speeding up soakers + two or more other questions

Can I effectively speed-up soakers with ingredients such as millet, flax seeds, quinoa grain and steel-cut oats by cooking them like a hot breakfast cereal without losing much of the flavor or nutrient qualtities?

Also I have two more questions: first, I've been putting all the salt required for the entire loaf into the soaker and adding it to the final dough with a sponge as a second step. So I have my soaker, my sponge, and my final dough: three steps. The second other question is this: ny instant yeast is with the final dough, not with the sponge. I do this so I can retard the fermentation a little bit and allow the sponge to sit a while before I have to actually start the fermentation process. It seems to work well for me but I'd like to hear other thoughts out there. Whenever I need sugar, I've been putting it in the sponge. Thoughts on that too would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rich

Reply to
Richard Hollenbeck
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If your just trying to soften the grain it should work to cook them, but I think you might lose a lot of flavor since you aren't giving the enzymes time to break down starches into sugars..which is what gives a lot of flavor to the soaker. There sure is no harm in trying though and seeing what happens.

Mike S.

Reply to
Mike S.

No, I think you answered the question and I suspected the same. My old baking instructor used to say to the class, "You can't hurry love," and it seems that every shortcut has some kind of negative side effect. Okay, I'll just make the soaker the day before I plan to use it.

Thank You. Yes it did work to cook it like a hot cereal, but now I'm going to do it the right way and compare the taste.

Rich

Reply to
Richard Hollenbeck

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