Ballymaloe Brown Bread

[kirra]

Ballymaloe Brown Bread
Myrtle Allen

This is no-knead, one-rise bread !

Ingredients:

3 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/4 cups (400ml) water
1 tsp molasses
3 1/2 cups (500g) whole-wheat flour
2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Grease an 8in x 2 1/2in (20cm x 10cm x 6cm) loaf pan and warm it in a preheated oven 250°F/120°C, for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the yeast into 2/3 cup (150ml) of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Add the molasses. Leave for 10 minutes, until frothy. Add the remaining water and stir.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast. Stir in the flour to form a thick batter.

Use your hands to mix the batter gently in the bowl for 1 minute, until it begins to leave the sides of the bowl clean and forms a soft, sticky dough.

Place the dough in the prepared pan and cover with a dish towel. Proof until the dough is 1/2in (1 cm) above the top of the pan, about 25-30 minutes.

Bake in the preheated oven at 42°F/220°C for 30 minutes, then lower the oven to 400°F/200°C and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn the loaf out of the pan and onto a baking sheet. Return the bread, bottom side up, to the oven. Bake for a further 10 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Let cool on a wire rack. Yield, 1 loaf.

Notes:
Proofing: 25-30 minutes.
Oven temperature: 425°F/220°C.
Baking: 55 minutes
Yeast alternative: 1oz (30g) cake yeast