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Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT Supermum and I’m not an organic guru. I do buy bread as well as make it. I just can’t seem to bring myself to actually like bought bread. I find making my own bread one of the most satisfying and homely activities possible- along with jam making. If I am feeling low, making bread never fails to comfort my soul. Eating it helps too!
I tend to operate in a cycle of manic activity, tea, manic activity, tea. I strive to be organised but I’m often not. A bank of recipes to “bail me out”, especially at the weekends is essential. I recently posted a Soda Bread recipe that slots into this category http://scrummywalks.com/2013/06/28/no-knead-no-prove-wholemeal-soda-bread/
This loaf is very different to Soda Bread and as it is yeasted, the texture is more like traditional bread. However, it also requires NO KNEADING! This is great news for anyone who gets achy wrists when making traditional bread. The proving time is only 20- 30 minutes- very little advance planning is needed to get fresh bread on the table or in your picnic basket.
When I was at medical school, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of months studying in Riga, Latvia. I was fascinated by the culture there which is so concentrated you cannot walk down one street without passing concert standard musicians busking, museums and and restaurants. When I was there, food was cheap, very traditional, seasonal, very different to UK food and very celebrated. I loved it and threw myself headlong into trying everything. My daily packed lunch consisted of sausage and tomatoes bought from the huge markets and “dark bread”. The texture and flavour of this bread reminds me so much of the bread there. Perhaps they used treacle too?
Just take a look at the close up picture of the sliced loaf (yes it slices brilliantly). The texture and crumb is amazing. No- one will believe you when you tell them how easy it is to make. So don’t bother, just let them believe that you got up at the crack of dawn to knead, prove, shape, knock back, prove, bake………………….you ARE Superwoman/ Superman! I love that therapeutic process, it’s is somehow levelling when you need a bit of balance in your life but it doesn’t often fit into my day.
You can vary the seeds according to your taste and what is lurking in your cupboard. The combination here is especially good. How often do you use a recipe containing linseeds? here they provide fabulous flavour and texture. Linseeds, also known as flax seeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids, minerals (such as potassium, selenium, manganese and zinc) antioxidants, and essential vitamins (notably vitamin E and the B- complex vitamins).
You can also add a tablespoon of porridge oats which look good sprinkled on the top.
Ingredients
525 g wholemeal strong bread flour
25 g Linseed (flax seeds)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp black treacle
1x 7g packet of fast action dried yeast
Tin
2LB (900g) Loaf tin, lightly oiled with sunflower oil
Oven
Preheat the oven to 230C (210C Fan)/ Gas Mark 8
Method
1. Place the flour, linseed and salt in a large bowl, stir.
2. Mix the other seeds together in a small bowl. Stir three quarters of them into the flour, reserving the remaining quarter for sprinkling on top later.
3. Mix the treacle with the yeast in a small jug. Add 100 mls of warm water and stir well. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, after which it will be foaming a little.
4. Stir the treacle/yeast mixture into the dough along with another 400mls of warm water. Stir until well combined. The dough is pretty wet.
5. Transfer the dough into the oiled tin. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise a little for 20- 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with a little cold water, followed by the reserved seed mixture.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 200C (180C Fan)/ Gas Mark 6 and cook for a further 25- 30 minutes until the loaf is browned and well risen.
8. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack.
ScrummyWalks 