Its time again for the monthly Bread Baking Day bake-off!  Zorra, the founder of BBD is hosting the one year anniversary edition - and the theme for this exciting occasion is Bread with Sprouts!  For my bread I decided to do a variety of sprouted grains - an equal mix of Hard Red Wheat, Kamut, and Spelt.  I chose these grains because I love the flavor of each, and for ease of sprouting - they are all roughly the same size.
I followed Susan’s method for sprouting, ‘cuz she’s so smart and knows how to simplify things :)  And it worked like a charm.  I had started to see teeny tiny tips after only 24 hours, but I waited until about 40 hours to use them.  As Susan mentioned in her post, it was very easy to express the endosperm, and that was another clue that the sprouts were rearin’ to go.

Here are the sprouts after being pulverized by the food processor

This bread is incredible.  Everything from the crust to the crumb was outstanding.  This was my first experience *ever* with a sprouted bread and it may be my new standard.  The three different grains gave the bread such incredible flavor.  The texture of the crumb was so soft and had a perfect balance of open and tight.  The crust came out of the oven so richly colored, I didn’t even want to cut into it - it was so perfect as it was.  I was thrilled with this bread in all aspects.  One thing I did that I think contributed to such great flavor was that I used the water that the grains sprouted in.  This was the water from the second washing, which should’ve been cleaner than the first day’s water, but the grains had been thoroughly washed prior to soaking, so I wasn’t concerned with any debris.   I did think the dough had a very different smell to it, and was happy to see that whatever “scent” the sprouts added was baked off in the oven.

The following recipe was put together on the fly - the bread was really really *really* sticky, but was definitely manageable for shaping with just a little flour sprinkled on the surface and bread.

Multigrain Sprouted Sourdough Bread

Sprout Grains - ~48 hours
Mixing and Autolyse - 30 min
Bulk Fermentation - 4 hours with folds at 1 and 2 hours
Rest and Shaping - 20 min
Bench Proof - 2 hours
Bake - ~40 min

Ingredients:

300g 100% hydration starter
200g high gluten bread flour
150g bread flour
200g water*
210g sprouts**
14g salt

*I used the water that the sprouts had been growing in with the hopes of added flavor
**I did an equal combo of sprouts - 70g each of kamut, spelt and hard red wheat sprouts

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except salt in a large mixer bowl and mix until combined.

Autolyse for 15-20 minutes.  Add salt and continue mixing on medium speed until the dough comes together in a ball.  It will eventually happen!

Scrape dough into lightly oiled container, and do one or two folds at that time.  Cover and let ferment at room temperature for approximately 4 hours, with a fold at 1 hour and 2 hours.

Deflate the dough and divide into two equal pieces.  Pre-shape, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Shape the two pieces into batards and place seam side up on a lightly flour lined couche.

Cover and allow to bench proof for two hours, or until a finger indention doesn’t refill.

About 45 minutes before you anticipate the dough being read, preheat the oven to 500F.  Place a steam pan in the oven on the bottom rack or very bottom of oven while oven is being preheated.

When dough is ready to bake, turn over and slash, if desired.  Steam oven, and place bread in, lowering the temperature to 450F after 3 minutes of baking.  Rotate the loaves if necessary to promote even browning.

The loaves should be done in about 40 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 190F and the crust is a rich, golden brown.

Yum!

Before I showcase all that breakfast is made of, I’d like to thank Zorra for founding this inspiring event and to let you all know to head over to her blog to get the theme of the one year BreadBakingDay anniversary edition!

Also, a big thank you to everyone that participated in this event - it was honor to not only host BBD for its 10th installment, but to get to (virtually) meet each and every one of you - I think that this diversity is what the essence of food blogging is all about - From sisters in Saudi Arabia, to California (our most popular state this month), people coming together from all parts of the world to share a common passion is so incredible - thank you for letting me be a part of it! And I’d like to say a special thank you to Antonella; she doesn’t have a blog but was so eager to still participate.

