Sprouted Grain Wheat French Bread

A French bread with pull and pleasantly chewy soft interior. Its mild wheat flavor yields to the bright green tang of extra-virgin olive oil used for dipping.

COOK TIME
4 hours 30 mins

Serves / Yields: 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 cups sprouted wheat flour
• 2 cups warm water -- 110°
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 1 package
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 egg white -- for egg wash

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine water, yeast, and honey. Allow to stand 5 minutes for yeast to soften and begin to bubble. Mix in the salt and half the flour (about 2½ cups) until smooth. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 3 hours.

Mix in the remaining flour ½ cup at at time, up to a total of 5 cups, until dough forms a soft ball. If using a stand mixer, mix with the dough hook for 5-8 minutes. Otherwise, turn dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand for 5-8 minutes. (The dough should be easy to handle, but still somewhat sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour or the bread will be dense -- using a mixer to knead helps prevent adding too much flour to the sticky dough.)

Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, then turn over so oiled surface faces up. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let rise for 1-1½ hours, or until double in size.

Preheat oven to 450°. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead again. Divide dough into two parts. Roll each half between your hands and the counter to stretch the dough into a long loaf shape, about 15" in length. Place on a baking sheet or in a baguette pan (see photo). Slice the tops of the loaves diagonally about ¼" deep with a razor blade or sharp knife. Let rise for at least 20-30 minutes.

Place a shallow pan of hot water (about 1½ cups) on the lowest bottom rack in the preheated oven.

Bake baguettes on the middle rack for 12-14 minutes, watch to be sure the loaves do not become too browned--tent with foil if browning too fast. While the loaves are baking, prepare the egg wash by gently mixing 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon of cold water.

Remove the pan of water and brush the loaves with the egg wash. Return loaves to the oven and bake for 3-5 more minutes or until loaves are golden brown.

Cool completely before slicing. Serve with butter or olive oil or dipping.

NOTES
Baking the bread with a pan of water to replicate the steam ovens used in French baking creates a crust that has pull and is pleasantly chewy. However, in areas of high humidity, it is not necessary and can make the bread seem under-baked when finished. Simply bake the bread as directed without that step.

Source: Judy Purcell - Savoring Today