The Wheat Germ Variation

I thought it was time once again to work with some wheat germ in my bread. Not just for the health benefits but also to try and add something to the appearance of the crumb. I expected that if I added enough wheat germ, then there would be little flecks of brown and black scattered around the interior but nothing happened in this experiment. 

The wheat germ was 7%, approximately 28g, so I can't be faulted for not trying. Perhaps it was just a case of the wheat germ absorbing enough moisture during the mixing, fermentation, and proofing processes that it lost its appearance. On the other hand, this particularly handsome loaf is tasty.

Starter

150g at 100%

Soaker

100g white whole wheat flour

25g  whole rye flour

125g water at room temperature

<1g kosher salt added to slow down enzymatic activity during overnight soak.

Dough

All of starter

All of soaker

275g bread flour

166g water at 85F

15g honey from Hillside Farm

7g kosher salt

28g wheat germ

Baked using the magic bowl method where I used a large stainless steel bowl to cover the dough in the oven. The bowl was preheated along with the baking stone until the oven reached a temperature of 450F. I removed the bowl from the oven, loaded the dough which was on parchment paper, and then covered the dough. I baked at 450F for 15 minutes, removed the bowl and parchment paper, and resumed the bake at 425F for another 20 minutes. The loaf had attained an internal temperature of 202F so I turned the oven off and used a pot holder to keep the oven door cracked open for 5 minutes. After that, the difficult part was restraining myself from taking a slice before the loaf cooled off. 

I sliced the loaf this morning and it's at a least a third gone tonight. At least the whole grains and wheat germ are in there to give it some goodness and virtue.

Comments, humor, and questions are welcome.