Homemade Bread
Posted: January 18, 2010 | Author: Bakezilla | Filed under: Bakezilla | 2 Comments »
Bread. The staff of life. Probably the most recognizable foodstuff in the Western world… is really, really time-consuming and a little finicky.
I decided to make some healthier, mixed-grain bread. I’m no Atkins diet believer, but I do think it’s best not to eat too much white flour and add in some other healthy grains.
Note: to make this recipe, you need a mixer with a dough hook or paddle attachment.
To make one loaf, first gently mix one packet active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon honey and 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water in a small bowl and set aside. Also, soak about 3 tablespoons of bulgur with 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and set that aside. When the yeasty stuff looks foamy (roughly 5 minutes) place it into your mixing bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons melted butter, 3/4 cup warm water and about 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey. Then, add in 3/4 cups white flour and one cup whole wheat flour, and mix with your dough hook or paddle attachment on low speed until it’s smooth. Then, add in the bulgur, 1/4 cups rolled oats (just plain old oatmeal), 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds and 2 tablespoons of raw sunflower seeds, as well as another 3/4 cups white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. Mix until it forms a rough ball, coming away from the bowl.
Butter a large bowl and set aside. Flour a surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, transfer to the buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in a warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Butter a loaf pan. Punch down the dough (this is fun, you can pretend to be a boxer). Shape it into an 8 1/2 inch long (1/2 inch thick) rectangle. Fold over the two sides and make a seam, them put it seam side down into the loaf pan. Brush it with beaten egg whites or melted butter. You can also sprinkle more oats on top, which looks pretty. Put more plastic wrap over the loaf pan, and let it rise for another 45 minutes-hour. In the meantime, preheat to 450. When you’re ready to put the loaf in, drop the oven temp to 400. Bake 20 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake 20-25 more minutes.
Eat this write away, it goes stale fast. It is a LOT of work, but very tasty, especially toasted. I want to try it with some raisins or dried cranberries in it, I think that’d be awesome.
It’s interesting how people perceive baking bread. I don’t think of it as time-consuming or fiddly at all. Then again, as Lorie Colwin discovered, and taught me, bread baking is really fun once you liberate yourself and remember to make bread around YOUR timetable, instead of making your life around BREAD’s timetable.
This loaf actually looks great, and I think I might test it out too!
I’ve been meaning to get Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for months. It totally changes your perception of baking bread, and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes from it.
I love bread baking.
It’s funny, when I tasted this bread, I couldn’t even remember the hours of work you put into it. It’s that good.
Seriously, though, this bread takes bread to a new level. It’s worth getting Bakezilla’s recipe exactly right if you want to experience how rich and tasty it is.