And the fun begins!

Apricot Brioche Breakfast Plait by Haalo (Melbourne, Australia)

Buttery, Honey and Nut Loaf by Chaosqueen (Lubeck, Germany)

Sesame seeds & Zaatar Rings by Zainab (Jubal Indl City, Saudi Arabia)

Walnut and Coconut Meedo’s Cake by Meedo (Jubal Indl City, Saudi Arabia)

Gipfeli by (BBD’s founder!) Zorra (Spain)

Fruit Bread by Cinzia (Verona, Italy)

Sugary Brioche by Alexandra (New York, USA)

Welsh Speckled Bread by Cakelaw (Melbourne, Australia)

Sweet Vanilla Challah by Laura (Ohio, USA)

Pan Trenza by Jala (Argentina)

Macaroon Stollen by Petra (Geiersthal, Germany)

Pecan Rolls by Lien (The Netherlands)

Oatmeal Breakfast Bread and Breakfast Cinnamon Crisps by Judy (California, USA)

Panecillos Suizos by Tartasacher (Spain)

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Bread by Katie (Illinois, USA)

Cinnamon Rolls by Melissa (Georgia, USA)

Butter Zopf by Robert (Basel, Switzerland)

Cocoa, Cinnamon and Cheese pastries by Dulmina (Szeged, Hungary)

Sourdough English Muffins by Dan (New York, USA)

Best Brioche Ever by Eva (Sydney, Australia)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread by Ranjeetha (Massachusetts, USA)

Orange Berry Muffins by Holly (Utah, USA)

Cinnaroll Ears by Asha (North Carolina, USA)

Helen’s Special Raisin Bread by Natashya (Ontario, Canada)

Pan de Sal by Jude of (Illinois, USA)

Orange Cinnamon Rolls by Maddy (California, USA)

English Muffins by Funky (Midwest, USA)

Scones a l’eau de Rose by Shel (France)

Eggless Oatmeal Bread by Aparna (India)

English Crumpets by Pam (Victoria, Australia)

Sweet Dough by Silvia Faedis, Italy)

Simple Milk Loaf by Y (Sydney, Australia)

French Breakfast Puffs by Temperance (Texas, USA)

Ricotta Cheese Bread Rolls by Anna (Firenze, Italy)

Crumpets by Harini (Mumbai, India)

Lemon Blueberry Bread by Jacqueline (Vermont, USA)

Multigrain Bread by Smita of (New York, USA)

Carmelized Apple and Pastry Cream Filled Yeasted Bread by Antonella (Italy - no blog)

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls by (Lima, Peru)

Fennel and Golden Raisin Scones by Noor (Oklahoma, USA)

Potato Bread Rolls by Bjs Dani (Sao Paolo, Brazil)

Tweaked Hokkaido Bread by Astrid (Vienna, Austria)

Rosemary Bread Rolls by Tatiana (Trento, Italy)

Fresh Fruit Danishes by Susan (California, USA)

Capuchin Rolls by Stefan (Solingen, Germany)

Zopf by Boaz (California, USA)

Cheese Kuchen by Madam Chow (Washington D.C, USA)

Banana Nut Muffins by Caitlin (Wisconsin, USA)

Croissants by George (Staffordshire, UK)

Honey Wheat Bread with Poppy Seeds and Lemon by Ulrike (Kronshagen, Germany)

Cinnamon Twist Bread by Sandie (Texas, USA)

Bagels by Michelle (Illinois, USA)

Sugar ‘n Spice Puffs by Linda (Ohio, USA)

Simple White Bread (to eat with Nutella) by Daniela (Genoa, Italy)

Oatmeal and Treacle Bread by Johanna (Melbourne, Australia)

Sourdough Croissants by Tommi (California, USA)

***If I have accidentally not included your post, or mistyped your links, please email me ASAP, and I will happily add/correct to the list!***

Could life be any better than starting your day with some warm gooey cinnamon rolls? I was fortunate enough to be the lucky host of this month’s edition of Bread Baking Day and I was thrilled to hold that title. This is the 10th edition, and the theme is Breakfast Breads! I had been long wanting to make a batch of cinnamon rolls, and when one of docs I work with made the formal request, I thought this would be the perfect “bread” for my entry!

