Cracked Wheat Pan Loaf

 Even though I was in need of a loaf for use around the house, I indulged my sense of whimsy to a minuscule degree with this loaf.I did a little bit of playing around with the ingredients and the oven temperature but still lived to bake another loaf.

As with my previous yeast loaves, I started out with RLB's blanket sponge and then added a cracked wheat (bulgur) soaker because I could. There was some Central Milling AP  mixed in with Graham flour in the sponge portion and the blanket. The dough really proofed out high above the lip of the pan and held its ground during the bake.

While the crumb isn't a magnificent example of being open, it was soft, sweet, and moist.

Soaker
65 g cracked wheat
42 g water
A few grains of kosher salt.
Mixed and covered at the same time as the sponge. It was added in two portions to the dough after the initial mix at first speed.

The blanket sponge was set up as follows:

72 g hard red whole wheat
28 g AP
                                                                    240 g water at 85F
                                                                    1/8 tsp ADY
The ADY was hydrated for 10 minutes in the mixer bowl and then stirred to disperse the ADY. The flour was added and mixed in, making a thin slurry.

                                                                     188 g bread flour
                                                                      72 g AP flour
                                                                      1/2 tsp ADY

The remaining flour and ADY was mixed in another bowl before being spooned on top of the slurry. The bowl was covered and left at room temperature for about six hours before mixing began. The initial mix was three minutes at first speed, after which I determined the dough needed another Tbs of water.
                                                                        8 g kosher salt
 The salt was added and the mixer went to second speed for two minutes. At this time, I added half the soaker, resumed second speed for a minute, added the rest of the soaker, and resumed mixing at second speed for one more minute.

Bulk fermentation required only three stretch and folds at twenty minute intervals and then an hour rest covered. After shaping, the dough was proofed in the pan for about 75 minutes. The loaf was baked in an oven preheated to 425F for 15 minutes, turned around, and then baked at 400 for twenty two minutes.

While my garden is growing vigorously, the only plant in full production is the chile de arbol plant which appears to be unable to control itself. It's large and prolific. The tomato plants are also huge, at least 6 1/2 ft-2 meters tall with lots of green fruit. Those are signs of an impending tomato bonanza for my neighbor and the volunteers at Cushing Hospital. The volunteers will have to make tough choices between tomatoes and cucumbers in about ten days or so. All that garlic that I harvested last week is still drying. Since there are 45 heads of hard neck garlic of very good size from this year's harvest, I should be in good shape garlic wise for quite a while. I found the rogue garlic underneath the spreading day lily leaves in one of my flowerbeds. Two were miserable examples but two were worth setting aside for replanting in the Autumn. The tunnels indicative of moles burrowing through the yard have reappeared. They obviously have nothing but contempt for my efforts to discourage them.

Comments, humor, and questions are welcome.