In search of healthy and fun meals to feed my family, with an eye toward sustainable living.

Here you'll find recipes & ramblings about keeping my family fed with what's available in Alaska between local produce, a little bit of wild harvest, and the modern grocery store.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Baking bread

I've got bread rising on the woodstove.

King Arthur's Honey-Wheatberry Bread
Our kids love it when we give foods unique names, and I was inspired by the brandname and artwork on the whole wheat flour that I started to buy when my son was majorly into his medieval sword-fighting phase.

2 c whole wheat flour
2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c bran
1 c wheatberries (already boiled)
alternatively: any leftover hot cereal, such as 9-grain, oatmeal
1 T ground flaxseed
1 t salt
1 T butter/oil
1 c warm milk
1 T yeast
1-2 T honey
extra warm water, as needed

Place all the dry ingredients into bowl of Kitchenaide mixer, equipped w/ dough paddle.
Dissolve yeast in warm milk with butter & honey. When yeast is bubbling, add to flour with paddle running. Add more warm water if too dry.
Finish kneading on counter, place back into bowl for rising & place in warm location, covered, until doubled in bulk. (If you're like me and use the woodstove: turn down the damper and watch it! It's easy to over-rise, esp. when you're blogging :)
Punch down dough, place into greased loaf pan, and let rise again. Bake at 350 until done, approx 30-40min. I test it by tapping the bottom of bread, and if it sounds hollow it's "done". Place on a rack to cool, resisting the temptation to cut right into it!

A Homesick German's Rye Bread
Germans have got to have their "Graubrot" -- which sounds unappetizing translated as Gray bread -- but it just means there's some wholesome (darker) grains in there! I love freshly-baked dark or light Roggenbrot with a good crust on it, and to me, a little caraway is an important part of the flavor.

Total of 4 c flour, at least 1 c rye flour
The rest: whole wheat flour, oat flour , and/or white
1 t salt
1 t caraway seed, crushed or coarsely ground, optional (alternately, fennel seed, crushed)
1 T molasses (makes it darker, or use honey, sugar)
1+ c warm water
1 T yeast

Same as the other bread: Mix, knead, rise twice, bake.
This recipe makes good dinner rolls to go with a heart soup, such as lentils or beans.
After first rising, divide dough into small balls, wet them down and sprinkle with (or roll in) mixture of seeds, such as poppy, sesame, crushed caraway or fennel. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit into each roll, then let rise before baking for 20+ minutes, depending on size.

HINT: Use a pizza stone, and add a cup of hot water into the oven if you like your bread custy.

2 comments:

  1. THe honey wheat bread sounds divine but I haven't totally warmed to Graubrot yet. . .

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  2. Does "Roggenbrot" literally translate to "Rotten bread?" In comparision, grey bread sounds positively appetizing! Razors (not shaving ones) make the best slashes on bread. Here's a tasty and light Italian bread to temper the coarse and heavy German ones (but we know ciabatta could never fuel German warriors by the name of "Skullcrusher" etc.)

    Pane de Ramerino (Rosemary and Raisin Bread)

    Mix together:
    2 t. yeast
    1 c. warm water or milk (if using milk, omit powdered milk)

    Combine in a large bowl:
    3.25 c. flour, up to 1 c. of it can be whole wheat
    1 t. salt
    2 T. powdered milk (unless milk used)

    Mix into softened yeast:
    3 eggs
    1/4 cup olive oil
    (I like to add 1-2 T honey/agave/brown sugar)

    Mix some flour into the wet ingredients, along with:
    1 T. fresh rosemary
    1 c. packed raisins

    Mix flour and wet ingredients together, knead, let rise 2 hours, punch down and shape (typically 4 small loaves), let proof 1 hour, top with salt wash, score (typically a cross), bake on pizza stone for 30 or so minutes at 400 (although I'm thinking of decreasing that temperature, when I made it at Easter the top was dark brown before the inside got cooked through).

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