Recipe below—bake along! Earthy but not at all heavy, this whole wheat bread loaf is ideal for toasting, making sandwiches and especially for eating, still warm and slathered with butter and a sprinkle of salt. You can bake this bread as one giant round loaf (boule) in a cast-iron pot, but it is equally delicious baked as two smaller loaves on a baking tray.
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• Recipe •
Makes 1 large farmhouse boule or 2 smaller loaves
Prep Time: Under 15 minutes, plus proofing and cooling
Cook Time: 1 hour
The bread will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
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• Ingredients •
1½ cups (150 g) regular rolled oats
1⅔ cups (250 g) whole wheat flour, divided
1¾ cups (425 mL) boiling water
¾ cup (175 mL) 2% milk, at room temperature
2 Tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 Tbsp (18 g) honey
2 cups (300 g) bread flour
1 (2¼ tsp/7 g) pkg instant dry yeast
1½ tsp fine sea salt
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• Directions •
1. Soak the oats. Combine all of the oats and ⅔ cup (100 g) whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Pour the boiling water over the grains and stir well—this will make a thick, stodgy paste (like porridge). Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
2. Mix and knead the dough. Add the milk, oil and honey and mix until roughly combined. Add the bread flour, remaining 1 cup (150 g) whole wheat flour, yeast and salt and mix until the dough comes together. If using the mixer, continue to knead the dough on medium-low speed until it becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, lightly dust a work surface with flour (see tip), turn the dough out onto it and knead the dough until elastic, about 7 minutes.
Note: The key to successfully kneading dough by hand is to not add too much flour when kneading. The dough will naturally be sticky when you start because the flour hasn’t had time to absorb the water, nor have the proteins in the flour developed. When combining the dough, I hold back ⅓ cup (50 g) of the whole wheat flour listed in the ingredient list, and then I use that flour to dust my kneading surface. That trick makes the dough easier to knead and I know I am not adding extra flour. Halfway through kneading, the dough will start to become more taut and less sticky.
3. Proof the dough for 90 minutes. Transfer the dough to an ungreased bowl and cover the bowl tightly. Let sit on the counter until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
4. Shape the loaves and proof for 30 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface, then turn the dough out onto it. Knock the dough down and shape it into a ball. If you prefer two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls or roll out into two ovals. Place the dough onto a square of parchment paper not much bigger than the width of the dough itself, or place onto the baking tray. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and place a large Dutch oven inside to heat, or line a baking tray with parchment paper instead.
6. Score the dough. Uncover the dough and use a sharp paring knife or a bread lame (see p. xx) to score the top of the bread. If using the Dutch oven, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift the lid. Carefully place the loaf on its parchment paper in the bottom of the pot and cover the pot. Place the Dutch oven (or baking tray) in the oven.
7. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, remove the lid of the pot and then bake for another 30 minutes (two smaller loaves on a tray will take a total of 50 minutes). Immediately remove the bread from the oven and transfer it from the pot or tray to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
