Grainy wholewheat bread

Though we do love the flavorful sourdough breads, let’s be real,- the labor and time it requires isn’t always available and the patience needed sure isn’t for everyone. In a busy everyday life, yeast bread comes to rescue and a lot of this is baked in our home every single week. This loaf is full of wholegrain ingredients to give you a bread that will keep you going for hours and give your gut something to work with. Soaking the kernels and seeds makes sure the bread will stay soft and moist, also next day if you’re able to save some of it. You have the option of a same day bake or an overnight rise in the fridge. The loaf is baked with steam to make sure the bread is able to rise fully before the crust starts to develop and if you haven’t baked with steam before I hope you will not let this discourage you. It’s not difficult and I promise you, it’s worth it. I hope you’ll find it as delicious and flavorful as we do!!!

Ingredients for 1 loaf

60 g cracked wheat kernels

25 g flaxseeds

200 ml boiling water

100 ml plant yoghurt

100 ml water

20 g yeast (10 g if coldrising)

80 g wholewheat durum flour

100 g white wholewheat flour

185 g all purpose flour

8 g fine salt

0,5 tsp sugar

Add the wheat kernels and flaxseeds to a large bowl, preferably the bowl of your standmixer. Pour over the boiling water. Stir and leave to soak for approx 20 minutes, until almost all of the water has been absorbed.

Stir in yoghurt, water and yeast. Keep stirring until yeast is dissolved. Notice that there’s a difference in the amount of yeast depending on your preferred method of rise.

Add the two kinds of wholewheat flour along with salt and sugar and let your standmixer mix the dough at low speed. Add the all purpose flour, little by little and continue kneading at low speed for 1 minute. Gradually raise the speed to maxium and keep kneading until dough releases from sides and bottom of bowl, it takes 5-10 minutes. If you knead by hand, be sure to knead until the dough easily releases from your countertop.

Cover the bowl and leave to rise at room temperature until dough has doubbled in size, it takes about an hour. Scrape out your dough from the bowl onto your lightly flour dusted counter. Make sure your hands are dry and floured. Take the left edge and fold it over midway to the right. Take the right side and fold it over the left. Take the top edge and fold it down to the middle. Pick up the bottom edge closest to you and fold it up over to the top of the dough. Flip the dough so seems are now on the bottom. By using both your hands, you drag the dough down toward your body, using your fingers while you keep spinning the dough. For a visual tutorial, head to my video on IG here to see how I shape this boule. Notice, I keep spinning and dragging the dough until tension is created on the outside of the dough and air bulbs start to show. Flip the dough and lift it into your proofing basket (seem side up). From here, follow one of the options below.

Option 1: Overnight rise

Place your proofing basket in a large plastic bag and seal it up. Transfer to your fridge and leave it for second rise until next day.

Option 2: Same day bake

Cover your proofing basket and leave for second rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Baking

Preheat oven at 250 degrees Celsius while letting your sheet pan sit in there to get really warm.

Just before baking, boil some water and pour it into a rectangular baking pan. Place this at the bottom of your oven.

Pull out your pizza peel and place a piece of parchment paper on it. Flip it and place it on top of your proofing basket. Flip the whole thing, so dough is now on the pizza peel. Gently remove the basket. Slide in the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the hot sheet pan. Let the bread bake with steam for 10 minutes.

Carefully, remove the baking pan with the water from the oven. Lower heat to 235 degrees Celsius and bake the bread for another 15 minutes which will allow for the crust to develop. Remove the loaf to a cooling rack and leave to cool down for at least half an hour before slicing it.