Rusks; barley flour, pressure cooked

Since I haven’t tried barley flour pressure cooked I decided to give that a try.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. As soon as it starts sticking to the bowl I stopped adding water and turned the mixer’s speed up to high. I also felt the dough with my fingers to make sure it wasn’t too stiff or too wet.

Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

I let the dough rest for at least 2 hours.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the mini loaf pan, buttered, tightly covered with aluminum foil, and cook it at high pressure for 25 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I want the loaf pan up away from the water and I put in several cups of water.

I chill the cooked loaf overnight in the fridge. I prepare it for the fridge by wrapping it in 3 layers of paper towel and then put it in a plastic bag which I wrap around it. The paper towels pick up any moisture that comes out of the loaf; without the paper towels the moisture collects on the plastic bag and gets back on the loaf and makes its outside sticky and gummy.

Next I slice the bread at the 2 setting. I couldn’t help myself and kept eating the odd bits that weren’t well sliced. Barley flour bread is very tasty; rich and buttery, which is why I used butter instead of oil in this recipe, to accentuate the barley flour’s flavor.

The slices are drying at 115 degrees; I set the timer for 10 hours.

After drying and several hours of resting and relaxing … quite nice. Wonderful taste; nice and rich and buttery. The texture is good as well. My only complaint is that it was hard to slice them well with the slicer; the top or bottom is thinner than the other side.

Rusks; teff flour, pressure cooked, sriracha swabbed

I’ve changed my mind about the rusks that I swabbed with sriracha sauce. A day later and they’re still nicely spicy hot but their flavor is otherwise dull and boring. The texture is still good; crunchy without being tough.

Maybe I could add some cumin or ajwain seeds to make them more tasty. I do like the burn though.

Rusks; teff flour, pressure cooked

I was going to make some rusks using brown rice flour but while looking for it in the freezer I came across the jar of teff flour so I used that instead since I haven’t tried teff flour yet.

While it was mixing, at first it had an interesting smell, but as the flour got wetter the smell went away.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. Instead of adding enough water so that it starts sticking to the bowl I stopped as soon as it was a stiff dough sticking to the mixer’s paddle. I was thinking that it might be better to use a dryer dough since it’s going to be pressure cooked and steamed.

Next I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

I let the dough rest for at least 2 hours.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 25 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I want the loaf pan up away from the water and I’ll put in several cups of water.

I chilled the cooked loaf overnight in the fridge.

Next I sliced the bread at the 2 setting.

I think I should have added a tablespoon or more of water when I was making the dough; the slices are just on the edge of being too dry. None of the slices fell apart while handling them but I could see some small cracks in the middle of them.

About a third of the slices I swabbed with sriracha sauce that I thinned with a little water.

The slices are drying at 115 degrees; I set the timer for 6 hours.

Later, after drying and cooling: Very nice. The taste is nice as is the texture. They hold up with dipping; I made some dip with plain Greek yogurt to which I added some finely chopped fermented serrano chilis and some basil.

The ones that I brushed on the sriracha sauce also came out well; they’re nicely hot and spicy.

I’m not sure if I should have added a wee bit more water when making the dough since they do have a nice texture; they’re not too tough and not too crumbly.

Rusks; brown rice flour, pressure cooked

Found the brown rice flour; not a whole lot of it but enough to make a batch.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. As soon as it starts sticking to the bowl I felt the dough and made sure it was sufficiently wet but not too wet; it was sticky and fairly stiff but not a batter.

Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

I let the dough rest for at least 2 hours.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 25 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I wanted the loaf pan up away from the water and I wanted to put in several cups of water.

I chilled the cooked loaf overnight in the fridge.

Next I sliced the bread at the 2 setting.

The slices are drying at 115 degrees; I set the timer for 6 hours. They weren’t dry after 6 hours so I set the timer for 2 more hours. Still sort of chewy after 8 hours. I’m not sure if I should do 2 more hours or accept this texture.

I forgot to add more time to the timer so they’re done after 8 hours. They’re still slightly chewy; I’m not sure if this is from their natural texture or because they weren’t dried enough. I need to do another batch and set the timer for 12 hours.

The flavor is nice. Not outstanding or anything; not remarkable, but not bad. It should pair nicely with any of the other flours.

Since they’re a little tough I’m going to try a batch using half brown rice flour and half sorghum flour.

Rusks; masa harina, cumin, pressure cooked, v2

I’m doing another test of masa harina, pressure cooked, with cumin seed. I’ve reduced the cumin seed from 2 1/2 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons, and left out the ground dried chili.

I ground the cumin seeds in a mortar and added some of the powdered milk and potato flakes while grinding them; the powdered milk and potato flakes pick up the essential oils and turn brown, rather than the essential oils sticking to the mortar and pestle. I also added the salt; that seems like a good idea but I’m not sure why. After grinding and pounding it I dump it in the mixing bowl and put some more powdered milk and potato flakes in the mortar and grind it to pick up any essential oils that might be in the mortar.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. Suddenly it will start sticking to the inside of the bowl instead of clumping together, becoming a very stiff batter. At this point I don’t add any more water since I’ll be cooking it in the pressure cooker in a steamy environment.

Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

The dough is resting.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I wanted the loaf pan up away from the water and I wanted to put in several cups of water.

The cooked loaf is chilling in the fridge.

Sliced the bread at the 2 setting. It wasn’t fully chilled and it seemed like the slices were too thin; that may be because the loaf wasn’t fully cold.

The slices are drying at 115 degrees; I set the timer for 10 hours.

Later, after drying and cooling: They taste good. The texture is good as well. They’re quite thin, more like chips. They’ve curled much more than the ones sliced at 2.5.

