Brown Bread

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Sweet and aromatic wholemeal bread.

This is an English recipe.

This recipe is based on instructions in several books, and modified after considerable testing.

The bread produced is like a light German rye bread.

Home made bread is magical, has tantalising aromas, and makes awesome toast.

This recipe contains the following types of ingredient: plants and fungi.

Ingredients

30 ml
Equal Exchange / Zaytoun FAIRTRADE Palestinian olive oil
5 to 10 ml
salt
to taste
FAIRTRADE freshly ground black pepper
15 ml
yeast granules
15 ml
FAIRTRADE demerara sugar
200 gm
Doves Farm organic Plain Wholemeal bread flour
200 gm
Doves Farm Organic Rye Flour
200 gm
Doves Farm organic strong white bread flour

Method

Preparation

Add the yeast granules and the sugar to the warm water and stir. Set aside to allow the yeast to start work.

Mix the three flours together with the salt and 15 ml oil in a large bowl.

Add a good grind of black pepper.

When the yeasty water is frothing add it a little at a time to the flour and start mixing using a wooden spoon.

Eventually the spoon becomes unworkable so use your (floured) hands.

Somewhere around 350 ml water the flour will all come together as a sort of messy lump but will still feel dry.

Keep adding a little more yeasty water until the dough just starts to feel sticky.

At this point take it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough for between 5 minutes and 10 minutes and the dough will come to life forming a lively resilient whole.

Wash out the mixing bowl in hot water and dry it, and then pour in 10ml of olive oil. Put the ball of dough in the bowl and make sure it is well coated with oil and allow it to warm up for 5 minutes. Spread the remaining oil inside a 2lb bread tin and put in the dough.

Cover the tin with a teatowel and leave in a warm place for 90 minutes or so until the dough has doubled in volume.

Cooking

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 (200 °C; 400 °F).

Bake the loaf for 45 minutes in the centre of the oven.

Check that it is done from 40 minutes by removing from the tin and knocking on the bottom of the loaf, it should sound hollow. If it doesn't, pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes out of the tin.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Variations

Mix in 25 gm sunflower seeds or sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds or pine kernels with the flour.