Tuesday 5 June 2012

mixed seed bread with thyme and rosemary



I using yeast?!! This is what happened. I haven't used yeast for about three years or so, not because I have anything against it, I simply find it more convenient to bake bread with gluten-free baking powder that is ready for the oven as soon as the dough has been mixed. Last week my husband went grocery shopping and on the list was baking powder. In the health food section it is next to the yeast so he simply grabbed the wrong thing. He bought a few packages and instead of returning it I decided to experiment a little with bread recipes. This is one of my results and it looks like I'll be buying more yeast in the future. If you buy dry yeast in the health food section it will contain nothing but fresh yeast that has been dried. The package I use contains 9 grams and is intended for 500 grams of flour. It's a quick yeast which means that you don't have to mix it with water or anything like that, you simply blend it with the ingredients and let the dough rise before moulding a loaf that goes straight into the oven. Most yeast bread recipes will tell you to knead the dough for several minutes but I find it best to knead it as little as possible (maybe it's because I use spelt flour). I make two medium sized loafs from the dough.

MIXED SEED BREAD WITH THYME AND ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS

  • 500 g spelt flour (4 cups*)
  • 1 package dry yeast (9 g) - see description above
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ tablespoon raw cane sugar, organic
  • ½ tablespoon flaxseeds/linseeds
  • ½ tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • ½ tablespoon sesame seeds
  • ½ tablespoon sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 150 ml hot water
  • 125 ml soya milk or regular (½ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil or other quality vegetable oil

* American readers please note: 500 grams of spelt flour is about 4 cups minus 3 tablespoons. 1 cup = 250 ml

METHOD

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl using a large wooden spoon or a spatula
  2. Boil some water and then blend the water, milk, and oil in a measuring cup. Slowly pour it into the bowl while mixing the dough gently with the spoon
  3. Use one hand to gently knead the dough while it is still in the bowl. If there is still some dry flour on the bottom of the bowl that doesn't mix then add 1-2 tablespoons of water and knead the dough a little more. Make sure the dough is not sticky (at this stage I keep the dough in the bowl while kneading it)
  4. Put a lid on the bowl or cover it with a tea towel and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes in a draught-free spot
  5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Divide the dough in half and gently knead each half on a lightly (spelt)floured working surface. I start with making a ball and then I slowly begin spreading it a little and rolling it back and forth. The size of the loafs I mould is about 10 x 22 cm (4 x 8.7 inches)
  6. Bake at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 20-22 minutes


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