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We were delighted to discover the following article in
our bread
recipe archives
and pleased to be able to share it with you. This
is the last in a series of six
excellent recipes inspired by the
boulangers of provincial France:
French Country Breads
by Jeffrey Alford,
Bon Appetit April 1992
Bon Appetit - One Year Subscription
"For a lover of
bread, looking for whole-grain loaves in the French countryside
is like
going on a pilgrimage. I recently made such as journey, exploring village
markets, driving down country lanes and climbing steep cobbled streets in
search
of traditional boulangeries. I found that the search was
almost as great a pleasure
as the breads themselves.
Traditional boulangers have a great deal of pride in the bread they
produce.
They know it's good. When I asked about a recipe, they were
always generous
with information - about the oven, the quality of the flour,
the baker's atten-
tion
and care. These, they all agreed, are the essential
ingredients.
Of course, it also helps if you have good recipes. And here are six
terrific
ones
that I created from the knowledge I gained from my fellow
bakers across
the Atlantic..."
Sunflower Seed Bread
This
specialty originated in Alsace, but can now be found in
boulangeries
across France. It is a distinctive sunflower-shaped
loaf that goes well with
soups and salads.
1 3/4 cups warm (105 F. to 115 degrees F.) water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (about) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoon sunflower or other vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten to blend
Poppy seeds
Place warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast and then
sugar over and stir to dissolve. Gradually mix in 2 cups unbleached flour
and 1 cup whole wheat flour. Stir 100 times. Cover yeast mixture with
plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes. Stir shelled raw sunflower seeds,
sunflower oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into yeast mixture. Gradually stir in
enough remaining whole wheat flour to form soft dough. Knead dough on
floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more whole wheat flour if
dough is sticky, about 8 minutes.
Grease clean large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat
completely. Cover with plastic. Let rise in warm draft-free area until
doubled and dough does not spring back when 2 fingers are pressed into side,
2 hours. Punch dough down. