Got some time indoors to get the oven cranking and fill the house with delicious aromas?
Ditch the store-bought bread filled with unwanted additives and have a go at making your own healthy alternative. It may be simpler than you think, so try this delicious bread recipe on for size.
Don’t be daunted by the terms ‘kneading’ and ‘knocking back.’ I will explain…..
Polish rye bread with caraway seeds
- 3 cups of organic rye flour
- 1 cup unbleached organic wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
- 2 teaspoons of iodised sea salt
- 20 grams of fresh yeast
- 2/3 cup of lukewarm organic milk
- 2/3 cup of lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- flour for dusting
Mix flours, caraway seeds and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
In a separate jug, mix the yeast with the milk and honey, then pour into the centre of the well. Add the water, and then gradually mix to make dough.
Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 -10 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic and firm. Kneading is a simple process of folding the dough in half, pressing down on it, then stretching it back out again.
Put into a lightly oiled bowl covered in lightly oiled cling wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until doubled in size.
Then, take it out and put on a floured surface again and knock back the dough. This simply means pushing the air out of it by pummelling it with your fist a few times until it is back near its original size.
Shape into an oval shaped loaf, and put onto a greased piece of baking paper on a flat oven tray. Dust with flour, cover with the oiled cling wrap, and leave to rise again for 1-1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. Place two slices in the top about 2 cms apart and 1 cm deep.
Heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius, and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it on the base. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
And last but not least, enjoy!