• Reply by mumpy on February 08, 2012 at 8:14 am
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could your wheat germ be going rancid?...my favorite bread recipe has wheat germ (1/2 cup) in it and i've never detected any bitterness, but i use up wheat germ fairly quickly, so i've never had it go 'off'....i used to buy it in the supermarket in jars and i called the 800 line once about shelf life and they told me that if it smells fresh and mildly nutty, it should be okay, and that you can usually smell when it's starting to get rancid...hope that helps!

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• Reply by Mike Nolan on February 08, 2012 at 9:34 am
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Milled flax seed also goes rancid fairly quickly, I'm told.

You could throw a little orange juice in and see if it counteracts the bitterness like it does with whole wheat flour.

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• Reply by --jej on February 08, 2012 at 9:59 am
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I make my oatmeal almost like that: old fashioned oats, cooked with some oat bran and a few grains of salt, then add the milled flax seed when cooked. I never taste any bitterness. I keep the flax seed in the fridge in a glass jar. I 'dress it up' by putting some frozen blueberries in the bowl before adding the cereal, and sprinkle some 'smashed' frozen raspberries on top, with half a banana (DH gets the other half). Then on goes the milk. It is all so delicious, and NO SUGAR NEEDED.

OOPS!! I guess I didn't notice the Heading to this thread, saying BREAD!! MY MISTAKE...

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• Reply by easyquilts on February 08, 2012 at 10:03 am
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Mumpy & Mike.... Both milled flaxseed and wheat germ are kept in the fridge.... I've had them both for months. Neither seems to be "off". I sniffed them, and there is no odor at all..... They feel fresh, too.

That dough sat in the fridge nearly all day...first rise......then, when I took it out to warm up and finis. Rising, I had to leave, so back into the fridge it went..... Got it out again around 9pm, let stand for about an hour, debased, then shaped.... Let rise in the pan for about an hour, and got a good rise.... Baked. The loaf looked great, but I swear, there was a bitterness I had never tasted before....and I bake this bread... Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread...KA recipe....often.

Bread can be a mystery....

Thank you for your posts.

Sandy

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• Reply by easyquilts on February 08, 2012 at 10:04 am
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Your recipe for oatmeal sounds so good. I'll have to try it.... Thanks...

Sandy

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• Reply by Mike Nolan on February 08, 2012 at 10:46 am
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Things CAN go rancid in the refrigerator. The usual recommendation is to taste a pinch of the flax seed, it should not taste bitter, just a bit nutty. If you're still not sure, toast a little of it in a warm oven, that'll bring out any rancid flavor.

Otherwise, you may have to try several experiments to narrow things down. Make a batch with neither the wheat germ nor the flaxseed, then make batches with one but not the other. It could turn out to be some other ingredient.

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• Reply by easyquilts on February 09, 2012 at 5:56 am
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Mike,
Thanks for the advice. I've been using the bread, and it seems to be OK now..... Not sure what happened....

This recipe makes a wonderfully fluffy bread, that is irresistible. I could just sit and eat a whole loaf... All by myself. I use honey, instead of molasses, and I think it makes a difference. Buckwheat honey is perfect, but is hard to find. I think Whole Foods carries it, but I din 't get down there very often.

I have both wheat germ and wheat bran. Which one would make a difference in the flavor of bread? I'm never sure which one to use.

Thanks,
Sandy

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• Reply by Mike Nolan on February 09, 2012 at 2:13 pm
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Wheat germ seems a bit sweet to me, wheat bran has almost no flavor to me. Wheat germ also seems to have a negative effect on yeast. I'd probably use a little of both, but that might affect the fluffiness of the bread.

Buckwheat honey is good for baking, but I don't like the taste of it for other uses, like on pancakes, so I generally don't keep it around. (One of the local honey producers has it, so it's fairly easy to find here.)

Have you considered getting some cracked wheat? (You can soak it in some of the liquid for a couple of hours to soften it, though I generally don't bother doing that.) It does NOT seem to affect how bread rises.

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• Reply by Irene@KAF on February 09, 2012 at 12:38 pm
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Great discussion here! Everyone is pointing to the seed or germ, but have you tested the flour? Sniff it to see if there is a sour odor and then wet your finger - dip it into the flour and taste it. If the flour tastes sour or bitter, then it should be thrown out! Irene@KAF

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• Reply by RonB on February 09, 2012 at 10:25 pm
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I have always been sensitive to bitter tasting things, and had heard that there is a "bitter gene". So I finally looked it up:

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/ptc/

Interesting ~ Ron

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• Reply by mumpy on February 10, 2012 at 9:06 am
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thanks for the link, ron...that's fascinating!

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