Flax Seed and Millet Bread

Sometimes, during the middle of the week, you just need fresh baked bread. And sometimes, you decide that two hours before dinner is supposed to be on the table. (So you can't make that wonderfully amazing 18-hour Hunger Games bread.) So you improvise with all the random grains you have in your cupboard.

Here's what I came up with to go with a Thursday night mushroom and white bean soup... Flax Seed and Millet Bread with white whole wheat!

3/4 c warm but not hot water
2 1/4 tsp active dry or instant yeast
1 1/2 tbsp basswood honey
1 egg, beaten and divided
1/4 c neutral oil (I used canola)
1 c bread flour plus a little more
1 c white whole wheat flour plus a little more
1 tsp salt
1 heaping tbsp flax seed
1 heaping tbsp millet

I found some basswood honey at one of our fancy local grocery stores. I love the strong, almost tang of basswood honey, and I think it matches well with whole wheat.. tames it a bit of if you will.

Proof the yeast in the warm water and basswood honey.  Let rest for about 10 minutes and then add the oil.  I beat the egg in a small drinking glass and poured most but not all of it in the mixture, reserving a small amount for the end to wash the bread.

Add a heaping cup of white whole wheat flour and a heaping cup of bread flour.  Sprinkle in the salt, flax seed, and millet.  Mix by hand or in a stand mixer on 2 until the dough holds together as a ball.  Add more flour as needed.  I think I was under a total of 3 cups, but I'm really not totally sure.  I was improvising after all.

I was feeling festive but didn't want to make the loaf too Shabbos-y (yes, I just turned that into an adjective).  So, I gave it a round braid.

As with most round braids, you need to bake them just a touch longer and usually foil them on top so they don't over brown with the inside doughy.  Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, turning halfway.

Enjoy with a yummy dinner. Here's a link to the soup recipe (which is even pareve!).

What breads have you improvised recently?  Did they turn out?  Were they soft and chewy like this one with just a little crunch of those millet and flax seeds?  I could definitely see this one as a challah for a nice, healthy Shabbat dinner.

Shabbat Shalom from our bayit to yours!

Midweek Loaf: Martha Stewart's Honey Whole Wheat Bread

If you're a follower of The Mrs.'s personal blog (it's not really all that interesting... so I'm not hurt if you're not), you'll know that she recently left her day job in pursuit of a few other exciting work opportunities and to begin work on my PhD in musicology.  On the home front, this is going to result in either amazing healthy eating or complete gluttony.  This week, we've enjoyed margherita pizza, zucchini chocolate chip muffins, and Martha Stewart's Honey Whole Wheat Bread.  I actually followed the recipe out of Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, however, the linked version is just about the same.

Since we're just a family of two, I halved all the ingredients.  I know the purists out there will tell me I should have dragged out my kitchen scale and weighed for more accuracy (the Baking Handbook uses both weights and cup measures), but I was being lazy.

My favorite thing about this recipe was making the flour well.  It was a nice method, but to be honest, I'm not really sure what the purpose of it is.

I'm still not sure I have the crust quite right.  I'd like to try doing steam baths and water washes in the oven, but I don't know if my oven can be that fancy.  Since I'm not a big fan of whole wheat challah, but I am a fan of wheat bread, I'm hoping this will make the challah a lot special on Shabbat.

Do YOU save white flour for Shabbat?  Have any go-to non-challah breads or baked goods?