Stuart’s Healthy Whole Grain Brown Bread

Ingredients

  gCost /kgBatch Cost
7 Cups Whole Grain wheat flourFlour1,000 $3.95 $3.95
1 Tablespoon Himalayan SaltSalt x 75%17.25 $3.00 $0.05
4 Tablespoons ground LinseedLinseed95 $6.60 $0.63
4 Tablespoons ground Sunflower / PepitasCASP44 $11.50 $0.51
1 pkt Instant YeastYeast10 $7.98 $0.08
1 Tablespoon MolassesMolasses29 $2.17 $0.06
900 millilitres WaterWater900 $0.01 $0.01
Whole Grains – Sunflower PepitasSeeds90 $12.00 $1.08
 Total Weight2,185.25  $6.37

Recently I have been using more flour,875 to 1,000g (and a bit more molasses), and it seems to make a better loaf.  The above quantities are for 2 loaves.  You might need to increase the water a little bit.  The mixture is wetter than what is normal for bread dough.  You keep wetting your hands to handle the dough.

Molasses or Honey – I prefer to use molasses because it contains a lot of good minerals.

To Weigh or not to Weigh

I personally weigh all the ingredients including the water.  I use a spreadsheet that re-calculates all the ingredient weights if I need to use more or less of one ingredient.  If I source my flour from one supplier then I find I can safely add all the water as I am mixing and it works out fine.  If the dough seems a little bit wet – just add a little more flour.  Conversely if it seems a little too dry add a very small amount of water.

Preparing the yeast.

Many recipes add the dry yeast to the dry ingredients.  That might work – but I like to have a good indication of how active the yeast is – and give it a chance to start working.  Salt and flour and molasses gives the yeast something to feed on.

  1. Measure out the salt.  I use about ¾  (75%) of the original recipe
  2. Measure out WARM water.
  3. Add a small amount of salt to about ¼ of total warm water.
  4. Add a couple of spoons of flour.
  5. Add the molasses or honey to the mixture.
  6. Add the yeast and mix.

You will start to see this working within a few minutes.  It will boil over if you don’t give it the occasional stir.

Linseed and other grains

Linseed contains very volatile oils that quickly oxidize when exposed to air.  If at all possible grind with a high speed blender and use fresh.  I like to grind the linseed first then add the pepitas and sunflower seeds and the remaining salt.  (it helps to get it all mixed in well)

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl suitable for you to knead the mixture in.  Mix all dry ingredients well.

Kneading the Mixture

Take the yeast mixture and add to a well in the flour.  As you mix it in – by hand – keep adding the water.  The mixture is wetter than the traditional bread mixture (possibly about the same as scones or damper.)  With experience you will know what is feels like, and if you use the same brand of flour and other ingredients you will be able to accurately estimate the amount of water.  I use scales to weigh out ALL ingredients and take notes. 

Knead the mixture for about 15 minutes.  The mix will change appearance and texture as the gluten develops.  The mixture starts out with a fairly crumbly broken appearance.  As you knead the mixture the gluten develops.  Start to mix by pulling and stretching the mixture over itself.  As you keep working it develops a smoother stringy appearance.  The aim of kneading is to develop the gluten so that it can trap the CO2 gas given off by the yeast.  It is the trapped bubbles that cause the bread to rise.

The First Rising

Cover with cling wrap and put in a warm place to rise to approx. double the size.  This should take from 25 to 60 minutes.  Note:  The mixture never comes out onto a dry board the way you may have made bread traditionally.  It is a wetter mixture.**  It is possible for the mixture to overdevelop.  Don’t go past doubling in size.  **  More recently I have been using less water.  It is a bit harder to knead but the end result is even better and less likely to flop if you accidently bump the tins.

Hint

I have modified my method of rising.  I place the mixture wrapped in a towel inside the oven heated to warm.  Works better than the box.

(I use a largeish box with a large pre-heated wheat bag under my mixing bowl.  Then cover with a large towel.  I have heard of people placing the mix inside their car in the sun.)

Baking

WITH GREAT CARE – place the tins in the pre-heated oven.  If you bump the tins the loaves may collapse.

Bake for 15 minutes at 230oC. 

Turn the oven down to 180oC and cook for a further 35 minutes.

Total cooking time 50 minutes.

Immediately remove the baking paper.  Carefully store the baking paper for later use.  I have started to spray a little olive oil on the baking paper.  It keeps it in top condition for multiple batches.

Allow the bread to cool before bagging or cutting.  If I want to give someone a hot fresh loaf I put it into a paper bag.  My practice is to leave the bread overnight and cut the loaves in half and put in medium size freezer bags.

Regards, Stuart Clarke, Sawtell – NSW