Brown Bread
This simple whole-wheat loaf requires no kneading, shaping or baking experience to get it right. You can begin the recipe when you wake up, and enjoy a warm loaf for breakfast a few hours later. Make sure that your yeast foams in the molasses-water before you stir it into the flour. If it does nothing, the yeast is probably dead — discard it and save this recipe for another day. If you like seedy bread, include some (sunflower, poppy, sesame or a combination) in the dough, and sprinkle some on top of the loaf before letting it rise. No adjustments are needed if you decide to include them. While most bread recipes advise you to wait until the loaf cools completely before slicing, this one is best still warm, with butter — Irish, preferably!
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Ingredients
- 4cups/450 grams whole-wheat flour, preferably stone-ground
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1tablespoon molasses or treacle
- 10 ½teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1teaspoon canola or other flavorless oil, for greasing
- 1tablespoon sesame or poppy seeds or a combination (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt.Step 2
In a liquid measuring jug or small bowl, mix the molasses with 5 fluid ounces/150 milliliters of lukewarm water. Stir in the yeast and leave the jug somewhere warm for 5 minutes, or until the liquid develops a creamy froth.Step 3
Meanwhile, grease a 5- by 8-inch loaf pan with the oil and line the bottom and long sides with parchment paper to create a sling for the bread.Step 4
Pour the activated yeast mixture into the flour. Measure 10 fluid ounces/275 milliliters of tepid water into the jug, scraping and stirring any residual yeast into the water. Pour this into the flour.Step 5
Using your hand or a spoon, mix the flour and the liquid together to make a dough. It’ll be too wet to knead. Scrape the dough into the prepared loaf pan. If you’d like, sprinkle the top with sesame or poppy seeds or both.Step 6
Place the pan in a warm place (close to the stove is ideal). Pull a dish cloth tight over the top of the pan without letting it touch the dough, and leave the dough to rise until it reaches the top of the pan, 15 to 25 minutes. While the dough rises, heat the oven with a rack in the center to 450 degrees.Step 7
When the dough has nearly reached the top of the pan, remove the dish cloth and put the loaf on the center rack in the oven.Step 8
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until the top looks nicely browned.Step 9
Remove the pan from the oven, then tip the loaf out of the pan, running a knife around the outside of the bread to release it if needed and holding the hot loaf with oven mitts or a clean dish towel. Discard the parchment paper, shake off loose seeds, and return the loaf — upside down — to the oven, setting it directly on the center rack. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap its bottom.Step 10
Cool the loaf on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing to enjoy warm. The loaf will keep well-wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.