Three Seed Bread

Last night I made bread for the week. I'm beginning to think making bread should become a weekly ritual because it tastes so much better than the processed stuff I used to get. I especially like the fact that it's not full of preservatives and I can customize it any way I want to. For the bread I made last night I used my Low-Carb Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe as a base, sans walnuts, and added sunflower, flax, and sesame seeds, which added a different texture to the bread. I also tried baking it more like a country loaf...sort of free form with stripes cut into the top, instead of in a loaf pan. I've found this bread to be perfect for sandwiches and toast, because unlike some whole wheat bread recipes, it doesn't form huge holes that will invariably make the bread fall apart in your toaster. Instead, this bread is dense but delicate with nice nubbly seeds inside. This bread is perfect for one of my favorite foods: grilled cheese sandwiches.



Three Seed Bread

1 1/2 cups room temperature water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
3-3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp gluten flour (aka: vital wheat gluten)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seed
2 tbsp flax seeds
more white whole wheat flour for dusting
more extra virgin olive oil for oiling the bowl
nonstick cooking spray

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, oil, honey, 3 cups whole wheat flour, gluten flour,salt, yeast, and seeds. Turn on the machine to form a rough dough. If the dough is very sticky, add some of the remaining 1/2 cup flour and mix some more. Let the dough stand in the bowl with the dough hook removed for 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, you could use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough instead of the dough hook.
2. Place the dough hook back in the dough and let knead for 10 minutes. If the dough starts climbing too much, use the rest of your reserved flour, and maybe a little more. Alternatively, you could turn the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a bowl oiled with olive oil. I just re-use the mixing bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm spot for an hour, or until it has doubled. You can also let it slow rise in the refrigerator overnight: cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a cloth and sit it in the fridge until it has doubled.
4. Once the doubling occurs, preheat the over to 350 degrees F.
5. Turn the dough onto a parchment-covered baking sheet and shape the bread into a round. Use a paring knife to make score marks across the top of the loaf. Alternatively, you could use an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, but do not score the bread.
6. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes. The outside of the bread should sound hollow and not yield when you tap your finger on it.
7. Remove the bread from the oven and turn it onto a cooling rack.

Makes 16 slices:
Per slice:
Calories: 127
Fat: 2.5 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 149 mg
Carbohydrates: 22.7 g
Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 4 g