Three Related Breads

It's been so long since I posted here! There has been bread baked, but the recipes were not written down and the memory of them got lost in the swirl that has been my life for the last two months or more.

The good news is that a number of family members, including my Mom, came to visit mid-November and I made them some bread. When the first loaf was inhaled by those who will not be named so that Mom didn't even get a piece, I made it again in a slightly different version so that she could enjoy it. It was such a hit that I sent a braided loaf, this time with seeds added, to River City...and some of it actually made it to my brother on the East coast!

I have now had requests that the seeded one be sent for Christmas presents. Might happen...depends on if time allows...and that has been in short supply for optional things of late.

All three loaves contained whole wheat flour, barley flour, and unbleached bread flour. The first one also had some oats and the last one had seeds but the recipe was largely the same. I baked the second one a bit longer than usual, but we liked the extra crustiness that resulted. I think I also forgot to glaze that loaf...it was still delish.

The dough is soft and easy to work with and yields loaves that have a good crumb and tasty enough to eat without butter. I confess, my favorite thing to do was take a slice, toast it, butter the toast and add a little jam....yum! I never did taste the seeded one but was told that it was the best of the three.

The recipe is a little confusing unless you look at it as A) The Sponge - 2 versions, B) The Mixing and First Rise - pretty much the same for all versions, and C) The Shaping and Baking - 3 versions, although the only difference between Second Way and Third Way is that the latter has seeds added. Does that help? Guess not, but it's the best I can do.

Three Way Barley Wheat Bread

First Way - The Sponge:

Cook 1/4 cup steel cut oats in 3/4 cup water according to package directions. Cool. To that add either 1 cup sour dough starter or 1 package active dry yeast which has been proofed for 5 minutes in 1/4 cup barely warm water. Break up the cooked oats. In another bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup barely warm water. Add to the cereal. Whisk it all together, cover with plastic and let sit overnight in a warm place.

Second Way and Third Way - The Sponge:

Whisk together 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup water. To that add either 1 cup sourdough starter or 1 package active dry yeast which has been proofed for 5 minutes in 1/4 cup barely warm water. Whisk to combine. Cover with plastic and let sit overnight in a warm place.

ALL Three Ways - The Mixing and First Rise:

The next morning take the sponge that has been sitting overnight and put into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Set aside.

In a large Pyrex measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup warm milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup barley flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour), and 2 cups unbleached bread flour. Set aside.

Add the milk mixture to the sponge mixture in the mixing bowl. Blend with the mixer for a few minutes. Add 1 egg, beaten and blend with the mixer for a few minutes. With the mixer on a low setting, gradually add the flour mixture, letting the dough climb the dough hook. Continue to add small amounts of flour until a soft dough forms and the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. You may need additional bread flour...that's OK. let the mixer knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until silky.

Turn dough out onto a lightly flour surface. Knead a few times, then shape into a ball. Oil a bowl or dough rising container, then oil the whole surface of the dough ball by turning it in the oiled bowl or container. Cover loosely and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down risen dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead a few turns to get rid of big air bubbles.

First Way- Shaping and Second Rise and Baking:

Flatten dough into a rectangle, roll up jelly roll fashion, tuck ends under and place in a greased bread loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover loaf and discard plastic, if using. Bake risen loaf in oven until golden brown and until loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 -50 minutes. Turn out of loaf pan and let cool on wire rack. Makes one loaf of Oatmeal Barley Whole Wheat Bread.

Second Way - Shaping, Second Rise and Baking:

Flatten dough into a rectangle. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut dough into three equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it under your palm to make a rope about 15 inches long. Place the three ropes side by side on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet and braid.(I usually start the braid in the middle, braid out to one end, then start in the middle and braid out to the other end.) Tuck ends under, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover loaf and discard plastic wrap, if using. Brush loaf with a wash of 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Bake until golden brown and until loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40-50 minutes. Place braid on a wire rack to cool. Makes one Braided Barley and Whole Wheat Loaf.

Third Way - Shaping, Second Rise and Baking:

Flatten dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle on over whole surface 1 tablespoon mixed seeds (I use King Arthur Flour's Harvest Grains Blend which also contains some grain flakes). Roll up jelly roll fashion, then bring ends up and to middle of roll. Flatten dough into a rectangle again, again sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds, again roll up jelly roll fashion, again bring ends up and to the middle of the roll. Repeat two more times, for a total of 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of seeds. Knead about 10 turns to further distribute the seeds. Divide dough into 3 equal parts with bench scraper or sharp knife. Follow directions for Second Way to shape into a braid on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet. Let rise as described in Second Way. Glaze as described in Second Way and bake the same way. Makes one Braided Barley Whole Wheat Seeded Loaf.

So there you have three related breads. They all have the barley and wheat and one has oats and the last has seeds. One is a sandwich loaf and two are braids, although any could be sandwich loaves or braids or even dinner rolls...just different shaping to do that. This dough is a pleasure to work with and delicious once baked...in all three versions.

Bread Baker's Dog Returns with Zucchini Cheese Bread

Xam, the Bread Baker's Dog, is finally doing well. His infection has cleared up after three full weeks of antibiotics, twice daily warm compresses, and lots of love, affection, and vet bills. Since he found the compresses a bit uncomfortable, after the first two times he knew when it was happening and refused to cooperate. Since bribery works, he soon found that the compresses were accompanied by doggie cookies to munch on. It's also called positive reinforcement, but truly it was bribery. Come sit on Sweetie's lap while Mom presses a warm towel where it already hurts. The joys of dog ownership!

