Beard on Bread (13 page)

[1 large free-form loaf or 2 regular loaves]

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of the warm water in a large mixing bowl and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir the butter into the remaining 1½ cups warm water; add the molasses and salt. Add this mixture to the yeast mixture and blend with a wooden spoon, then add the whole-wheat flour, 1 cup at a time, beating hard after each addition. Stir in 1½ cups of hard-wheat flour. When the dough gets too stiff and sticky to work, turn it out on a board sprinkled with about ½ cup hard-wheat flour and knead a good 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliable. (It may retain a bit of stickiness, as do most doughs made with dark-wheat flours.) Shape into a ball, place in a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat with the butter. Cover, set in a warm, draft-free spot, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, possibly longer.

Punch down, and if you want 2 loaves, divide in two and shape each piece into a loaf to fit an 8 × 4 × 2 or 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tin. Or make
one large free-form loaf. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Brush the loaves with the egg wash. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375° and continue to bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, until crust is glazed and the bread sounds hollow when removed from tins and tapped on top and bottom.

This unusual bread recipe was sent me by a dear friend and great cook, Janet Wurtzburger, who is compiling a benefit cookbook for the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. It was perfected by a Marylander whose name is William Melville Childs. A veteran breadmaker, Mr. Childs grinds his own whole-wheat flour and recommends that you do the same. Buy whole-wheat berries (not chemically treated, but suitable for human diet), and grind them with a little hand mill or in an electric blender. This produces a very coarse meal, which is what Mr. Childs prefers in the bread. His variation on this recipe, which follows, uses absolutely no white flour and has a somewhat denser texture, but also more flavor.

[2 loaves]

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and add the sugar. Let the yeast proof. In a large mixing bowl pour boiling water over the oatmeal and whole wheat (only if you are using home-ground whole-wheat flour; if using commercially ground, add it later, with the all-purpose flour), and stir well. Allow to cool to about 98°. Warm the molasses, butter, and salt together in a saucepan, and add to the grain mixture. Then add the milk-yeast mixture, and stir with a heavy spoon or wooden spatula. Gradually add the all-purpose flour, reserving 1 cup for kneading, and if you have not used home-ground whole wheat, also add the whole-wheat flour. Mix this in very, very well with your hands because it is going to be a heavy dough. Cover with a cloth, place in a warm, draft-free spot or over hot water, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. Remove to a floured board and knead lightly, using additional flour if the dough seems sticky. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 to 12 minutes. Divide into two pieces, form two loaves, and place in 9 × 5 × 3-inch buttered pans. Again let dough rise in a warm spot, until doubled in bulk. Bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour. Remove the loaves from the pans and place them back in the oven to dry out slightly. Then cool on racks.

Proceed exactly as directed in the master recipe. The kneading will be more difficult, and the bread will not be quite as smooth. However, it is an interesting, pleasant-tasting loaf.

Taught in the Norwegian Government School for Domestic Science Teachers in Oslo, this recipe makes a very dense, coarse bread full of honest flavor, and it slices nicely. The dough will be stiff and difficult to knead, but I am sure you will find the results worth your labors.

[2 free-form loaves]

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm milk. Allow to proof. Add the remaining milk, and gradually beat or stir in the three flours and the salt to make a firm dough. Remove the dough to a well-floured board and knead 10 to 12 minutes. (It is going to be hard to work, as I have warned.) When you have a satiny, elastic dough, form it into a ball. Place in a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover and set in a warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down, turn out on a floured board, and knead again for 2 or 3 minutes. Cut into two equal pieces. Sprinkle one very large baking sheet or two small ones with a bit of cornmeal. Shape the dough into round loaves, and place them on the baking sheet or sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, which will take as long as 2 hours, because this is a firm-textured bread. (I like to slash a cross in the loaves before baking, which allows them to rise more freely and gives them a handsome look.) Bake in a preheated oven at 375° degrees for about an hour, or until the loaves sound hollow when you tap them with your knuckles. Cool thoroughly before slicing. This bread cuts beautifully and will remain fresh for quite a while if wrapped in a towel or placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Well worth recording here, this is another of the recipes provided by the Norwegian Government School for Domestic Science Teachers. The potatoes help the bread to rise and give it a wonderful, moist texture. It’s an altogether marvelous loaf.

[2 round loaves]

Proof the yeast in the warm water. Heat the potatoes in a heavy saucepan, with a small amount of the buttermilk, till lukewarm, then add to the yeast mixture. Then add the salt and the remainder of the buttermilk, which should also be heated until a little more than lukewarm. With your hand or a wooden spoon stir in the 10 cups of flour, a cup at a time, until you have a very firm dough. Knead until elastic and shiny, about 10 to 12 minutes, then place in a well-buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with the butter. Cover, set in a warm, draft-free spot, and let rise until doubled in bulk.