From Scratch

This weekend I did something I've been threatening to do for a very long time. I hauled out my favourite whole-wheat bread recipe and whipped up a loaf.

Yup, it's that easy. This is a no-knead, rise-once bread that turns out absolutely incredibly. It's filling, it's delicious, it's very very good for you.

I know EXACTLY what's going into my bread. No preservatives, no mystery ingredients like the shop-bought stuff has. It's low-fat with a mere tablespoon of sunflower oil per loaf. Yet it stays fresh for a few days - if it lasts that long. It's customizeable - you can add whatever nuts or seeds or raisins etc you want and turn it into something fancier. Me, well I had some linseed and sunflower seeds lying around, so stuck those on top. But that's it.

Saturday afternoon's loaf is long gone. Ingredients cost about the same as a normal shop-bought loaf, but half what I'd pay for "seed loaf". Now that I'm working from home I actually have time to mix it up, let it rise and bake it while doing other things. I'm very seriously considering making this our daily bread.

Give it a try, tell me what you think.


RECIPE: WHOLEWHEAT BREAD

1 kg Nutty Wheat (whole wheat) flour
2 c digestive bran
3 tsp yeast granules
4 c warm water (1 boiling to 3 cold) - approximately
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs sunflower oil
2-4 Tbs honey
2 tsp salt
Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds etc to top

1. Mix flour and bran
2. Sprinkle yeast over 1 c of the warm water, add sugar, let rest until frothy
3. Add oil, honey and salt to the flour mix, stir in yeast mix and gradually add remaining water until dough has a heavy dropping consistency (depends on your flour, I used more water).
4. Divide the dough between two greased loaf pans, sprinkle with seeds and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rise for one hour or until doubled.
5. Bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
6. Leave to cool in pans for a few minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely.