I'd forgotten to feed my sourdough starter, and we needed bread. So I made this braided loaf from King Arthur. It didn't take long at all and was very tasty. Dale was most impressed with all the seeds on the outside (so was I).
12 ounces (1-1/2 cups) hot water
3/4 cup mixed grains and seeds (I used millet, flaxseeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds)
6-1/4 ounces (1-1/2 cups) whole wheat flour
8-1/2 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast (I used the same amount of active dry yeast)
1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water
mixed seeds for topping (I used poppy, sesame, fennel, and flax seeds)
Combine the hot water and 3/4 cup mixed grains and seeds; cool to lukewarm.
Add remaining dough ingredients (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, salt, and yeast) to soaked seed blend and mix together. Knead about 8 minutes by hand, mixer, or bread machine until dough is soft and smooth. Place dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel, and allow dough to rise until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
Divide dough into three equal pieces and roll into three 14-inch logs. Braid the logs on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Use parchment if you're planning to bake directly on an oven stone. Brush loaf with the egg white/water mixture and sprinkle with topping seed blend. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel and let rise about 45 minutes, until quite puffy.
Preheat oven (and baking stone, if using) to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake the bread for 28-35 minutes, until it's golden brown. The interior temperature should be 195 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
Posted by elizabeth at August 22, 2006 08:29 PM
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