Straight from the Earth

EVERYTHING HEALTHY BREAD

I grew up baking bread with my dad. On special days, we would devote hours to mixing, kneading, rising, and baking. He taught me the proper way to knead the dough, how it should feel when it’s ready to be shaped into logs, and the perfect hollow sound it has when just out of the oven (he had a job as a baker in college and learned some good tricks). Baking bread is one of my favorite meditations. I love devoting half of my day to bread alchemy, letting the dough rise over and over again, and kneading until it is perfectly elastic. This bread is my version of the one we used to bake together. Adapted from The Tassajara Bread Book (the first cookbook my mom ever owned when she was younger than I am now), this recipe is a step-by-step guide to creating the best, most healthy bread you’ve ever baked. You can form the bread into two loaves or two rounds, or one of each (which is what I usually do). The total cooking time comes out to about 4 hours, but the amount of time you’ll actually be working in the kitchen is less than 1 hour—most of the time is for letting the bread rise and bake. —MAREA

Makes 2 loaves

1 tbsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

4 to 5 cups/520 to 650 g whole-wheat flour

¹/₂ cup/60 g old-fashioned rolled oats

¹/₂ cup/90 g millet

¹/₂ cup/70 g sunflower seeds, toasted (see page 72)

¹/₂ cup/70 g pumpkin seeds, toasted (see page 72)

¹/₂ cup/70 g sesame seeds, toasted (see page 72)

2 tbsp caraway seeds

¹/₄ cup/60 ml olive oil

1 tbsp salt

Make a sponge (a wet, yeasty batter) by placing 3 cups/720 ml lukewarm water (85 to 105°F/30 to 40°C) in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkling it with the yeast. Stir gently with a large wooden spoon to dissolve. Add the sugar, molasses, and agave, and stir gently to dissolve. Add the flaxseed. Stir in 2¹/₂ cups/300 g of the flour, 1 cup/120 g at a time, stirring briskly after each addition. The mixture should be thick, but still loose enough to beat with a spoon. Beat the mixture briskly for about 30 seconds in a circular motion, making sure to stir through the middle of the mixture. The sponge should be very smooth.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set it in a warm, draft-free place. Let the sponge rise for 35 minutes, until it appears bubbly.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and caraway seeds. Set aside.

Uncover the sponge and pour the oil and salt over it. Mix them in by stirring around the side of the bowl and folding in toward the center, rotating the bowl with your other hand until completely incorporated. Add another 1 cup/120 g of flour and incorporate using the same folding method. Stir in the reserved seed mixture, 1 cup/120 g at a time. Continue to add flour in ¹/₄ cup/30 g increments, until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl and forms a cohesive mass.

When it is impossible to continue stirring with a spoon, the dough is ready for kneading. This is a very important step: It creates heat that activates the gluten in the flour, which creates a lighter-textured bread.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough by pressing down on it with your hands and body weight and rotating it frequently to ensure that all of it gets worked. Turn, fold, push, and repeat. If the dough sticks to the surface or your hands, add small amounts of flour to the dough and the kneading surface. As you work the dough, it will become more resistant, but increasingly elastic. Knead for 15 minutes.

Lightly oil a very large, dry bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, smooth-side down. Flip the ball of dough in the bowl to cover the other side with oil, leaving it crease-side down.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Punch down by gently pressing your fist into the dough, repeating this motion until the dough has been completely deflated. Cover and let it rise again until it has doubled in size, 40 to 50 minutes.

Generously oil two 8¹/₂-by-4-in/21.5-by-10-cm loaf pans, or a flat baking sheet if forming the dough into rounds. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface lightly dusted with flour. If the dough is sticky, add more flour very sparingly. Knead lightly to form a round ball. With a sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Roll each piece into a log, squaring off the sides and ends, and pinching the seams together. Place each log in one of the prepared loaf pans, seam-side up. Flatten the dough with your fingers so that the bottom gets completely covered in oil. Then flip the dough over so the seam side is down, and push down with your fingers once again. Alternatively, form one or both pieces of dough into rounds, taking care to oil all sides. Cover the pans with a clean kitchen towel, set them in a warm, draft-free place, and let the dough rise until it has almost doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C/gas 4.

With a small, sharp knife, cut five ¹/₂-in-/12-mm-deep slits in the top of each loaf to help the bread bake evenly. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 60 minutes. To test for doneness, turn a loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom, listening for a hollow sound. If the bread seems soft or doesn’t sound hollow, continue baking a little longer and test again. Transfer the pans to a wire rack, and turn out the loaves. Let them cool on the rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing.