Wheat Berry Bread

Charlotte J's Note:

I buy a Honey Wheat berry bread from Earth Grains. I just love the wheat berries in it. I found this recipe in From All Around The World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and I hope it proves to be just a good. I'm not counting the time it takes to cook berries or for the dough to rise. But like most breads it will be an all morning job.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 loaf

• 1⁄3; cup wheat berries
• 1 (¼ ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• ½ cup all-purpose flour , plus
• 1 1⁄3; cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup flax seed
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Directions:

1. Place the wheat berries in a strainer, rinse well under running water, and drain.
2. Bring 1 1/2 cups tap water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the berries.
3. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the berries are soft and the water is absorbed, about 1 hour.
4. After the berries have cooked for 20 minutes, stir together the yeast, 1/2 cup of the warm water, and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
5. Let rise for about 40 minutes.
6. Stir the remaining 1 cup warm water, the oil, molasses, honey, salt, and whole-wheat flour into the yeast mixture.
7. Add the flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and 1 cup all-purpose flour.
8. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead.
9. Flatten the dough and press in the cooked wheat berries.
10. Knead in the remaining 1/3 cup all-purpose flour until the dough is elastic and springs back when lightly pressed, about 6 minutes.
11. Form the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled bowl, and turn the dough in the bowl to coat it well with oil.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough does not spring back when lightly pressed, about 2 hours.
13. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, press it flat, fold both the sides in and roll the dough into a log.
14. Pinch the seam closed and set it into an oiled 10 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pan.
15. Push the dough down flat.
16. Place the pan in a plastic bag and tuck the bag opening under the pan to close.
17. Let rise until the dough domes up and does not spring back when lightly pressed, about 1 hours.
18. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
19. Remove the pan from the plastic bag.
20. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes across the top of the loaf.
21. Place the bread in the oven, spritz the inside of the oven a few times with water from a plant mister, and quickly close the door.
22. Bake 15 minutes.
23. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes.
24. To test for done-ness, remove the bread from the pan and rap the bottom.
25. It should sound hollow.
26. If it is not quite done, continue baking out of the pan up to 10 minutes more.
27. Cool on a wire rack.

Reviews

[duonyte]

This was an interesting bread. I cooked the wheat berries in my rice cooker - took two cycles, but I did not have to worry about burning the pan, which I am known to do. I first made the sponge, and then put it and the rest of the ingredients except for the wheat berries in the breach machine pan. I reduced the salt to 2 tsp and found that to be enough. I don't really like molasses, so I reduced it to about 2 tbl. I added the wheat berries towards the end of the cycle. The bread rose very nicely, but was a little soft, so I shaped the boule and let it rise in a proofing basket. I then tipped it over onto a hot pizza stone. It is really a beautiful loaf. I would probably just eliminate the molasses next time. The wheat berries add a chewiness to the dough and the berries close to the crust sometimes are a tad hard. I might use cracked wheat next time to see how that worked. It has a soft, regular crumb, I've been munching on it plain, with butter, with cheese. I think you could add some raising to this too or dried cranberries. Thanks for an interesting post. Update: Made French toast this morning, really nice.