Waldkorn Bread

This bread is mainly eaten in Holland and Germany. It originates from the Schwarz Wald (Black Forest) in Germany and contains loads of fibres and seeds. In Europe you can buy Waldkorn Bread-mix that's ready made, however it is really difficult to find out how to make it from scratch. It's original recipe is a well kept secret, however I believe I cracked the code!

This bread turned out to be one of our favourites and is on the daily menu in our house hold. The good thing about this bread is that because of the many fibres and seeds, you only need a couple of slices to fill you up and it'll keep you going for hours. To make it really posh, I sometimes make bread rolls for a Sunday brunch by forming the dough into triangles.

This bread is quite heavy because of all the seeds and grains, therefore it needs time to rise. Don't speed things up with this recipe otherwise you'll end up with a low and dense bread that feels very heavy on your stomach.

I will now unveil the magic secret ingredients of the original Waldkorn to the rest of the world for everybody to enjoy this delicious earthy bread.

Ingredients:
- 100g High Grade (strong) flour
- 250g Wholemeal flour
- 150g Rye Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 150g mixed grains (oats, linseed, soy seed, broken corn kernels, barley, wheat, kibbled rye, white sesame seeds, you name it!) I buy the mixed grains at a local shop, which makes life much easier...
-  10g ground Barley (optional)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 450g water, lukewarm
- 25g fresh yeast

For garnish:
- 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 Tbsp linseed
- 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds
Combine all three ingredients in a small bowl or cup.

* If using a bread starter made from white (strong) flour, add 300 grams of starter and 3/4 tsp fresh yeast. Use 400 grams of water instead of 450 grams, otherwise your dough will become very wet.

* When you don't have the option of using fresh yeast, go for the (instant) dried yeast. Take about 100 ml of the 450 grams of water and pour this into a small bowl or big long drinking glass. Add 1 tsp of caster sugar and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle one sachet (7-8 grams) of the dried yeast into the water and stir for several seconds. Cover with clingfilm and let the mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes or until it will become frothy. That means that a big layer of foam will form on the surface. If nothing has happened after 10 minutes, that means that either the temperature of the water is too warm (yeast doesn't like that. You might have killed it...) or the dried yeast is too old and has become inactive.

Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt. In another big bowl, add the water with the yeast and stir to combine. (If using a bread starter, add the starter and 3/4 tsp fresh yeast to the water and mix until combined. When using dried yeast, pour the frothy mixture in with the rest of the water.) Add the mixed grains, sunflower seeds and barley (if using) to the water-yeast mixture, stir. Next, add the flours to the liquid and dive in with one hand! (Keep the other one clean, just in case the phone rings...)
Squeeze the mixture through your fingers until all the liquid is combined with the dry ingredients. Scrape the dough from your fingers with the back of a spoon and cover the bowl with a tea towel for 10 minutes.

To make the kneading a bit easier, pour one teaspoon of olive- or canola oil on your work top and spread it out with one hand. This prevents the dough from sticking. Scrape the dough out of the bowl on the bench top and wet the palms of your hands with a bit more oil. Knead the dough for about 15-20 seconds and form a round ball. Don't knead too long as the dough will start sucking up the oil. This gives an unpleasant texture of the bread and is much harder to knead. Clean and dry your bowl and rub the inside with a bit more oil. By doing this, the dough won't stick as much to the sides. Put the ball of dough back in to the bowl and cover. Again, leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Make sure your work-surface is still oily enough (if not, add a bit more oil) and repeat the kneading for another 15-20 seconds. Shape into a round ball again and place back into the bowl. Cover and leave the dough to rest for one hour at room temperature (21º-25ºC). It can happen, especially in winter time that your house is a bit colder than 21ºC. If you place the bowl close to your hot water cylinder you'll create the same effect. Another good place is your windowsill when there is a bit of sun shine. Make sure there is no draught as the yeast won't like you for that.

After one hour you can shape it in every form you like. For our daily bread, I shape it in a big rectangle by folding the ends underneath the bread and place it in a loaf pan. If making rolls, divide the dough in 12 evenly sized pieces and shape them in squares. (This is the original shape, but nobody will tell you off for making round rolls!) I like to shape the pieces into triangles with one end sticking out a bit longer then the base, just like when slicing a piece of cake. You can also use a mini loaf tin to impress guests of course.


At this stage you can sprinkle some of the garnish on top of the breads, however I feel that it is best to do it just before they go into the oven. It's up to you.

Now it's time for the final rise. Cover the bread, or rolls with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in height. If you feel the dough might stick to the tea towel, just sprinkle some plain flour over the top and cover.

