Description
We love our heavy/hearty brown breads, and I finally got to try this fabulous loaf from Bon Appétit. Pay attention to the rising times, this is not a quick loaf, and slice it before you freeze it if there’s any left over – enjoy!
Ingredients
8 g (1 packet) Traditional Active Dry Yeast AND 1 c. warm water
1 c. cornmeal AND 1/4 c. molasses
2 T. hemp seeds (or white sesame seeds) AND 1 T. nigella seeds (or black sesame seeds)
2 T. EACH golden flaxseed AND brown flaxseed (I only had golden, so I used those for both measurements)
2 t. poppy seeds AND 1 1/4 t. kosher salt
2 c. + flour (I used a full 1/4 cup more to get my dough to work it’s way into a ball)
2 T. butter, softened
1 egg, beaten lightly to brush on loaf before baking
Instructions
Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving a good overhang. Heat up the bowl of your electric mixer with hot water for a few minutes, then pour out the water and stir together the yeast and warm water in the bowl until the yeast dissolves. Leave it for a few minutes to get to work while you measure out all of your other ingredients.
Add in the cornmeal, molasses, hemp seeds, nigella seeds, flaxseed, poppy seeds, salt, 2 cups of flour and the butter, stir as best as you can with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, then use the dough hook attachment and your mixer to continue to mix until no dry spots remain. Here’s where you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes -OR- leave it in your mixer and knead it with the dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes. Either way, the dough needs to end up smooth and elastic, and I ended up adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour to get it there. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough to deflate it, cover it up again, and then leave it to rise until it doubles in size again, about 1 hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle with a similar length to your prepared loaf pan. Starting on a short side, roll up the dough, pinching the seam as you go to create a tight roll. Pinch the seam to close, tuck the ends under and place it seam side down in the loaf pan. Cover this with plastic wrap and leave it to rise in a warm place until the dough roll fills out the pan, crests the top of the pan and springs back when lightly pressed. This will take about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375, brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg and bake for about 45 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature is around 200 degrees. Leave it in the pan for a few minutes to rest before turning it out onto a rack to cool – try to wait until it cools before slicing if you’d like lovely slices and enjoy as you wish!