - just as in slow-rise doughs, but without the yeast action to develop gluten bonds.

However, my main concern about soaked grains in LTB was that excessive exposure to moisture could produce a hard and/or dense bread with coarse texture, as happened in my early experiments with slow-rise breads. Too little moisture meant the dough would not rise as high, because the acid-soda reaction needed moisture. Too much moisture would weigh the dough down. The soaked grains worked well in this recipe, because only 1/4 of the total flour was treated, and because the soaked grains were evenly distributed throughout the dough. The loaf stayed moist and delicious for a day or two. Afterwards, I toasted slices for crunchy hot sandwiches.

The recipe lists a strong "soured milk", which I made by mixing a 1% low-fat milk with a white vinegar (4% acidity). Traditionally, this is like the formula for a buttermilk substitute, and buttermilk should work too if combined with an extra tablespoon of vinegar. About the pickled jalapenos, my local market had cans of sliced pickled jalapenos under the La Costena brand. After chopping them, I pressed them gently on a paper towel to soak up any runny juices and prevent soggy pockets in the loaf.

This recipe was my first bread baked in a convection oven. As seen in the pictures, the crust came out a nice golden color - darker than what I could obtain in a slow-cooker oven. It has not been tested in a slow-cooker oven. None of my cookers will accommodate a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan. Anyone who tries this bread in a slow-cooker should expect longer baking time and a lighter crust. If the loaf fails to rise fully in a cooker, try replacing the the foil cover with the one used in my original large potato bread.

Makes 1 loaf
- 1100 calories per loaf
- Oven Temperature: 250°F/121°C

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour (6.4 oz)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2.4 oz)
1-1/8 cup soured milk (1 cup milk + 2 tablespoons white vinegar - see text)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (drained, see text)
1 teaspoon sugar
5/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1. In a small bowl, stir whole wheat flour into 1/2 cup soured milk. Cover and allow flour to soak for 12 hours. The picture above shows the soaked wheat flour before and after the 12 hour fermentation.

2. In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients until well combined.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the soaked flour (including all liquid), sour cream, chopped pickled peppers and remaining 5/8 cup soured milk.

4. Add to dry ingredients and stir to evenly distribute and a wet dough forms. Do NOT overmix.

5. Spoon the dough into a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan and spread out evenly.

6. Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Cut out a rectangular opening in the foil, leaving a 1-inch border around the pan. Then cut a 1/2-inch diagonal slit at each corner to form 4 flaps (see areas circled in red in the picture above). The flaps should remain flat for now.

7. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes and check height of loaf. When the loaf is almost touching the foil, lift the foil flaps up and away from the loaf, using tongs or two spoons.