I used Peter Reinhart’s recipe in his book “Bread Baking Apprentice” and I won’t bother typing it up since I used that recipe verbatim. You see, I have absolutely no history of making these beauties, and really have only had them a handful of times, so I didn’t feel comfortable at that point to deviate. I am a huge lemon lover, and I especially loved that this recipe used lemon in the glaze.

Before baking, after rising.

The recipe was incredibly easy to follow - the dough was quite soft. This recipe also uses yeast, but I would ultimately like to try one leavened with sourdough - I think that would contribute quite a unique taste that would pair well with the lemony glaze.

After baking, before glazing!

I had stolen one from the center to taste-test. You see, I wanted them all to look nice and pretty (and intact) for transporting and sharing at work. So the little tiny one that no one would likely want (yeah right) I took for myself

Glazing was awfully fun - just tossing it around to and fro as it hangs off the top of the whisk. The whole recipe was very rewarding! One tip that I took from others was to cut the individual rolls with flavorless dental floss, and that keeps the roll compressing.

Stay tuned for the round-up which has so many *amazing* breads from all over the world. And don’t forget to check out the next edition of BBD, which will be hosted by Zorra, our talented founder of the event for its one year birthday celebration!

I was terrified when I saw this recipe. It was **6** pages long!! I’m still terrified of this recipe! I loooove baking, but I don’t care for recipes that carry this many steps - I mean, that’s THAT many DIFFERENT places for my baking-red-thumb to go nuts. I think I still need more practice with this recipe! I could’ve had more practice with this recipe if I hadn’t procrastinated. I really was frightened! All in all it came out well. (please forgive the awful quality of my pictures!!! I thought I had white balanced well enough, but the dim lighting masked the appropriate WB).

I made a few (allowable!) modifications -

1. I used all hazelnut instead of almonds. I love hazelnuts and I thought I would love this cake. I certainly did. The cake was incredible! I think it needed a little longer in the oven though. It was springy to the touch, but only spotty brown - now I know to leave it in a little longer.
2. I skipped the glaze and instead added a little bit of syrup to the mousse, which, sadly, was not mousse-y at all. I need to work on my mousses :) This was my first experience with one!
3. I made 4 mini cakes instead of the one large cake. I thought that would be an appropriate size for two people to share.
4. My syrup consisted of a teaspoon each of almond and lemon extract - tasty!
5. I topped with sprinkled cinnamon, which I thought was going to look a lot lighter on the cake than it actually did!!

Special thanks to Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea for picking such a cool recipe for this month and for getting it all typed up and ready for us to bake with! And of course, to see the rest of the fabulous Daring Bakers’ creations, head on over here and check ‘em out! I really can’t wait to see whats in store for us next month!

And now for the recipe - grab a seat ;)

The Daring Bakers’ Opéra Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle’s and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the joconde:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the soaking syrup:

½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream (The recipe for the buttercream that is listed here is based on the original. When testing the buttercream, we tested a slightly modified version that had 2 cups sugar, ½ cup water and 1¾ cups butter. The eggs remained the same. We ended up with a very creamy buttercream. But we don’t want anyone to be afraid of our modified version so you have the option of using the original above or the quantities we’ve listed here in this note):

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar (Used to say 2 cups but should be 1 cup)
¼ cup (60 grams) water (Used to say ½ cup but should say ¼ cup)
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (Used to say 1¾ cups of butter but it should be 1¾ sticks).
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) (Note: The original recipe instructs to heat the syrup to 255◦F (124◦C). We heated it to 225◦F and it worked just fine. However, if you are concerned, then by all means heat your syrup to 255◦F.) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the ganache/mousse:

7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.

Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.

If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.

If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Enjoy!

Because I live for key lime pie, I had marked this recipe when I first bought this book. I was *so* glad that it had finally come up in the rotation! Dianne of Diannes Dishes chose our recipe and I had plans to starting baking as soon as I saw it posted. Of course the weekend came (and went) and that’s why I’m a total slacker posting it now, almost midnight on the day of submission!! Not to mention that I cheated some - I bought a pre-made crust. Go on, send me the mean remarks - I can take it. Its the first time I’ve done that in about 6 years. I have a good excuse! I’m taking a cake-decorating class, and I’m not getting home until almost 10:30pm…

The pie part was out of this world. I LOVE coconut, and I LOVE key lime pie. I’m not a huge fan of meringue, I swear that it tastes like scrambled eggs to me, and unfortunately, this was no different. I’ll forgo the meringue next time, and do real whipped cream instead. I’m bringing the remainder to work tomorrow to share in the wealth. I’d write more, but I’m so sleepy - please forgive!

And now for the fabulous recipe!

Florida Pie by Dorie Greenspan

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:

Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you’ve got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

It is my pleasure to present to you the theme of this month’s BreadBakingDay - Breakfast Breads! Because the options are truly endless, I’m going to only put one restriction on this - it must have a leavening agent of some kind. Quick breads are just as fabulous as yeasted breads for this

Chris Kimball discussed the history of American breakfast as:

Pioneer Breakfast:

These breakfasts were simple and, like most early American cuisine, relied heavily on cornmeal, an ingredient that was used by Native Americans and influenced the cuisine of early settlers. A simple hot water cornbread was used to create a variety of different breads, including corn pone (pan-fried in oil), Johnnycakes (usually flattened and griddle-fried) and Ashcakes (wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked in the ashes of a campfire). Hoecakes were small pancakes cooked on the flat side of a garden hoe and cooked over a campfire. Corn Dodgers were simple, oval-shaped cornmeal breads made from cornmeal, water, buttermilk, and baking powder.

Victorian Breakfast:

The Victorian breakfast reflected the birth of the middle class, when many wealthier women had leisure time and disposable income was growing. Unlike the relatively poor settlers in our nation’s past, Victorians had the money to improve the quality and range of the American breakfast table. Menus could be extensive and include a wide array of foods including hot cereal, eggs, fish, meat, breads, and fruit. A formal Victorian breakfast would be equivalent of brunch today, with items such as orange juice, Poached Eggs with Asparagus Tips, toast, lamb chops, green peas, English muffins, and crackers with Brie or Roquefort to finish with coffee.

—–

So what is your country’s/family’s traditional breakfast bread? Share it with us!

To enter in this month’s BBD, bake some fabulous bread, then:

1. Post your bread on your blog, with a link in the post to this page
2. Email me at: melissa@bakingasweetlife.com and include the following (By June 1st!!!):

• Your name
• Your blogs name (with URL)
• The name of your bread and its permalink in your blog
• Your location
• A picture of your creation! (preferably 150 pixels wide)
• please note - I unfortunately only speak and read English -please submit your emails as such! :)

I will post the round-up by June 5th, so please check back then!

To see April’s round-up of Breads with Oats, check Paulchen’s foodblog!

And lastly, lets not forget to thank Zorra, for being the founder of our fun and creative monthly blog event!

The former site, if you had previously visited, was here but I wanted something that didn’t sound so “muffin”ish. I was also aiming for something that was a bit more sophisticated, while incorporating all aspects of baking, since I do a great deal of breads, and not just sweets.  I’m going to move some of my favorite posts from the last site over to this one for easy reference.  Also, the old blog will auto-direct here, so don’t do a double take if you are confused with how you may have arrived  :)

I’ve been so eager to try this bread, and I’m so glad I finally did! The reason I had put it off for so long is that the high extraction do-it-yourself-part had intimidated me. I don’t know why - it ended up being so easy to do, and so worth this 4 extra minutes that it took.

