A bread for my family

My dad and I continually tease each other about our granola.  He prefers his with lots of flax, minimal sugar and oil, and a short baking time. I tease him that it tastes like horse feed. On the other hand, my granola is often greeted with a snarky "Hey look! Bethany brought us some dessert!"

My family has always had a thing for whole grains.  My dad would make heavy whole wheat cinnamon rolls, buckwheat pancakes, and whole wheat bread that he would devour, while the children would pick at it suspiciously. A little too healthy looking for our taste I suppose. For a long time we also had a hand turned wheat grinder and everyday we were required to grind one cup of wheat for my mom's bread making session. 

These days I tend to use more whole grain than any of them in my cooking and baking, but recently, in an effort to lower triglycerides and promote family heart health my mom's been learning to cook without processed white sugar and flour, and has been experimenting with other alternative grains-- specifically spelt. (She has also become an expert in honey within the past week-- and I now know where I learned my research skills from).

Anyway- on to the bread. I woke up this morning, and after cleaning my kitchen had an intense desire to mess it up again with bread baking. And not just any bread, a bread that would make my father and mother proud, a loaf of heavy-warm-whole grain-honey-sweetened-goodness. So here it is-- the bread of super heroes, supercharged with 8 whole grains and 5 types of seeds.

A bread for my family or Superhero bread
makes 2 large sandwich loaves or 1 large sandwich loaf and two rustic rounds.

1/2 cup of farro

1/2 of buckwheat groats

1/2 cup of oatmeal

3/4 - 1 1/2 cups tepid water

1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast

4 cups whole wheat flour (you could substitute some spelt here if you want)

2 cups unbleached bread flour

1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey

1 cup small grains- any mix of polenta, millet, quinoa, armeranth, teff, etc.

1 cup mixed seeds- any mix of sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, flax, seseme, chia, etc. 

1. Place farro, oatmeal, and buckwheat groats in saucepans with ample water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot, and cook until not quite done through. They still want to be a bit toothy when you take them off the heat so that they retain their integrity in the dough. farro will take the longest, about 1/2 hour; oatmeal about 5 minutes; and buckwheat groats about 10. When done, strain off water, if you can, and allow to cool a bit before adding to the dough.
   
2. To mix dough, pour water into the bowl.. Add yeast and whisk to blend. Add all other ingredients, including slightly cooled grains. Mix with a spoon or your hands until dough comes together and looks homogenous. This will be a very sticky and fairly soft dough, but it should generally leave the sides of the bowl, so add some bread flour if necessary; just don't add so much that it is too firm.
   
3. When dough comes together, stop the mixer and wrap a piece of plastic wrap or towel around the top of the bowl. Let the dough have an autolyse for 20 minutes. This will allow the whole wheat flour to become fully hydrated, and also allow the water in the grains to settle down. If you over-knead this dough before this, you'll essentially start squeezing water out of the grains.
   
4. After the autolyse, remove the plastic and again begin kneading with your hands (though it feels more like playing in the mud than kneading, it will stick to everything and your hands will look like swamp monster hands). Within a few minutes, the dough should come fully together, leaving the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes, then test for a windowpane. It will not be as thin as what you'd expect from a dough without all the grainy content, but it will form a general windowpane.
   
5. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl large enough to contain it as it doubles. Turn dough over once, then cover bowl with plastic or a towel. Let it proof at room temperature until doubled in size.
   
6. Flour your work surface - remember, this is a sticky dough! Gently turn dough out onto it.  Divide dough in half, and shape each as you wish: either shape it for conventional bread pans, or shape as hearth loaves. Dust the top of each with flour (I love that rustic look!), then drape your piece of plastic or towel over them. While your bread is proofing again (and the second proofing goes faster, so keep an eye on it), preheat oven to 375 degrees.
   
7. Just before putting bread in oven, decoratively slash the tops a good 1/2" deep. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating loaves halfway through. This bread is deceptive - it tends to look done before it is. When done, an instant read thermometer inserted in the middle should read 180 degrees.
   
8. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Because of all those great, moist grains, and a touch of honey, this is an excellent keeper, and also freezes just fine. While it is still warm, cut a slice, butter it, maybe add some honey or your favorite preserves.