I love making bread. There’s something almost timeless about working dough with your hands — feeling gluten stretch as you knead and knowing people have done this for generations. This particular loaf is worth the effort, even though the dough can be very sticky. Keep your fingers and work surface lightly floured while kneading, and have a bench scraper ready to free any dough that sticks to the counter. A little patience and the right technique make a beautifully textured, flavorful loaf.
This recipe highlights molasses, but you can adapt the sweetener to your taste. Regular baking molasses works well; blackstrap is strong, so mix it with honey if you use it, and the milder, sweeter molasses will produce a sweeter loaf. If you prefer, substitute all honey for a different flavor profile. The bread freezes beautifully: cool completely, slice, and freeze so you can pull out single slices to toast on demand.
Whole Wheat Mountain Bread
Slightly adapted from Bread for All Seasons.
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup honey or molasses (or a combination)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup dry buttermilk powder (or substitute milk powder plus 1 tbsp vinegar)
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
Dough:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Whisk the cold water and cornmeal together and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the boiling water, whisk again, and let stand for 10 minutes to cool and hydrate the cornmeal.
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon honey or molasses and let it soften for about 5 minutes.
- To the cornmeal mixture add the softened yeast, the remaining honey or molasses, dry buttermilk powder (or the milk powder + vinegar substitute), wheat bran, and the whole wheat flour. Mix thoroughly to form the sponge. Cover and set aside for one hour; it should double in volume.
- Once the sponge has risen, sprinkle the olive oil, salt, and sesame seeds over it and mix them in. Add bread flour gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2–4 minutes. The dough should remain slightly sticky — resist the urge to add too much flour. It will become much less sticky after the rise. Coat the dough lightly with oil and let it rest, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until doubled.
- After the first rise, divide the dough into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a tight round ball. If needed, use a little flour to prevent sticking while shaping. Place the loaves on parchment-lined baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal, spaced about 4 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with wheat bran, cover with a towel, and let rise for about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). If you like taller loaves, gently tuck the sides of each round underneath itself to create height, taking care not to deflate them. For a steamy oven (which helps with oven spring), place a shallow dish of hot water on the bottom rack when you turn the oven on.
- Bake the loaves at 400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 25–30 minutes until the loaves are done and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the crust browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil for the last part of baking.
Tip: For storage, cool loaves completely before slicing. Freeze individual slices or whole loaves for quick breakfasts and snacks. Toasting frozen slices restores texture and flavor nicely.
Submitted to Yeastspotting.