Ria's Collection: WHOLE WHEAT BREAD IN 5 MINS

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD IN 5 MINS

You all must have read about me breaking bread with some really talented people in May. But I never really got to baking those breads at home. I was unable to locate vital wheat gluten in these really big supermarkets here,I mean ,I didn't know which aisle they were and whenever I asked someone for help, they were lost too! ;-) So, I gave up my hopes of baking them very soon . But one evening me and Jobin were wandering in the vegetable section of our fave supermarket and happened to see the 'healthy' section of the store.And there it was...that vital wheat gluten I was searching for almost a month! We used to pass by that section every now and then but never really bothered to check in there! And finally Jobin was able to see that 'gluten' I had been talking about for that whole month! ;-)

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
Recipe source: Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg
This recipe yields atleast four 1lb loaves. It can be easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour- 5 1/2 cups
All purpose flour, unbleached- 2 cups
Yeast-1 1/2 tbsp
Salt-1 tbsp
Vital wheat gluten-1/4 cup
Lukewarm water-4 cups
Sesame seeds- 2 tbsp

Method:
  • Measure the dry ingredients and add the warm water to it all at once and stir it with a spoon till it comes together.You might have to use your hands to get the last bits of flour together.Do not knead!
  • Cover the dough with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours.
  • After 2 hours you can put the dough into the refrigerator to rise overnight or atleast 3 hours. Refrigerated dough is easier to work with.
  • Once refrigerated , the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself.DO NOT punch down the dough.
  • On the baking day, dust the surface of the dough with some flour and pull up a chunk and cut it using a kitchen scissors.
  • Shape the dough ( you may need some flour for your hands to prevent sticking) and let it rise on a baking parchment, loosely covered with a plastic wrap, for 90 mins.
  • Thirty minutes before baking, pre-heat the oven to 450 F with a baking stone placed in the middle rack ( I use my regular rect.cake pan).Place another tray in the bottom shelf.
  • Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water. Sprinkle sesame seeds.Slash the loaf with 1/4 -inch deep parallel cuts across the top.
  • Place the bread into the oven and pour some hot water into the bottom tray and close the oven door immediately to trap the steam.
  • Bake for 30 mins until the crust is browned and firm to touch.
  • Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in a lidded (not airtight) container and use within 14 days.



Verdict:
It was an amazing experience to bake a bread without kneading.I love the fact that it is fuss-free. You just have to mix in everything together and leave it to rise! And it does rise very very well, so make sure you have a large container to hold it all. This recipe has endless possibilities too!

We just loved it...not only did it taste great but it was healthy at the same time!

This healthy bread is Yeastspotted!

18 Comments:

Anonymous said...

wow..it does look great..really do wish the wheat gluten was available here too...sob!!!

bhagz said...

hey ria...
u will get wheat gluten flour from walmart,i think aisle would baking section...act i was in same situation before ...but after a long searching i got it...u can't get it, i will tell u exactly where it would get after my next visit to walmart...

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Looks beautiful and the texture.. yummy!!!

Unknown said...

Bread looks really pretty and healthy Ria!

Anonymous said...

This looks too good to be true! No kneading you said? Just what the doctor ordered! :)
Do you think we could substitute the gluten? Im still doing some research on if, where, and how I can get it in India. If I meet with any luck, Im gonna try this bread right away. Wish me luck! And in the meanwhile, if you can get some info on substituting the gluten, pleaaaaaase let me know.

Unknown said...

Healthy and tasty bread out there....Cud u please tell me what can we replace for Vital wheat gluten? I cant wait to try this :)

Anonymous said...

Btw, do you really think that you'd need All purpose flour in this bread? Me thinks, if 1/3rd the flour is all purpose flour, then it's 1/3rd less healthier!
Another question: when you're adding extra gluten, I think the purpose of using all purpose flour is defeated right?
I think either one should work to give the required gluten content for the bread. I recently started baking breads too, and learnt quite a bit of basics in bread baking...hence all these questions bouncing off my mind.

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi Ria, the bread looks amazing dear and completely hassle free.

Anonymous said...

Hey Ria,

What was hte part about having water in the lower rack? Is this something I have not heard in the context of bread making...not that I am a baker in any question...

Shobha

Unknown said...

am not still able to locate wheat gluten..this bread sounds too good...worth a try..good one..

M D said...

Awesome looking bread Ria. A great job indeed!

Unknown said...

This bread looks delicious, Ria!!

P.S - You might want to remove Season's greetings from your comment notes :P

Unknown said...

This bread looks delicious, Ria!!

P.S - You might want to remove Season's greetings from your comment notes :P

sanjeeta kk said...

Beautiful recipes and great blog. Nice to be here. Best wishes.

Parita said...

Gorgeous bread Ria! Simply awesome pics!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Im still awaiting a response from you! :)

Zoë François said...

Hi Ria,

Your bread looks absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing it with all your readers.

To answer the questions about Vital Wheat Gluten you can read more about it and ask questions here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1087

Thanks, Zoë François

Rose /Magpie said...

Your bread looks wonderful Ria! I have been waiting to try the 5 min bread after my success with the absurdly Quick & Easy Beer Bread

For those of you who want to bake bread like me but cant find Vital wheat gluten, you might be interested in the Artisan Bread in 5 mins a day master recipe that I just found here:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

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