A New Direction - Healthy Artisan Loaf

As I mentioned on my last post, (posted too long ago), I have started moving in a new direction, sort of. I am re-writing and adapting ideas I get from other recipes and using them as a basis for new recipes. I am creating my own recipes based on ideas I have on how ingredients should work together. The idea is that good bread should be healthy, of course, but also look great, and btw, it should taste great. This bread I am posting today, is one of those breads. The recipe is adapted from Peter Reinhart's 'Roasted Three-Seed Bread', in his seminal book, Brother Juniper's Bread Book. If you don't own it, btw, you should. Plain and simple.

To the base recipe I have added some enhancements. The original uses only white flour; I have replaced one-third with whole wheat to increase the fiber, etc. Also, I have added 2 Tbs. of both chickpea flour (softens the crumb and adds a nice yellow color) and 2 Tbs. of soy flour (increased protein content). The dough was allowed to rise in a bowl covered with a floured cloth, them baked on a stone for 35 minutes at 400 F. It looks and tastes incredible! I hope you like it.

A word. I have not posted as much as I should lately mostly because my business has been taking off. Over the holidays, I have been teaching workshops all over the area. I have been to Modi'in (about 25 miles away from Jerusalem) twice. I taught at a workshop at a home for mentally challenged women in Mevasseret (a suburb just outside the city). I catered a Bat Mitzvah party, and delivered orders for cakes, pies, quiches and of course, lots and lots of bread. So, I am glad to say that the reason is a good one. Still I promise to try and find time for it all, of course, including breadmanTalking!!  If you have been following for a while, you know that this is my goal, a viable baking business, so it's all good. I'll write again soon, I promise.

Here's What You'll Need:

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
4 cups bread flour, or AP flour, or 3 cups white flour and about 1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 Tbs. instant dry yeast
1 Tbs. salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup buttermilk (or soy milk to avoid dairy)
about 1 3/4 cups water
2 Tbs. soy flour
2 Tbs. chickpea flour

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Lightly toast the seeds on a dry skillet for a few minutes. Remove the seeds from the skillet when done since they continue to roast on the hot pan.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients, including the seeds, in a large bowl, stirring to evenly distribute.

3. Add the buttermilk (or soy milk, if using), then the honey, and finally the water, adding just enough to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead vigorously for about minutes, until the dough is smooth and the gluten is well developed.

4. Place the dough in a lightly-greased bowl, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours to rise until doubled.

5. Gently remove the dough, from the bowl and place in a basket, lined with a generously floured cloth to continue rising. Make sure the dough stays covered so it doesn't dry out.

6. In the meantime, heat the oven to 400 F (195 C). Finally, place the dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper directly on a baking stone. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust is very firm and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

7. Enjoy!

Healthy, Healthy - Whole Wheat and Soy Artisan Bread

So, you can already figure our where this is going. I have slowly been trying to define a different approach to healthy bread. To integrate two different styles, as it were and create something new. I want to somehow preserve the healthy aspects of working with whole grains and high protein flours without sacrificing the look and feel of 'everyday artisan bread'. This bread is, therefore, experimental. And only a first try at something a little different.

What makes it a little special for me is the use of a combination of flours I don't have much experience with: 70% whole wheat flour and soy flour. The soy flour is made by roasting (or drying) soybeans then grinding them into flour. There are many advantages but he biggest for some people is that soy flour has no gluten. It is very popular with bakers producing gluten-free breads etc. but cannot be used by itself. That is because it has a distinctive taste not everybody likes. But in combination with other flours, you don't really taste the soy. So you're left with the high protein content and no gluten! Let me know what you think.

Here's What You'll Need:
about 3 cups whole wheat flour (I used 70% whole wheat sometimes called 'light' whole wheat
1 cup soy flour
1 Tbs. instant dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar (brown sugar is OK)
about 1 1/2 cups milk at room temperature (or warm water)

Here's What You'll Need To Do:
1. Dissolve the honey and yeast in about 1/2 cup of room temperature water or milk. let this stand for about 10 minutes or until nice and bubbly.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir to make a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together and becomes smooth. It will take maybe 5 minutes.

4. Form the dough into a ball, cover and let it rise until about doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Remember the soy has no gluten, and the whole wheat is heavy so it takes longer for it to rise.
5. Before covering the dough ball, slash the top with a sharp serrated knife. This is both decorative and allows gas to escape without exploding the bread when it bakes.

Before rising:

 After rising:

6. About 20 minutes before the dough finishes rising preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). I used a baking stone placed in the center of the oven.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and let it start to cool off on the oven for 5 minutes before removing.
8. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.