This bread was gargantuan! But so incredible. It was probably 14″ across, and about 8″ or 9″ tall. This would be my first jumbo-sized loaf, and it really could feed an army. Well, a small army. Maybe a small baseball team. Anyway. I have an electric mill and normally mill my own wheat, spelt, kamut, etc for my whole grain breads. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to sift anything out of it, since the entire wheat berry is milled at the same grind.

As it turned out, the sifting process took out a good bit of bran/germ. I was really impressed with how fine the flour looked after sifting! Of course I’m not sure what my extraction rate was, but I just discarded all that I sifted from the flour. Next time I’ll save it to sprinkle on top of the miche as it goes into the oven.

I had totally forgotten to fold at 30-60 and 90-minutes, and so when I remembered about 150 minutes into it, I did a fold then, and then just did the final shaping 30 minutes later. I had to use the largest bowl I had on hand to keep it as a round, but it did just fine.

I placed it in the oven, with an ice-steam just beforehand, and I spritzed with water just as I put it in the oven, and then two minutes later. Then I let it sit undisturbed until about 55 minutes in the oven, at which time I covered it with aluminum foil so that it wouldn’t get too browned. I think it came out of the oven just perfect.

Here’s a picture of the crumb:

The crust was so crisp and crunchy, and the interior was so soft. This struck me as the perfect sandwich bread, cut thick or thin. Hubbs and I were really amazed with it. I think this would be an overwhelming gift on its own, but it would be great maybe split in half, or baked as two boules.

Here’s the recipe as it appears in Maggie Glezer’s “Baking Across America”

Makes one 4 pound (1.8-kilo) loafTime: At least 18 hours with about 30 minutes of active work

Much of what makes this bread so special is the high-extraction flour used in it. This is a bolted whole-wheat flour much lighter in color and sweeter in flavor than a whole-wheat flour (at 100% extraction), but much darker and more flavorful than a white flour (at 72% extraction).

The method I give here for making your own high-extraction flour will work best on coarsely ground whole wheat flour. If you already have a good high-extraction flour, substitute it for the whole-wheat and bread flour in the final recipe. Thom also includes a little of his sourdough rye starter in the dough, but it is such a small amount that I have bumped up the levain slightly and added rye flour to the final dough instead.

RECIPE SYNOPSIS The evening before baking - making the Levain:

25 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons or 0.8 oz) fermented firm sourdough starter refreshed 8 hrs before (17%)

140 grams (2/3 cup or 4.9 oz) water, lukewarm (100%)

140 grams (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon or 4.9 oz) unbleached bread flour (100%)

Dissolve the sourdough starter in the water in a small bowl. Add the flour and beat this batter-like dough until very smooth. Place in a covered container and let it ferment overnight for 8 hours, or until fully risen and just starting to sink in the middle.

Bake Day – Mixing the Dough:

350 grams (about 12 oz or about 2 1/2 cups) Coarsely ground whole-wheat flour, preferably milled from an organic, hard winter wheat (eventually 25%)

750 grams (26.5 oz or 5 cups) unbleached bread flour, preferably organic (75%)

30 grams (1 oz or 1/4 cup) organic whole-rye flour (3%)

660 grams (24 oz or 3 cups) water (66%)

Fermented levain (30%)

23 grams (0.8 oz or 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons) salt (2.3%)

Preparing the flour:

Sift the whole-wheat through your finest sieve or flour sifter. The large flakes of bran should be caught in the sieve (use them for flouring your peel or for muffins). Measure out 2 cups 3 tablespoons (8.8 ounces, 250 grams) sifted flour. Mix this dark flour with the bread flour and the rye flour in a large bowl or in the work bowl of your mixer.

Add the water to the fermented levain to loosen it from the container.

