Eating The Sky

To make a barm all you need is 1 part flour and 1 part water by WEIGHT, not volume. That means you need to bust out with a scale... well not me. As I said before, I love to wing it. And I've done this a few times so it's become easier to just fly by the seat of my pants. So mix the flour and water together thoroughly. Tip: try using rye or whole wheat four and apple cider or pineapple juice just this first time. This gives the final barm a really developed flavor since the acidity of the juices promote the growth of bacteria which create complex flavors. Make sure to use 100% juice, no additives, as they can interfere with the production of the bacteria you want. Keep it in a container with a loose-fitting lid that is a good size bigger than your mixture as it is going to expand to about twice it's size. Leave it on the counter until the next day.

Now time for lesson 2 of barm making. Feeding is when you add flour and water to the barm to keep the yeast alive. You always want to at least double your barm size when you feed it. So you can take half out and make something with it or toss it, or double your barm. Feed the barm at room temperature for 3 more days like this, keeping an eye out for overflow. After that put the barm in the fridge and feed 1-2 times a week. At this point you can use the barm but the flavor won't quite be at it's peak. Don't worry. After 3 weeks of feeding the barm will start to smell kinda like rotten fruit and give off ethanol gas. Word of advice: don't stick you nose in the container right after opening it :) One more note: if you find that your barm seems too thin or runny just add flour. The best kinds to feed your barm with are bread flour, all purpose, whole wheat and rye.

Now that you have barm let's make some bread! Take a cup of cold barm and add 3/4 cup of water to it, mixing well. Add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of honey and a tiny touch of molasses. Mix in bread flour until it thickens and is easy to lump together, but is still very sticky. Add some stoneground wheat flour and knead it into the dough. Keep adding flour as needed and knead the dough for about 8 minutes in a mixer, or 8 minutes by hand then rest for 5 minutes and 8 more minutes. You can tell when the dough is ready by taking a small lump off and doing a "window pane test" stretching a tiny piece of the dough into a circle over a light. If you see the light through the dough pretty easily it is done.

Shape the dough into a ball by stretching one side over the other and sealing it in a circle. Place on the counter seal side down, cover with plastic wrap or a large bowl until the dough almost doubles in size. Then flatten the dough lightly with the flats of your fingers or your palms and shape into either a loaf for a loaf pan or a batard. Both require you to fold the bottom third of the dough into the center and press lightly to seal. Then pull the top part over the seal you just made and seal a second time by pinching the crease. Put crease side down on an oiled baking pan. Beat a small egg well and brush it over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle oats, sesame seeds, flax seed, sunflower seeds, or whatever your heart desires on top. Spritz with a little water to help the toppings stick a little better. Score the bread with a serrated knife by cutting 2 slits diagonal across the top, and along the sides. Let rise until almost double and bake for 10 minutes at 400, then about 20 minutes at 350. Take the temperature by inserting a thermometer in the side. Get a reading from the middle of the bread. It should be between 190 and 210.