Whole-Grain Bread with Oats, Rye and Honey
This recipe yields three hearty loaves, each about 10 centimetres wide and tall.
To make larger loaves, make two instead of three. The loaves freeze well. This bread makes great toast and sandwiches and is great to serve with cheese, soup and stews.
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus kneading and rising time
Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes Makes: 3 loaves
1/3 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (see Note)
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 2/3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup large flake rolled oats
3 cups whole grain flour (see Note)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark rye flour (see Note)
- vegetable oil and spray
Combine 1/3 cup of the water and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Mix in the egg, butter, remaining 2 2/3 cups water, salt and honey. Add flours and oats.
Put on your dough hook and mix and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. Very lightly oil a large bowl. Set in the dough and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a slightly dampened kitchen towel and let the bread rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until 1 1/2times its original size, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Grease 3, 8 1/2-x 4 1/2inch non-stick loaf pans with vegetable-oil spray.
Turn dough on to a work surface (no need to punch it down) and divide into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into oblongs the same length as the pan. Set one oblong intp each pan. Cover the pans with the kitchen towel and let rise until the bread is 1 1 ?2-times its original size, about 90 minutes to two hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the bread 45 to 50 minutes. Rotate the bread once during baking. (When done, the crust will be golden brown and the bottom of the loaf will sound hollow when tapped.) Set the baking pans on a cooling rack and cool 15 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool.
Note: Active dry yeast is sold in small jars and packets. The whole-grain flour I used was Anita's Organic Mill brand. It says stoneground whole-wheat flour on the front label, but the fine print says it's a wholegrain flour. The dark rye flour was by Rogers.
Eric's options: You can also make the bread in freeform loaves. To do so, cut the dough in three and shape into round loaves, each about 5 cm in height. Set on a large non-stick baking sheet and bake as described in the recipe.