Mixing the dough:

By hand: Pour the watered levain into the flours and stir with your hands or a wooden spoon just until a rough dough forms. Turn the dough out onto the unfloured work surface and continue kneading until the dough is very smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. This is a lot of dough and will take some muscle. Sprinkle on the salt and continue to knead the bread until the salt has fully dissolved and the dough is very smooth and shiny.

By stand mixer: Add the watered levain to the flours in the work bowl and stir the dough together with a wooden spoon or your hand (this will make the mixing go more quickly). Using the dough hook, mix the dough on medium speed for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and almost cleans the bowl. Add the salt and continue mixing until the dough is much tighter and cleans the bowl, about 5 more minutes.

This should be a soft, sticky, and extensible dough.

Fermenting and turning the dough:

Place the dough in a container at least 3 times its size and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Let it ferment until it is airy and well expanded but not yet double in bulk, about 3 hours. Turn the dough 3 times at 30-minute intervals, that is, after 30, 60, and 90 minutes of fermenting, then leave the dough undisturbed for the remaining time.

Rounding and resting the dough:

Flour the surface of the dough and your work surface and turn the dough out. Tuck the edges of the dough in to tighten it, round it, and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rest until well relaxed, 10 to 15 minutes. While the dough is resting, sift flour over a linen-lined basket or line a large colander with a well-floured tea towel.

Shaping and proofing the dough:

Shape the dough into an even and tight round loaf without deflating it. Place the dough topside down in a linen-lined basket or large colander, lightly sprinkle it with flour, and cover it well with plastic wrap. Proof the dough until it is well expanded, about doubled in volume and remains indented when lightly pressed with a floured finger, after about 4 hours.

Preheating the oven:

At least 45 minutes before the dough is fully proofed, arrange a rack on the oven’s second-to-top shelf and place a baking stone on it. Clear away all racks above the one being used Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Baking the bread:

If desired, just before baking the bread, fill the oven with steam. Turn the bread out onto a sheet of parchment paper or a floured peel and slash 3 to 4 diagonal slashes and 3 to 4 horizontal slashes into the top. It will look like a skewed grid with diamond-shaped openings. Slide the bread, still on the paper, onto the hot stone and bake until the bread is dark and evenly browned all around and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, 70 to 80 minutes, rotating it halfway into the bake. If the bread is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C), but still bake the bread for at least 70 minutes. Let the bread cool on a rack.

This month’s Bread Baking Day theme was simple - the bread must include oats. Astrid of Paulchen’s Food Blog was our lovely host this month, and I thought there are so many options that I was paralyzed by indecision for the first 3 weeks that this challenge was posted. I decided that I wanted to incorporate fruit, and I was in the mood for something quick, specifically a quickbread! I decided to do a variation of the Peach Oatmeal Bread in King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book. I thought that peaches would be super appropriate since I reside in the official peach state. :)

Everything about this bread screamed banana bread to me, but when you took a bite you were reminded of the fact that little peach cubes studded this amazing scented loaf. Hubbs and I split a piece and I took the rest into work. Exactly 30 minutes later, this is what was left…

It had been almost completely devoured, with many people getting multiple helpings. It really was amazing - especially with coffee in the morning. Yum!

Peach Walnut Oatmeal Bread:
16 servings

2 cups (12 ounces) peeled, sliced peaches; thawed if using frozen slices, well drained if using canned
1 3/4 (7 ounces) cups whole wheat flour, traditional of white whole wheat
1/4 cup (1 ounce) oat flour
3/4 cup (3 1/8 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats; plus extra for topping
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan. Cut the peaches into small (1/4″) pieces; place in a strainer to drain. Stir together the flours, sugars, walnuts, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Add the oats and peaches; stir to coat the peaches. Beat together the eggs, milk, oil and almond extract in a small bowl or large mixing cup. Add to the flour mixture, stirring just until evenly moistened.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Test the loaf for doneness; if a toothpick inserted in the center doesn’t come out clean, cover the top of the bread with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, run a table knife around the edges of the loaf to make sure its not sticking, then turn it out of the pan and return it to the rack to cool completely before slicing.