Whole Grain Rye Bread with Carrots, Pistachio, Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseed and Carrots
I am really having a German moment here. First of all, yesterday, I was completely snowed in, again. This time, however, I was prepared. And one of the things which I did was buy some good bread making ingredients.
And I might have just made one of the best breads -- ever.
But before getting into the actual bread, let me say there are a couple of things which can make me homesick -- for Germany. The number one thing I miss from Germany is the bread. While Italian cuisine is perhaps my favorite, Italian bread products are very low on my list of things which I like about this country.
The main problem is that Italian bread products are almost exclusively made out of either white flour or hard wheat flour, both processed and stripped of the germ. Even if a bread product claims to be whole grain, or "integrale", it really contains over 70% white flour, which ruins it as a whole grain product. Bread products are made more delicious by adding olive oil, which also adds calories. Many Italian breads contain no salt, which to me robs the bread of all flavor.
In Germany, things are a little different. A piece of bread is a meal. Normal bread, just the every day stuff, is 60% rye flour and 40% wheat. If you spend a little more, you can reduce the wheat content to zero -- and in the process gain sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, linseed as well as spelt and oat flour. There are few things in the world more gastronomically satisfying to me than German bread. The very best in all of Germany, in my opinion is the Effenberger group of organic bakeries in Hamburg. All of their breads are made with no white flour. Almost all of them are made without yeast, using instead sour dough as the raising method. I can't even describe how good these breads are.
So anyway, yesterday I set about making some bread. I used one cup of whole wheat flour and three cups of rye. To this I added a handful of pistachio nuts, a handful of sesame seeds, a spoonful of coriander seeds, a spoonful of flaxseed and two shredded carots. I mixed a packet of yeast with warm water, a teaspoon of honey and a half - cup of natural yogurt. I kneaded it well, and let it rise twice next to the wood stove. The result was fantastic. It is moist from the carrots, and the kick of the coriander seeds is just perfect. It is even great as it is, with no butter or jam. This morning I spread a little tahini on it. Just perfect.
I am going to set about reducing the wheat content and adding spelt flour. Spelt tends to dry out quickly, so I might adjust and use more carrot next time.
10 comments:
This bread looks so good-I can just imagine slathering some good butter on it! And baking bread- a perfect way to wait out a snowstorm.
My junior year internship was at a small, natural bread company (they were working towards being totally organic), and their breadmaking tradition was definitively German--dark and hearty breads. They imported some of those German flat-breads (they are rectangular prisms of spelt, rye, or pumpernickel) as well, all which are gluten-free. It was an eye-opening experience and I can't say I can eat much white-flour bread save for homemade focaccia.
And you've inspired me to head to our local organic market that boasts this awesome selection of bulk grains, as your recipe sounds AWESOME.
One question: active dry yeast or instant yeast? I have some instant yeast (imported from Germany) that I love, but if you need the regular type, I'll get some Fleischmann's. :-)
You can use either. The important thing is to activate it with warm water and a little honey or brown sugar. I add the yogurt too, which has milk sugar in it, and adds extra moisture. One lump of active shoul equal one packet of instant...
Oh, yum - that looks so good!
Can you tell I am drooling?
Thanks! I'm going to test this out next week, and bring some home for Christmas!
Diana, thank you for giving me the perfect recipe that I will christen my new KitchenAid mixer with. Will plain, nonfat Greek yogurt do for the ‘natural’ yogurt, or should I use something else?
I'll be on a river cruise through Germany next year and look forward to tasting the wonderful breads.
The problem with good bread is that I eat too much of it.
And there it sits, on my ass, for way too long.
YEARS, sometimes!
Greek yogurt is perfect.
Diva --- complex carbs are good for you! They fill you up with less and break down slowly, giving you a controlled insulin reaction, unlike white flour which breaks down like simple sugar. And I have a feeling with your 5 am workouts you don't need to worry about a thing:)
Hi Diana - just so I don't mess up the recipe, I have a couple of questions:
1. how much water do you mix with the yeast?
2. What is oven temperature?
3. How long do you bake it for?
4. Do you bake this in a loaf pan or free form?
Thanks. Have ingreients, ready to roll.
You will need to judge the water for yourself. I used approx 400 ml for this recipe, but that INCLUDED adding the yogurt to the water, which became like a milk.
THe main thing is that the dough needs to hold together and not be sticky. Just add enough water to the dry ingredients to produce a very pliable but not sticky dough. When you knead, dust your surface with one of the two flours.
My oven temperature was 200 C.
I made it free form.
Let me know how it goes.
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