Wholemeal, spelt, quinoa and seeds Bread

There is a bread recipe that I put together when I found out that my girlfriend was pregnant. I try to make sure that this brown bread contains all the nutrients that are required for a good development of the baby: essential amino-acids, omega-3, iron, folic acid, and calcium.

So, this is how it goes:

Recipe for 2 loaves of 1lb each :

• 450g organic wholemeal flour
• 450g organic spelt flour
• 100g organic quinoa flour
• 20g organic oat flakes
• 50g organic millet
• 50g organic sunflower seeds
• 50g organic pumpkin seeds
• 20g organic hemp seeds
• 50g organic linseeds
• 4g sea salt
• 14g dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon organic honey
• 300-400g warm water

Mix 7g of yeast with a tablespoon of the wholemeal flour and 100g of warm water. Set aside.

Put the oat flakes and all the seeds in a roasting tray and roast them in a the oven set on high heat for about ten minutes. Set them aside to cool down.

In the bowl of a kenwood chef type of kitchen equipment, put the flours, the salt, the honey, the rest of the yeast and the warm roasted seeds. Set the machine, with the hook, on its minimum speed, allow the dry ingredients to be mixed for 10 seconds.

Then, start to slowly add the warm water. When half of the water has been added, pour the yeast-flour mixture and the rest of the water*. The right consistency is moist and soft but not wet.

When all the ingredients have come together, set to a medium speed and allow to work the dough for 10 minutes. Then, set your machine on high speed (not the maximum though), and let it work for another 10 minutes. Finally, reduce the speed to the minimum and allow to work the dough for another 5 minutes.

Put the dough in a large, clean container to ferment for 2h in a warm place. Make sure to cover your dough with a clean, damp kitchen cloth.

When the dough has double in volume, put back in the bowl and set your machine on medium speed and allow the dough to work for ten minutes. Then, take it out on a floured surface, and knead the dough by hand for 15 minutes.

Divide your dough in to equal masses and form a ball or put them in a baking tin. Make a large cut in the middle of each ball of dough (see picture on the left). Put in a warm place to rise for another hour, covered with a clean, damp kitchen cloth.

Set your oven at 220 degrees Celsius (428F). Spray the dough with a little bit of water and put in the oven. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180 degrees Celsius (356F) and allow to cook for another 20 minutes. To know if the bread is cooked, tap it with a finger, it should sound hollow. Allow to cool down on a rack.

Note that if using a tin, take the breads out, after 25 minutes of baking and put them back in the oven for another ten minutes.

* You may have noticed that the amount of water that I gave in the ingredient list is 300 to 400g. This amount will vary depending the behaviour of the flour. Its moisture may change with the weather condition or the way it is stored. So, depending on your flour you may not have to use all the water or have to add a little bit more.

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Nutrition Facts 83g serving of bread

Calories (kcal): 411 of which 18.7% from fat, 64.9% from carbohydrates, 16.4% from protein.

Total fat: 8g (13%)* of which 1g sat. fat (6%) ; 3g monounsat. fat (11%) ; 4g polyunst. fat (20%)

Total carbohydrates: 65g (22%) of which 11g ( 43%) dietary fibers.

Protein: 16g (33%)

Sodium 140mg (6%); Potassium 397mg (11%); Calcium 41mg (4%); Iron 6mg (32%); Zinc 4mg (26%); Vit A 107UI (2%) & 24RE (2%); Vit B1 0.6mg (42%); Vit B6 0.2mg (8%); Vit B12 0.5mcg (8%); Folacin 67mcg (17%); Niacin 7mg (36%); Vit C trace.

* Percent daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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"In Paris today millions of pounds of bread are sold daily, made during the previous night by those strange, half-naked beings one glimpses through cellar windows, whose wild-seeming cries floating out of those depths always makes a painful impression. In the morning, one sees these pale men, still white with flour, carrying a loaf under one arm, going off to rest and gather new strength to renew their hard and useful labor when night comes again. I have always highly esteemed the brave and humble workers who labor all night to produce those soft but crusty loaves that look more like cake than bread."

Alexandre Dumas, French writer (1802-1870)

Suitable for pregnant women, vegetarian, vegan. Dairy free. Contains gluten.