Preheat the oven to 200º-210ºC. Carefully remove the tea towel and brush a bit of lukewarm water over the top of the bread. (If using cold water you scare the warm bread and it might collapse or shrink.) Sprinkle the garnish mix over the top and place the bread in the middle of the oven.

Bake a whole bread for about 45 minutes, or until the looks are to your liking (a nice dark crust, but not too brown). I always tap on top of the bread. If it sounds solid then you know it's ready. You can also insert a skewer to make sure the inside is cooked. If it comes out clean, then you know it's right.
If making rolls, doesn't matter what shape, bake for about 25 minutes at the same heat.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes before taking out of the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely. This bread freezes really well. We slice a whole bread in half and freeze the halves. When needed we take one piece out of the freezer the night before and let it slowly defrost in the fridge. The following morning you have fresh bread that still tastes good.
Another tip when planning to make this (or another bread) for daily consumption is to bake 4-6 breads at once. It takes almost a whole day, but will free you up on other days. You can also use a bread machine, however I'm not really familiar with the settings and everything. But a machine will save you time as well.

Beer bread

This is a fresh yeast bread in combination with a bread starter of white flour. However, if you don't have fresh yeast or a starter you can easily make this bread with active dried yeast. The flavours won't be as strong and well developed as with fresh yeast though. Start this recipe the night before you're planning on baking the bread as you need to cook and soak the grains. They need time to take on the beer flavour.  This bread is really great with cheese, jam, cold (cured) meat or just plain with a bit of butter to accompany soups or stews. It's one of our favourites!

Ingredients for the soaked grains:
- 200g kibbled rye grains
- Water
- 200g beer (I use Paul's home brew; Coopers Draught, but an Ale will do just fine.)

Preparation:
Put the grains in a big pot and cover with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer slowly for 45 minutes. During the cooking time check if there's enough water and add some more if necessary. When cooked, strain through a sieve. (You can save the liquid for compost or your chooks will love it as well.) Let it cool completely and transfer to a bowl. Add 200 grams of the beer and mix until the beer is incorporated. Cover and let the grains soak overnight at room temperature.

Ingredients for the dough:
- 300g High Grade Flour (a.k.a. strong flour)
- 150g Rye flour
- 50g Wholemeal flour
- 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 200g beer (I use the leftover beer from the soaked grains)
- 100g water at room temperature
(If using a bread starter you'll need 300g and 3/4 tsp fresh yeast.)
- 30g fresh yeast or 1 sachet (7g) instant dried yeast
- 10g ground barley (optional)
- 200g cooked and soaked grains
- Plain flour for dusting

Preparation:
Combine the flours and the salt in a bowl. Pour the water and beer in another big bowl. (If using a bread starter add this to the beer and water.) Crumble the fresh yeast (or add the instand dried yeast) in with the water and beer and whisk until combined. If using the ground barley, add this to the mixture and whisk as well. Finally add the soaked grains and combine. Add the flours from the other bowl to the wet ingredients and here comes the fun part; dive in with your hand and start mixing. Squeeze the mixture through your fingers and make sure you reach all the way to the bottom. When combined, scrape the mixture from your fingers and cover the bowl with a tea towel. let it rest for 10 minutes.

Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil or canola oil on your bench top and spread it out with the palm of your hand. Turn the mixture out of the bowl onto the oiled surface and start kneading for about 15-20 seconds. Shape into a ball. Clean the bowl and rub the inside with olive or canola oil. Put the ball back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let it rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat the kneading again for 15-20 seconds.

Dust the bench top with some plain flour.Stretch the dough out into a rectangle by pressing the dough with your fingertips. Dust some flour on the dough to prevent it from sticking onto your hands. Fold one third of the dough inwards (towards the centre). Repeat with the other third. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave for another 30 minutes. Repeat the folding two more times with a 30 minute interval.

I don't have a special bread basket for the bread to rise, therefore I use a big (salad) bowl. Line the bowl with a tea towel and sprinkle a generous amount of  plain flour on the tea towel. This is to prevent the dough form sticking to the tea towel. Take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a round ball. Put the ball into the flour-dusted bowl and make sure the seam is on top facing towards you. Sprinkle the top with some more flour and fold the edges of the tea towel gently over the dough ball. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for approximately 2-2.5 hours, or until doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 210ºC. Grease and dust a baking tray with flour. And now comes the most difficult part. Fold the edges of the tea towel open. Put the tray upside down on top of the bowl and gently, but quickly turn the bowl and tray upside down. Carefully lift the bowl from the tray and gently peel the tea towel from the dough. Use a very sharp knife (I use scalpel blades, but a razor blade or very sharp knife will do just fine.) and quickly slash three times in the dough, making sure you only slash the surface.

Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes or when a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Leave the bread to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack.

This bread freezes really well.