Multigrain and Honey Loaf

A wholesome healthy loaf of bread, with oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, honey and both wholemeal flour and white bread flour. Another wonderful bread recipe from master baker, Dan Lepard. I like his method of "kneading" the dough, the fold and push method, repeated at 15 minute intervals, a few times. 

A few hours of advance planning is required, as the sponge is made at least 2 to 4 hours before the final dough is mixed. The sponge is made by mixing together, warm water, instant yeast and strong white flour, and left for at least 2-4 hours or even overnight. I left mine for close to 4 hours before mixing it with the rest of the dough ingredients. The porridge is made by mixing together, rolled oats, honey, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and boiling water, then left to cool to room temperature. 

The dough is mixed by hand and it will be very sticky. But the stickiness will be reduced after three intervals of fold and push method. 

The recipe has the top sprinkled with some flour and then  slashed along the length. I have omitted both the flour and the slashing. The bread is baked in a preheated oven at 230C for the first 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200C and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The top is browning by the end of the first 20 minutes, so I have tent the top with foil.

Bread is moist with soft chewy crumbs, with a touch of sweetness from the honey and added texture from the wholesome seeds. Lovely toasted and spread with cold salty butter and my favourite jam, with a mug of  hot coffee, for breakfast.

The recipe can be found in Dan Lepard's book, Short & Sweet, page 39, or from The Guardian, here.

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