The other good news is that his appetite is back...Sweetie's never left...so it's time for bread baking. Since the zucchini continue to be fruitful and multiply and fill the platter on the table, it seemed like a good zucchini bread recipe would be just the ticket. I've only had the sweet, spicy quick bread type so I went looking for a good recipe in my cookbooks. On the way I found a yeasted on that wasn't sweet and included cheese. It's in Breaking Bread with Father Dominic under the Veggie Bread category. It makes two loaves and the crust gets nice and brown because of all the cheese.

As usual I changed it a bit. Father's version called for caraway seeds and Swiss cheese, but I went with Parmesan cheese and fresh minced basil, plus some pine nuts on top, for a more Mediterranean feel. I used olive oil for the vegetable oil and some 12 grain flour from King Arthur's for part of the flour, both of which added some needed flavor.

It made a lovely, moist bread with a good crumb and great crust.

The cheese isn't a dominant flavor, but you can tell that it's there. The zucchini add moistness and some nice speckles, but very little flavor. Even the basil is a hint, not a hit. It's marvelous freshly cooled, but also good as toast. It's a batter bread. I baked one loaf in a loaf pan and the other in a cast iron skillet. The skillet one had a particularly wonderful bottom crust, but the interior was still quite moist but not gummy. Now that I've made an Asparagus Bread (see June 20th post) that he loooovvved and a Zucchini Cheese Bread that he couldn't stop eating, I think I've made a veggie bread lover out of Sweetie!

And Xam?...he love all baked goods. I tried three times to get a photo of him eating a small piece of this bread, but he scarfed it down so fast that each photo was a black blur...this one is the best!

Guess he likes Zucchini Cheese Bread, too!

I've been missing the weekly wonderful event that is Yeastspotting at Susan's Wild Yeast...no time to even go there and drool over the bread being baked by the fantastic bakers featured there...so it's nice to have an entry again...and time to bake bread. Here is the URL for Susan's blog :http://www.wildyeastblog.com/ Nick at Imafoodblog is the host this time. His URL is: http://www.imafoodblog.com/ . Thanks Nick!!

Yeasted Zucchini Cheese Batter Bread
adapted from a recipe in Breaking Bread with Father Dominic
Yields 2 loaves

2 cups milk at room temperature
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 packages active dry yeast (1/2 oz)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
about 3 cups bread flour, divided
2 cups 12-grain bread flour (or additional plain bread flour), divided
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out in a towel
2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)

Combine milk, egg, oil, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the basil, pepper, salt, and 1 cup each of the bread flour and the 12-grain flour. Beat well (about 150 strokes by hand or three minutes with an electric mixer). Stir in the cheese and zucchini. Add another cup of bread flour and cup of 12-grain flour; beat well. Add enough of the remaining bread flour to make a thick batter that is still easy to manage. Stir until all flour is thoroughly incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to make sure there are no pockets of flour on the bottom of the bowl.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour. Thoroughly grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Stir the batter down. Divide the batter between pans. It should fill each pan halfway. Cover and let rise about 20 minutes or until dough nearly reaches the top of the pan. If desired, sprinkle about a tablespoon of pine nuts on the top of each loaf just before baking.

While dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and top crust feels solid. Let cool slightly in pans before attempting to remove loaves. Note: If top crust browns too quickly due to the cheese, tent some aluminum foil over it to slow the browning process.

All It's Cracked Up to Be

Walnuts are such a great addition to so many foods, but I particularly like them in breads. A nice waffle becomes great with the addition of chopped walnuts. A good muffin with dates or dried fruits becomes deeply satisfying with the addition of walnuts.

This bread would be fine without the walnuts, but I think they add just the perfect crunch and flavor for fine sandwiches or toast. The other players are my whole wheat sourdough starter, (although you could use active dry yeast proofed in water and that would be fine, too), a mixture of seeds including sesame, poppy, flax and sunflower, plus a little barley flour, more whole wheat flour, regular bread flour and milk and honey. With the nuts and seeds that were on the surface toasting while it baked, this loaf sure made the house smell good during baking. This seems like a good candidate for this week's Yeastspotting over at Susan's Wild Yeast blog. Truly an inspiring collection of yeasted recipes...check it out!

When I took the loaf out of the oven, there was the baker's dog, standing by the kitchen, ready for any piece of bread that might come his way.

Elle's Whole Wheat Seeded Walnut Bread

1 cup sourdough starter, preferably a whole wheat one
½ cup condensed milk mixed with ¼ cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup barley flour (or use more whole wheat flour)
2-3 cups unbleached bread flour
¼ cup mixed seeds – I combined flax seed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds
½ cup chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the dough hook, combine the starter, milk, honey and mix to combine.

In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the salt and flours. With the machine running, add the dry mixture, a half cup at a time until the dough forms around the dough hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue to let the machine knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding more of the dry mixture, a tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead another 2-3 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to oil all sides of dough, cover and let rise in a draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. With your hands, spread the dough out into a rectangle about 10 inches by 10 inches, by pushing down on the dough. Sprinkle all of the seed mixture and all but a few tablespoons of the walnuts evenly over the dough, leaving about an inch at the edges free of seeds and nuts. Roll the dough jelly roll fashion to enclose the seeds and nuts. Press down on the roll to flatten it a bit, then sprinkle on the remaining walnuts. Fold the ends of the roll toward the middle, then knead the dough to distribute the seeds and nuts.

Again flatten the dough into a rectangle about 10 inches by 8 inches. Roll again jelly roll fashion along the long side. Pinch the seam where the roll stops, then fold under the ends and place in a loaf bread pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover the pan and place bread pan in preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Let cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.