Three Seed Crown Loaf Recipes

Steps:

• Make and ferment the poolish: Combine the water and yeast in a medium bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir with a wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved. Add flours and stir until the consistency of a thick batter. Continue stirring for about 100 strokes or until the strands of gluten come off the spoon when you press the back of the spoon against the bowl. There will be lively bubbles on the surface. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm, draft-free place until it is bubbly and has increased in volume.
• Prepare the sesame seeds: Place the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate, place in the refrigerator, and cool completely.
• Mix and knead the final dough: Measure the remaining ingredients. Bring the bowl with the poolish to your work space. The poolish should be soupy, bubbly and puffy and it should have a wheaty aroma. Scrape the poolish into a 6-quart bowl. Add the water and yeast. Break the poolish up well with a wooden spoon and stir until it loosens and the mixture foams slightly. Add the whole wheat flour and cooled sesame seeds; stir until well combined. Add the salt and enough bran flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as needed, for 10 minutes. Gradually knead in the raisins and continue kneading until the dough is soft and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Ferment the dough: Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature: the ideal is 78 degrees. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft-free place until doubled in volume. The dough has risen enough when a finger poked 1/2-inch into the dough leaves an indentation.
• Divide and shape the dough: Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand using firm, direct strokes. Shape each piece into a 9-inch-long log, sealing firmly and pinching closed.
• Proof the loaves: Place the loaves seam side down in lightly buttered 9 by 5 by 3-inch baking pans. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm draft-free place until dough rises just to the rim of the pan.
• Bake the loaves: 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking, preheat the oven and homemade hearth or baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 450 degrees. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. Gently roll the loaf onto a lightly floured peel, seam side down. Score the loaf with a sharp razor blade or serrated knife making quick shallow cuts. Place the pans on the hearth and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crusts are firm, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test the loaves for doneness, remove from the pans and hold them upside down. Strike the bottom firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If not, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Tip the flour, seeds, yeast and salt into a large bowl. Mix the water, oil and honey in a jug, then pour into the dry mix, stirring all the time to make a soft dough. If it feels sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins, until the dough no longer feels sticky, sprinkling with a little more flour as you need it.
• Oil a 1.2-litre loaf tin and put the dough in the tin, pressing it in evenly. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hr, until it springs back when you press it with your finger. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Make eight slashes across the top of the loaf, brush with water and sprinkle alternately with poppy and sesame seeds. Bake for 30-35 mins until the loaf is risen and brown. Tip it out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.

Steps:

• Combine milk, water and 3 tablespoons margarine in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120F to 130F degrees). Margarine does not need to melt.
• Place 6 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast in bowl. Attach bowl and dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. At speed 2, gradually add cheese then warm liquid mixture, about 30 seconds. Continue to mix at speed 2 until dough clings to hook, and starts to clean bowl, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Continue on speed 2, add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time until dough loses stickiness clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead a little bit longer on speed 2 until dough is smooth and elastic. Stop kneading.
• Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover: let rise in warm place free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.
• Punch dough down. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange 16 balls in a well-greased 10-inch tube pan. Brush with melted margarine and sprinkle with half of the caraway seed. Arrange remaining balls of dough on top. Brush with melted margarine and sprinkle with remaining caraway seed. Cover: let rise in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Best served warm.

Steps:

• Mix seeds and oats together with 180 grams of water in a medium mixing bowl; cover with plastic wrap and and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Combine 170 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour, 170 grams lukewarm water, and yeast in bowl of a standing mixer and mix together until well combined. Cover with plastic and leave to ferment at room temperature for two hours or until it doubles in volume. Meanwhile, remove bowl with nuts and seeds from the refrigerator, drain and bring to room temperature.
• Add drained seeds, 250 grams whole-wheat flour and sea salt to the starter. Start mixing on medium speed. The dough should come together in the first minute. If it does not and you see dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, add about 1/4 cup of water. Mix dough for 5 minutes on medium speed, then turn the speed up to medium-high and mix 5 to 7 minutes more, or until dough is elastic.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
• Dust work surface lightly with flour and scrape out dough. Weigh dough and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball or into oblong pointed loaves. (For oblong loaves, first shape into balls, cover with a towel or lightly with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. Then press the dough out to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Take the side closest to you and fold lengthwise halfway to the center of the loaf. Lightly press down to seal. Take the top flap and bring it toward you over the first fold to the middle of the loaf and lightly press down to seal. Flip over so seam is on the bottom and roll back and forth with both hands to form an oblong loaf with pointy ends. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for one hour.)
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a pizza stone on the middle rack and a small sheet pan on bottom of the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Have 1 cup water ready in a small cup or a glass. (If you have a large pizza stone, you can bake both loaves at once. If you have a standard home pizza stone, bake one loaf at a time and place the other loaf in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation.) Dust a pizza peel or flat baking sheet lightly with flour, semolina or cornmeal and place one loaf on top. Using a razor blade or a moistened bread knife, make a 1/2-inch deep horizontal cut down the middle of loaf from one end to the other, or if the loaves are round make 2 slashes across top. Slide loaf onto pizza stone and close oven door. Wait 30 seconds, then open oven door quickly and pour water onto the sheet pan on the bottom of the oven to create steam. After 5 minutes take the sheet pan out of the oven. Bake for a total of 30 to 35 minutes, until loaf is dark brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely for 45 minutes. Repeat with other loaf.

Steps:

• Roast all the seeds in a frying pan until they start crackling. Place in a bowl and when cool add the flour, bran, yeast and salt.
• Add all the liquid ingredients, reserving i cup of water. Turn the dough onto a floured counter and knead for 10 to 12 minutes, adding up to a 1/4 cup of water if necessary. The dough should be elastic but not sticky. Return to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or more, depending on the temperature.
• Divide into two cylinders and place in 4-by-8-inch or 5-by-10-inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough has doubled in size, 45 minutes or more. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, until tapping the bottom of a loaf produces a hollow sound.