34 MOTHER EARTH NEWS December 2016/January 2017the bread flour, and the vital wheat gluten
in the mixer bowl. Grind 2 tablespoons
of the caraway seeds and the citric acid
in a spice grinder. Add this mix and the
salt to one side of the bowl, and add the
yeast on the other. Then, add the other 2
tablespoons of whole caraway seeds. Stir
only to mix the dry ingredients.
With your bench knife, cut the starter
into about 10 pieces, and drop them all
into the flour mix.
Measure out the hot water. Spoon the
molasses or sorghum into the water and
stir. Make a well in the flour mix and
pour in the wet ingredients. Turn on the
mixer to #1 or the stir setting to begin in-
corporating the flour. When it’s mixed in,
let it all rest for a few minutes to give the
rye flour a chance to absorb the liquid.
Turn the mixer on #4 or the knead set-
ting and run for at least 5 minutes. Add
11 ⁄ 2 cups of the bread flour. Run on the
stir setting until the flour is mixed in, and
then again on #4 for at least 5 minutes.
Rye dough should be soft but firm, but
it stays rather sticky. Add only enough of
the remaining bread flour for the dough
to come together; don’t let the stickiness
tempt you to overdo it. If needed, drizzle a
little of the oil down the inside of the bowl
to help your dough clear the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a rising bucket or
bowl and allow it to double. Rising may
take longer than other breads. Be patient.
When it’s fully risen, turn your dough
onto a floured kneading board. Give it
several turns, again resisting adding much
flour. When the dough feels nice and
smooth and elastic, form your loaves.
Decide which loaves you want and di-
vide accordingly. Form a big boule with
about^2 ⁄ 3 of the dough, and try a few
smaller sandwich rolls with the remain-
ing dough. Form two standard sandwich
loaves, as in the White Sandwich Bread
recipe on Page 32, for more uniform
sandwiches.
For the boule, pat out the dough into
an oval, then roll it up tightly. Try not to
totally deflate the dough; be gentle with
it. Coax the dough into a rounder shape,
pulling the edges to the bottom to cre-
ate surface tension. Put the boule on a
greased baking sheet dusted with a small
amount of cornmeal.Oatmeal Bread
This is the absolute best bread for a PB&J sandwich! You can substitute a cup of whole
wheat for 1 cup of the white bread flour to achieve a deeper flavor. As for the oats, you
can use “quick-cooking” oats (never “instant”) if that’s what you have, but rolled or “old-
fashioned” oats lend a chewier, heartier texture.
Directions: Set up a mixer with a dough hook.
Put 4 cups of the flour in the mixer bowl, with the salt on one side of the bowl and the
yeast on the other, and give it a quick stir.
If you can get scalding-hot water from the tap, use
that. If not, heat the water to not more than 115 de-
grees Fahrenheit. In a measuring glass, stir together
the water and milk. (The ideal temperature will be
between 90 and 105 degrees, but it’s fine to approxi-
mate.) Spoon in the honey or sorghum and stir to mix.
Add the liquid to the flour and give it a quick stir to
start incorporating. Run the mixer on the stir setting
until the flour is mixed in, and then knead on #4 for
5 minutes. You should see the beginning of gluten
strands in a smooth batter.
Add the oats and most of the remaining 2 cups of
flour — but hold back just a little — and run on the stir
setting until the flour settles in. Then knead on #4 for
5 to 10 minutes until the dough comes together and clears the sides of the bowl. You want
a soft but firm dough. If it seems too soft, add flour bit by bit.
If the dough seems to need “help” coming together, run a bit of oil or melted butter
down the side of the bowl.
After it all comes together, transfer the dough into a rising bucket or bowl. Allow it to rise
until nicely doubled and puffy. This could take^1 ⁄ 2 hour to an hour or longer, depending on
the room temperature.
Turn the dough out onto a floured kneading board. Knead several turns, adding a bit of
flour if needed, until the dough is smooth, satiny, and doesn’t stick. With your bench knife,
cut the dough in half, as evenly as you can. Pat each half out into an oval, about 8 by 10
inches, and then tightly, stretching it a bit, roll it up into a nice, fat loaf.
Sprinkle just a bit of oats into the bottoms of your loaf pans and set in your loaves.
Brush the tops of the loaves with a bit of melted butter and, if you’d like, pat on a small
amount of oats. Cover the loaves with greased plastic or a proofing cover and allow the
loaves to rise until doubled and puffy, prettily rounded over the tops of the pans.
While the loaves rise, check them a time or two. If you see a big bubble on the top,
pinch it carefully so you won’t have a burned blister on the top of your bread.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake your loaves for about 50 minutes, until they’re a
nice dark-gold color, and a thermometer inserted through the side reads 190 degrees. Turn
out the loaves immediately onto a wire rack. Never cut a loaf until it’s completely cool.Ingredients- 6 cups bread flour,
divided, plus more in
reserve - 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp instant yeast
- 11 ⁄ 4 cups very hot water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp honey or sorghum
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 tbsp oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp melted butter
oatmeal: istock/Nancy Kennedy Potato bread: Fotolia/sonyakamoz
ISTOCK/NANCY KENNEDY; PAGE 35: FOTOLIA/SONYAKAMOZp 30-35 Bread 3.indd 34 10/12/16 10:59 AM