The NHS website advises that: “Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to an increased risk of health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease”. This begs the question: “Why is nearly all commercially made bread in this country ultra-processed, including that used in NHS hospitals?” It is a great shame that the government isn’t more proactive in doing something about it.
It’s for this reason that I make my own bread. Wholemeal bread is far better for us than white, there’s just one problem: I don’t like wholemeal toast! This recipe is my attempt at a compromise. A white-flour bread that also has a decent amount of fibre.
This recipe is very much a work in progress. There’s very little ‘oven spring’, so make allowances for this when you prove the bread (second rise). That said, it’s a great-tasting bread as is. Try it and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
480 g Strong white flour – bread flour
30 g Malted wheat flakes
50 g Flaxseeds (Linseeds)
35 g pumpkin seeds
35 g Sunflower seeds
10 g Instant powdered yeast – see notes
10 g salt
375 g Water
30 g Molasses
5 g White vinegar
Mix all the dry ingredients with a dough hook in a food mixer, and then add the wet ingredients. Mix lightly, then leave it for 10 minutes or so to rehydrate. Then, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary – a curved silicone scraper like the one pictured is great for this.
Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a floured board: it will be sticky. Knead it, adding as little flour as possible, until it forms a ball.
Lightly oil the bowl and return the dough to it. Cover with cling film, a shower cap, or a damp muslin cloth or tea towel. Leave it in a warm room until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 30 – 60 minutes, but don’t worry, go by the size, not the time.
When it’s doubled in size, tip it onto a floured surface and for two small loaves, cut it in half and roll each half into a log shape. Put them into your bread moulds/molds/tins.
Cover them and let them rise again.
Heat an oven to 220°C/425°F, gas mark 7.
Cook the risen loaves in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F, gas mark 4 and cook for a further 20 minutes, until done – see notes.
I used strong white flour from the historic Whissendine Windmill. Built in 1809. It was restored to be fully operational in 1995.
It still operates today, using only wind power.
The flour is available to buy from Leicester Wholefood Co-op
Notes
Fresh yeast would be better. Most dried yeast contains Sorbitan monostearate, an emulsifier. I need to source some that doesn’t.
If the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of it, it’s generally done. If you want to be doubly sure, its internal temperature will be above 95°C/200°F.
While looking into the subject, I was surprised to find that seeds have such varying amounts of fibre; chia and flax (linseed) have far more fibre than the others, hence the amount of flax in this recipe.
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