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Ingredients
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Amt.
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Measure
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Ingredient
| | | | 1/4 | cup | Millet, puffed | 1/4 | cup | steel cut oats | 2 | tablespoons | unsalted butter, cold | 2 | tablespoons | honey | 1 1/2 | cup (8 fl oz) | water | 2 | teaspoons | yeast, active dry | 1/4 | cup | flax seeds | 2 | cup | flour, bread, enriched | 1/2 | cup | wheat flour, wholewheat | 1 3/4 | teaspoons | salt |
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Steps
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Sequence
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Step
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| | 1 | Pulse the millet and oats in a coffee grinder to the size of coarse meal or sand. Dump into a large bowl with the polenta, butter and honey. Pour the boiling water over and let sit, stirring once or twice, until the mixture feels just warm to the touch, about 30 - 45 minutes. | | 2 | Add in the active dry yeast, let the mixture sit for 10 minutes then add the flaxseeds, whole wheat flour and salt. Begin adding the white flour 1/4 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. After about 1 1/4 cups the dough should form a rough, sticky mass. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a large plastic bag, and let the mixture sit for 15 - 20 minutes. (This is called autolyse, and it allows the starches in the flour to absorb the water and swell up, and the glutens to begin unfurling and forming straight lines.)
Uncover the bowl and scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, dusting your hands and surface with just enough flour to keep it from sticking, for about 10 minutes. The dough should feel smoother by the end, and should be a bit tacky but not sticking to things.
Round the dough into a boule and place in a large bowl coated lightly with oil. Turn to coat the dough with oil and leave the boule smooth side up. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 - 2 hours. | | 3 | Grease an 8x4" or 9x5" loaf pan with butter. Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted very lightly with a bit of flour. (A plastic scraper works wonderfully for this.) Pat the dough into a rectangle roughly 8x14", with a skinny side facing you. Roll the dough up snugly, cinnamon bun-style, and pinch the seam shut. Tuck the ends under the loaf and roll the log a few times, seam side down, to smooth it out. Place the log, seam side down, in the greased pan, and put the whole shebang into a large plastic vegetable bag (or small garbage bag). Tie the end of the bag shut, leaving it inflated to give the loaf room to expand.
Let the loaf rise until doubled in bulk and 2" above the rim of the pan, 45 - 60 minutes. | | 4 | Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º. Place a metal or cast iron pan on the floor of the oven. You will put ice cubes in it to steam the oven. | | 5 | Remove the bag. Fill a 1/2 cup measure with ice cubes. Open the oven and quickly but gently place the loaf pan in the oven, and toss the ice cubes into the pan on the floor of the oven. Close the door and don''t open it again for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven to 350º. Rotate the pan and bake the loaf for 30 - 40 more minutes, for a total baking time of 50 - 60 minutes. A thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should register 195 - 200º.
Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool completely before cutting (the internal steam is continuing to cook the interior of the bread) 1 - 2 hours. |
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