Multi-seed brown bread

Ingredients

Butter or vegetable oil to grease
250g strong wholemeal flour
150g strong white flour, plus extra
50g rye flour (from health food shops or large supermarkets)
100g mixed seeds for the dough, plus 100g to coat
20g fresh yeast
10g salt
350ml water (room temperature)

Ingredients

Butter or vegetable oil to grease
250g strong wholemeal flour
150g strong white flour, plus extra
50g rye flour (from health food shops or large supermarkets)
100g mixed seeds for the dough, plus 100g to coat
20g fresh yeast
10g salt
350ml water (room temperature)

Method

Grease 2 x 500g (20-22cm long) loaf tins with a little butter/oil. Mix the flours together with the 100g seeds and rub in the yeast, using your fingertips as if making a crumble. Add the salt and water, then work the dough using my slap and fold technique – see tips. It should take 6-8 minutes.
When the dough is soft and pliable (see tips), form into a ball and put in a flour-dusted bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 45 minutes to rise.
Tip the dough onto the work surface and fold it over onto itself a few times to knock out some air. Shape into a ball and return to the bowl to rest for 30 minutes.
Tip out the dough again and halve. Form into 2 balls, cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 10 minutes.
Shape each ball into a loaf. Brush the tops with a little water, then roll them in the remaining seeds to coat. Put in the tins, slash the tops 3 times widthways with a sharp knife, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour or until nearly twice the volume. Heat the oven to 250°C/230°C fan/gas 9½ with a baking stone/sheet inside (see tips).
Open the hot oven and either spray inside with a water sprayer or splash water on the door. Put the tins onto the baking stone/sheet in the oven, then bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove when the loaves are golden and crusty. Cool on a wire rack.

Method

Grease 2 x 500g (20-22cm long) loaf tins with a little butter/oil. Mix the flours together with the 100g seeds and rub in the yeast, using your fingertips as if making a crumble. Add the salt and water, then work the dough using my slap and fold technique – see tips. It should take 6-8 minutes.
When the dough is soft and pliable (see tips), form into a ball and put in a flour-dusted bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 45 minutes to rise.
Tip the dough onto the work surface and fold it over onto itself a few times to knock out some air. Shape into a ball and return to the bowl to rest for 30 minutes.
Tip out the dough again and halve. Form into 2 balls, cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 10 minutes.
Shape each ball into a loaf. Brush the tops with a little water, then roll them in the remaining seeds to coat. Put in the tins, slash the tops 3 times widthways with a sharp knife, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour or until nearly twice the volume. Heat the oven to 250°C/230°C fan/gas 9½ with a baking stone/sheet inside (see tips).
Open the hot oven and either spray inside with a water sprayer or splash water on the door. Put the tins onto the baking stone/sheet in the oven, then bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove when the loaves are golden and crusty. Cool on a wire rack.

delicious. tips

If you don’t have a baking stone, use a baking sheet instead. If your oven doesn’t go up to 250°C/230°C fan/gas 9½, heat it to its highest setting and bake for 5 minutes longer.

Use fresh yeast. Dried doesn’t give the same rise (see Know-how).

The dough is supposed to be wet and sticky – don’t add extra flour.

Richard says: “Get your oven up to temperature before putting the bread in to bake.

Use a baking stone (see tip) to to help the dough rise and ensure you have a lovely golden crust on the bottom of the bread.

Get some steam in the oven when the bread goes in to bake by spraying in some water – this encourages the dough to expand, giving volume and a good crust to the loaf.”
You can buy fresh yeast from bakeries (including the ones in supermarkets) and some health food shops. It will keep chilled and wrapped for a week or so. It freezes too, but it will lose potency, so use 50 per cent more in the recipe.

To see Richard’s slap and fold technique, visit deliciousmagazine.co.uk/slapandfold.

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