Introduction
This is the ur-recipe in Espe Brown’s classic breadmaking book.
Ingredients
| 3 | cups lukewarm water (85 to 105 degrees) |
| 1½ | Tbsp. dry yeast (2 packages) |
| ¼ | cup sweetening (honey, molasses, or brown sugar) |
| 1 | cup dry milk (optional) |
| 4 | cups whole-wheat flour (substitute 1 or more cups unbleached white flour if desired) |
| 4 | tsp. salt |
| ⅓ | cup oil or butter |
| 3 | cups additional whole-wheat flour |
| 1 | cup whole-wheat flour for kneading |
Steps
- In a large ceramic bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in the sweetening and the dry milk (optional). Stir in the 4 cups of whole-wheat flour to form a thick batter. Beat well with a spoon (100 strokes).
- Let the dough rise for 45 minutes.
- Fold in the salt and the oil, then fold in the additional 3 cups of flour until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on a floured board for about 10 minutes, using the additional 1 cup flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the board. Stop when the dough is smooth.
- Let the dough rise for 40 to 50 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the dough into loaves and place in 2 loaf pans or a single heavy baking dish. Let rise for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush the tops of the loaves with an egg wash (a egg beaten with a few tablespoons of water or milk) and bake for 40 minutes to an hour, or until golden-brown. Remove from the pans and let cool before slicing.
Notes
You can replace part of the water with milk.
If you like a lighter bread (and quicker risings), use an additional package of yeast.
Copyright @ 1995 Shambhala Publications
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