Rusks; sorghum flour, nigella, pressure cooked

I’m doing a test of sorghum flour, pressure cooked. I’m curious to see how the texture of the rusks from this comes out.  The flour has a  grainy texture so I’m hoping that the crackers won’t be tough.

I also added some nigella seed to test their flavor.

I sauteed the nigella seeds in the oil. I put a teaspoon of nigella seeds in a bowl and then added a tablespoon of the oil and then cooked them for 20 seconds on high in the microwave. I repeated that until they started producing microscopic bubbles and the bowl was very hot. I did that for each teaspoon of nigella seeds and tablespoon of oil. I didn’t want to scorch them so it’s possible I could have cooked them even more.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Unlike the other doughs, towards the end the sorghum flour dough does not clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. After I’d added about 3/4 cup of water I stopped the mixer and felt the dough; it was wet and grainy; sort of like a corn meal dough.

Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

The dough is resting.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I wanted the loaf pan up away from the water and I wanted to put in several cups of water.

The cooked loaf is chilling in the fridge. I’ll slice it in the morning.

Later, sliced, dried, and a day after that: The texture is good. Not too hard. So I’ve found a way to use all that sorghum flour I bought! The flavor is nice as well. Nigella is probably an acquired taste. I like it; it’s different and exotic.

Rusks; masa harina, cumin, pressure cooked

I’m doing another test of masa harina, pressure cooked, with cumin seed. I’m going to dry it at 115 and see if that preserves the cumin flavor. I’ve also added 2 teaspoons of dried chili powder to add some heat.

I ground the cumin seeds in a mortar and added some of the powdered milk and potato flakes while grinding them; the powdered milk and potato flakes pick up the essential oils and turn brown, rather than the essential oils sticking to the mortar and pestle. After grinding and pounding it I dump it in the mixing bowl and put some more powdered milk and potato flakes in the mortar and grind it to pick up any essential oils that might be in the mortar.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. Suddenly it will start sticking to the inside of the bowl instead of clumping together, becoming a very stiff batter. At this point I don’t add any more water since I’ll be cooking it in the pressure cooker in a steamy environment.

Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

The dough is resting.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I wanted the loaf pan up away from the water and I wanted to put in several cups of water.

The cooked loaf is chilling in the fridge. I’ll slice it in the morning.

Later, just after drying: The flavor is good. I like the little bit of heat that the chili pepper gives them. I can’t tell yet how the texture is going turn out though.

Later, a day after drying: The flavor is a bit strong; I’m thinking that 2 1/4 or 2 teaspoons might be better than 2 1/2 teaspoons. And this proves that drying them at a lower temperature, 115, is better at preserving the spice flavors.

The texture is slightly too tough; perhaps slicing them at the 2 setting instead of halfway between 2 and 3 would fix that. This raises the question as to why the rusks with masa harina and sesame seeds weren’t as tough; I think it’s because there are a lot of sesame seeds in them and the sesame seeds provide breaking points whereas with the ground cumin it’s a smooth consistent texture. And they’re both tougher than the nigella seed crackers made with sorghum and wheat bran.

Rusks; masa harina, sesame seeds, pressure cooked

I’m doing a test of masa harina, pressure cooked. I’m curious to see how the texture of the rusks from this comes out and how it tastes. Masa harina is gluten free and I’m hoping that the crackers won’t be tough.

Since it shouldn’t affect the texture I added 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds. The previous batch of rusks that I made with sesame seeds was with raw untoasted sesame seeds and they tasted a bit funky; I was hoping that baking the sesame seeds in the loaf would be sufficient to toast them but apparently not. So this is also an experiment with toasted sesame seeds.

The water quantity is an approximation. I add the water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough starts sticking together in clumps I let it mix longer before I add each additional tablespoon. Towards the end the dough will clump together and stick to the mixer’s paddle. In the beginning the mixer is on low; once the dough starts clumping together I put the spatter shield on the bowl and turn up the mixer’s speed. At this point, after each tablespoon of water it needs to mix for a minute or more before I add another tablespoon. Suddenly it will start sticking to the inside of the bowl instead of clumping together, becoming a very stiff batter. At this point I don’t add any more water since I’ll be cooking it in the pressure cooker in a steamy environment. I’ll let it mix for a few minutes more in order to develop whatever gluten there might be, which is not much with rye flour. Then I put it in a greased plastic bowl with a snap on lid, but before putting its lid on it I press some plastic food wrap down onto the dough. Even with plastic on it the top darkens. I let it rest for at least an hour before I transfer it to the loaf pan and cook it.

The dough is resting.

The reason I let the dough rest is that I read that whole grain flours don’t absorb fluids as quickly as white wheat flour does. And that the bran needs extra time to soak up its fluids. Additionally, there is enzyme activity going on that adds complexity to the flavor of the bread, but that probably requires a longer rest (for example, a day).

After its rest I put it in the little loaf pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and cooked it at high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure go down naturally.

I set up my pressure cooker by putting the pressure cooker’s trivet in it then I put the folding steaming basket on top of it (with its center handle removed). I wanted the loaf pan up away from the water and I wanted to put in several cups of water.

The cooked loaf is chilling in the fridge. I’ll slice it in the morning.

Later, sliced and dried: They just finished drying so it’s too early to tell about the texture but I think it’s going to be ok. I sliced them at 2.5. I dried them at 115.

The flavor is somewhat bland; the toasted sesame doesn’t come through very well. I think the masa’s flavor is competing with it and they both lost. I used black sesame seeds and they colored the dough very nicely; it’s very dark.