Flax and Honey Bread
A delicious sandwich loaf that also tastes nutty and fulsome when toasted. This reliable bread is easy to make and freezes well.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Time: 4 hours - mostly unattended
Makes: 2 loaves
Ingredients
1/10 lb. cake yeast or 1 package granulated yeast
2 2/3 cups slightly warm water, with 2/3 cup divided off to start the yeast
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons honey
1./4 cup or 4 tablespoons soft butter, preferably unsalted, plus extra butter to brush on the loaves before baking.
3 cups white flour, preferable unbleached. Keep 1 cup back to use during the kneading process.
2 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ground flax
3 teaspoons salt
Method
Baking temperature: 425 degrees
Stir the honey into the 2/3 cup of water. Don't worry if it doesn't all dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Set aside for 10-15 minutes until bubbles form.
Combine 2 cups of the white flour, the whole wheat flour, the ground flax and the salt. When the yeast is ready, pour the liquid into the flour mixture. Combine well with a wooden spoon. Add the butter to the dough, working it in. The dough will be sticky.
Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour onto a board and knead for 5-8 minutes, until the flour is absorbed and the dough forms into a smooth ball. Sprinkle minute amounts of flour on the board if necessary.
Grease a large bowl and round the dough up into it. Cover and leave it in slightly warm conditions for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
Punch the dough down and shape into two loaves. Grease and flour the interior of two bread pans and place a loaf in each. Cover and let rise again in a slightly warm location, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees during the last part of the rising process.
Melt 1-2 tablespoons of extra butter and brush it gently over the tops of the bread before putting it in the oven. The butter will produce a soft crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, until browned on top and a tap on the bottom in the middle produces a hollow sound. Tip out of the loaf pans and cool on a rack.
A delicious sandwich loaf that also tastes nutty and fulsome when toasted. This reliable bread is easy to make and freezes well.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Time: 4 hours - mostly unattended
Makes: 2 loaves
Ingredients
1/10 lb. cake yeast or 1 package granulated yeast
2 2/3 cups slightly warm water, with 2/3 cup divided off to start the yeast
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons honey
1./4 cup or 4 tablespoons soft butter, preferably unsalted, plus extra butter to brush on the loaves before baking.
3 cups white flour, preferable unbleached. Keep 1 cup back to use during the kneading process.
2 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ground flax
3 teaspoons salt
Method
Baking temperature: 425 degrees
Stir the honey into the 2/3 cup of water. Don't worry if it doesn't all dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Set aside for 10-15 minutes until bubbles form.
Combine 2 cups of the white flour, the whole wheat flour, the ground flax and the salt. When the yeast is ready, pour the liquid into the flour mixture. Combine well with a wooden spoon. Add the butter to the dough, working it in. The dough will be sticky.
Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour onto a board and knead for 5-8 minutes, until the flour is absorbed and the dough forms into a smooth ball. Sprinkle minute amounts of flour on the board if necessary.
Grease a large bowl and round the dough up into it. Cover and leave it in slightly warm conditions for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
Punch the dough down and shape into two loaves. Grease and flour the interior of two bread pans and place a loaf in each. Cover and let rise again in a slightly warm location, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees during the last part of the rising process.
Melt 1-2 tablespoons of extra butter and brush it gently over the tops of the bread before putting it in the oven. The butter will produce a soft crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, until browned on top and a tap on the bottom in the middle produces a hollow sound. Tip out of the loaf pans and cool on a rack.