A Bread for the Season

One of my favorite web sites is King Arthur Flour and last week I received this recipe that intrigued me.  Malted Wheat Flake Bread intrigued me with the mention of a new ingredient I had never heard of--Malted Wheat Flakes, an important ingredient in Great Britain's granary bread.  In addition, the recipe calls for 9-Grain Flour blend, which can also be bought through King Arthur, and provides a hearty texture that would go great with soup or stew on these cold, rainy nights.  Just click on the title and it will take you to the recipe!

Malted Wheat Flake Bread

For anyone who might steer away from yeast bread, let me assure you how easy this was to prepare.  First of all, you put all the ingredients in the bowl, at once!

I use the KitchenAid with the dough hook attachment.  When the dough came together, I transferred the mixture to a plastic tub, or use a large bowl, that has been sprayed with a non-stock spray.

If it wasn't already easy--no kneading required.  Let it rest, covered, 8-16 hours; overnight is good.  It will become bubbly and double in size, so make sure your container is large enough.

I had a covered stone loaf pan and sprayed it with a nonstick pan.  I turned the dough out onto a floured bread board and shaped the dough into a long loaf.  I placed it in the covered bakeware and put the top on so it could double in size, about an hour.  Place the covered stone load pan in a cold oven and turn the temperature 450F-degrees.  Let bake 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes until the loaf is a deep brown.  Use an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the center, to make sure the temperature reads about 205F-degree.

This is a perfect bread and it's unique texture and flavor is sure to sway you to bake it over and over again.  Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients; it was well worth ordering them to make a bread your family will love.  Mine did.  Enjoy!