Although my potato oatmeal bread was doing very well at market, I've had several requests for a wheat bread or something with more grains in it. I found a cracked wheat recipe in my Bread Bible and tweeked it to include other grains like oats and flaxseed. My goal was to make a trial loaf and if it came out well, I would make four for market. This bread requires a sponge (starter) and I let it rest overnight on Wednesday - the longer the sponge ferments, the tastier the outcome. Thursday afternoon, I added the dry ingredients and formed a rough dough. The Bread Bible outlined an extensive rise and knead, rise and knead process that would have taken me well into the early morning, so I cut a few hours out. After letting the rough dough rest for 20 minutes, I did two sets of knead and rise for an hour per rise. By 9:30pm it was ready for the oven.
Using a sharp knife, I slit two openings on the top and glazed it with egg whites before sprinkling rolled oats. Brushing egg whites on a loaf before baking results in a golden brown glow - It makes for a very nice presentation.
I free formed the loaf and baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes. The crust came out nice and crispy, but I was too tired to wait for it to cool and then put it in a container. So by placing it in a container while still hot, the loaf steamed itself and softened the crust (A great trick for anyone who does not prefer a firm crust). I cut the first slice this morning. It was soft and moist with a chewy crust. The grains added a really nice texture and flavor. Folks at work thought it was tasty and I already received an order from someone who tasted it this morning :) I will definately have it at market this weekend!
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