I am always exploring the multigrain genre in a never-ending quest for better and better ways to deliver nutritious bread in a delicious package. Adapting some of the advanced concepts we’ve discussed, such as the soaker technique, to activate enzymes and break out natural sugars seems a natural progression. This is a variation of perhaps my best-known bread, struan, whose flavor in the original version I thought impossible to top. This version preserves that flavor and opens up possibilities for grain variations not possible with the direct-dough technique of the original struan, as described in Brother Juniper’s Bread Book and Bread Upon the Waters. Substituting, for instance, millet, quinoa, amaranth, or buckwheat for the corn or oats (or simply adding them to the blend) can be accomplished with the soaker method without pre-cooking those grains. I say this with the confidence born of hundreds of customer testimonials: this bread and its variations make the best toast in the world. Because it is sweetened with both honey and brown sugar, it caramelizes quickly, both while baking and especially when toasting. The many grains hold moisture so that, while the slices crisp up when toasted, they also retain a moist sweetness. The flavors marry extremely well with mayonnaise-based sandwich fillings, such as egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, and BLTs. I nearly always top the loaves with poppy seeds because they add a complementary appearance and taste and look more attractive than, say, sesame seeds. The dough can be formed into rolls and freestanding loaves for specific applications, but I believe that the most perfect use of this bread is either for sandwiches or toast (or even better, toasted sandwiches).

　　

Ingredients

makes one 2-pound loaf or 6 to 12 rolls

　　

Soaker

3 tablespoons (1 ounce) coarse cornmeal (also packaged as “polenta”), millet, quinoa, or amaranth

　　3 tablespoons (.75 ounce) rolled oats or wheat, buckwheat, or triticale flakes

　　2 tablespoons (.25 ounce) wheat bran

　　1/4 cup (2 ounces) water, at room temperature

　　

Dough

3 cups (13.5 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour

　　3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) brown sugar

　　1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 ounce) salt

　　1 tablespoon (.33 ounce) instant yeast

　　3 tablespoons (1 ounce) cooked brown rice

　　1 1/2 tablespoons (1 ounce) honey

　　1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk or milk

　　3/4 cup (6 ounces) water, at room temperature

　　About 1 tablespoon poppy seeds for topping (optional)

　　

Step 1

On the day before making the bread, make the soaker. Combine the cornmeal, oats, and bran with the water in a small bowl. The water will just cover the grain, hydrating it slightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature overnight to initiate enzyme action.

　　

Step 2

The next day, to make the dough, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the soaker, rice, honey, buttermilk, and water. Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. Add a few drops of water if any of the flour remains separate.

　　

Step 3

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead for about 12 minutes (or mix for 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low speed), sprinkling in flour if needed to make a dough that is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. The individual ingredients will homogenize into the greater dough, disappearing to an extent, and the dough will smooth out and become slightly shiny. (If you are using an electric mixer, hand knead the dough for a minute or two at the end.) The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

　　

Step 4

Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.

　　

Step 5

Remove the dough from the bowl and press it by hand into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long. Form it into a loaf, as shown on page 81, or into another desired shape. Place the loaf into a lightly oiled 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, or onto a sheet pan lined with baking parchment if you are making rolls or freestanding loaves. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle on the poppy seeds. Mist again, this time with spray oil, and loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel.

　　

Step 6

Proof for approximately 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size. If you are using a loaf pan, the dough should crest fully above the lip of the pan, doming about 1 inch above the pan at the center.

　　

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

　　

Step 8

Bake for about 20 minutes. Small rolls probably will be finished at this point. For everything else, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes for freestanding loaves and 20 to 40 minutes for loaf-pan bread. The bread should register at least 185° to 190°F in the center, be golden brown, and make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.

　　

Step 9

When the loaves are finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.

　　

BREAD PROFILE

Step 10

Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast

　　

DAYS TO MAKE: 2

Step 11

Day 1: 5 minutes soaker

　　

Step 12

Day 2: 10 to 15 minutes mixing; 3 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 20 to 60 minutes baking

　　

Commentary

Step 13

If you do not have wheat bran on hand, you can sift whole-wheat flour through a fine sieve and extract the bran. The flour that sifts through can be used in rye breads or in pain de campagne (or it can be stirred back into the whole-wheat flour).

　　

Step 14

This formula uses such a small amount of cooked rice that it’s hardly worth cooking it just for the bread (unless you are making a larger batch of bread than this version). I suggest making brown rice for a meal and holding some back for special uses like this bread. You can keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days (any longer and it develops enzyme characteristics detrimental to the dough development), or freeze it in small packets for use over the next 6 months. You can also substitute cooked white or wild rice, but brown rice blends in the best.

　　

Step 15

You can leave out the milk altogether and replace it with an equal amount of water. The bread will be slightly chewier and lighter in appearance without milk, as the milk not only tenderizes and enriches the dough, but also adds a small amount of lactose sugar that helps caramelize the crust.

　　

BAKER’S PERCENTAGE FORMULA

Step 16

Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire %

　　

Step 17

(SOAKER)

　　

Step 18

Cornmeal: 50%

　　

Step 19

Rolled oats: 37.5%

　　

Step 20

Wheat bran: 12.5%

　　

Step 21

Water: 100%

　　

Step 22

Total: 200%

　　

Step 23

(DOUGH)

　　

Step 24

Soaker: 29.6%

　　

Step 25

High-gluten flour: 100%

　　

Step 26

Brown sugar: 11.1%

　　

Step 27

Salt: 2.8%

　　

Step 28

Instant yeast: 2.4%

　　

Step 29

Brown rice: 7.4%

　　

Step 30

Honey: 7.4%

　　

Step 31

Buttermilk: 29.6%

　　

Step 32

Water: 44.4%

　　

Step 33

Total: 234.7%

　　The Bread Baker's Apprentice