Heart of Winter Loaf

After enjoying a relatively mild winter weather in January, we are back in the freezer for February. I'm not complaining, not that I enjoy the cold but I'm happy when the weather is seasonal, if it is not then I get worried about global warming.

This 'Heart of Winter' loaf recipe is from King Arthur flour catalog and it caught my attention with its name itself. We are technically in the middle of winter and what perfect time but to make this bread right now.

I usually make bread in loaf pan, but in this recipe bread is shaped into oval loaves and then baked on a baking stone at a higher temperature giving it a crispy crust and a beautiful color. It was one of the best looking bread I ever baked and I shared it right away on Instagram.

This bread has a soft, tender interior with a toothsome, seedy crust. It is ideally suited for delicious sandwich fillings or savory or sweet toast spreads. I topped my toast with some creamy ricotta and mango chutney. My kids enjoyed theirs with nutella (of course).

Heart of Winter Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1½cups All purpose flour
• 1½cups Whole wheat flour
• ¾cup Oat flour
• ⅓cup Flax seed meal
• 2tsp Instant Yeast
• 2tbsp Sugar
• 1½tsp Salt
• 1½~1¾cups Lukewarm water
• 2tbsp Almond or Soy milk (for topping)
• 2tbsp Sesame seeds, poppy seeds

Method:

1. Combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, flax seed meal, yeast, sugar, salt and add 1½cups of water. Mix and knead to form a smooth, sticky dough. Add more water if needed.
2. Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour or until it gets very puffy.
3. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 10" oval loaf. Place the loaves on parchment paper. Cover the loaves and allow them to rise for about 90 minutes, or until they've increased in size by about one-third.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F, thirty minutes before baking with a baking stone in the middle of the oven.
5. Brush the loaves with almond/ soy milk (or 1 egg white whisked) and sprinkle with the seeds. Slash each loaf diagonally three times.
6. Transfer the loaves on parchment to the hot stone and bake them for 25~30 minutes or until the interior registers 200°F on digital thermometer.
7. Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool before slicing.

Also linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: February -- Week 3'.