English Brown Bread

It's been a long time since my last post (indeed, since any merry baker has posted here) but the days are dark and dripping now with rain and fog, and it's well past time to bake bread again.


This bread is a sturdy English Brown Bread, courtesy of Nigella Lawson's book How to be a Domestic Goddess. It isn't fancy, but rather a more wholesome version of plain white bread, with some whole grain flour thrown into the mix. This is a bread for peanut butter sandwiches, or a bit of salted butter and jam. More importantly, it's the kind of forgiving bread that can be put together in a couple of very busy days. I broke all of the rules with this bread: I left it to rise overnight, shaped it and threw it in the fridge for a day and a half, and then left it on the counter for a scant 30 minutes before tossing it into the oven. It should have deflated. It should have become pungent with alcohol and dying yeast, and then turned into a dense log of inedibility. But it didn't and wasn't; it is perfect.

It isn't as exciting as the baguettes and ciabattas I started making earlier this year, but truth be told, it's been long enough now that I feel intimidated by my own achievements. I figure this year we'll start humble and proceed to croissants and sourdough in due time.

Like the ciabatta of five months ago, croissants and sourdough are my new goals for 2011. By this time next year I want to be able to turn out flaky golden pastries and have a homemade starter bubbling in the fridge. I might even get crazy and try to attract local yeast.

But I'm digressing from the sturdy brown bread. Another beauty of this recipe is that you can add as much or as little whole wheat flour as you like. Be aware that the more whole wheat you add, the denser the loaf will be (you'll also probably need to add a touch more water). I like a rough ratio of about 2/3 white to 1/3 wheat; using a little rye flour would not be amiss here, either.

You can bake this bread in a loaf tin or in its birthday suit on a baking stone or sheet. If you choose the latter, as I did, try to first shape the loaf into a boule before elongating and slashing it. I have yet to turn out a perfect boule--mine is a bit bulgy and the slashes have gone awry--but in this case I think practice really will make perfect.




BROWN BREAD: Makes 1 loaf

1 packet yeast
2 C white flour
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 T salt
300 ml warm water
1 T butter or olive oil

Mix flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl (or the bowl of your mixer). Add the warm water and knead until smooth and springy, around 10 minutes. I had to knead for quite a while, adding a little extra flour and water, in order for the dough to pass Reinhardt's window pane test.

Lightly oil a large clean bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in a warm place. Punch the dough and shape the loaf. Let rest until puffy and almost doubled again, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 420 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool before slicing.