Quick Whole Grain Crusty Bread

I've spent lots of time lately on YouTube and baking sites, looking for just the right bread recipe. I think for me, it comes down to technique. I like the way this bread goes together. In addition, still searching for the perfect-healthy-grainy flour mixture, I made this today. I'll let you know what I think. I used this recipe as my jumping off point, with some additions and changes of course.

Whisk these together in a big bread bowl:

• 13oz. bread flour
• 3oz. corn flour
• 3oz. whole wheat flour
• 1-2T ground chia and flax seeds

This little kitchen scale, that weighs in grams or ounces, is the best thing ever for baking.  It was given to me, and is very accurate as well as inexpensive, around $10.00. If you don't have one, this will make your baking experience so much more positive.

Combine the following together and pour into the bowl of dry ingredients.

• 1½c warm water (110-108°F)
• 1pkg. Active Dry Yeast (2¼t)
• 1T dark brown sugar
• 1½t (½T) fine Himalayan pink salt

Mix with a heavy wooden spoon, then use your hand to get everything incorporated, sprinkling on a little corn flour if needed to keep it from sticking to the bowl. Transfer to an oiled bowl and flip the dough a couple times to coat all surfaces. Cover and put in a warm 70° draft-free place in your home for an hour. My home is very cool, and right now it's well below zero in northern Minnesota. So to give it a good place to rise, I ran my empty microwave on high for 30 seconds, then put the covered dough bowl inside. It's maintained the temperature right around 70° for the entire rising time.

Dough has now doubled in size

Check it now to see if it's doubled in size. If not check, leave it another half hour or so. When the size has doubled, which mine did, very nicely, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6-8 pieces for rolls or 3-4 pieces for loaves. Roll them on the soured surface and shape. Put on a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover the loaves with a dishtowel, and return them to a warm place to rest for 15 minutes. Put each one on the floured surface on more time, work the dough just a minute or so to give them their final shape and back onto the parchment papered sheets. Cover again with a towel in a warm place for a final 1 hour rise, or until they're once again doubled in size.

Two more things before they bake. Cut 1 long or several shorter slits in the tops, with a very sharp thin blade, then spritz them lightly with plain, filtered, warm water. I also sprinkled the loaves with Everything Bagel Seasoning, but you can also leave them plain. Put them into a preheated 450° oven with a wide pan of water, that was also preheated, in the bottom of the oven, to help steam the bread for a nice, crispy crust. Bake a total of 25 minutes, spritzing the loaves again and turning the sheets, half way through the baking time.

You can also turn the heat to 450° if they aren't browning the way you'd like, at the half way point. When I took these out of the oven I also spritzed them with a spray of EVOO before putting them on a cooling rack.  Wait until they're at room temperature before breaking or slicing. Patience! It'll be worth it!

The loaves are small, but they turned out very well! When cool, wrap and seal them in waxed paper. This might just be my new go-to recipe and technique. If you've got a baking or cooking idea, keep persisting. Eventually, after some trial and error, it'll all come together for you.

Be Creative - Happy Baking! . .Lin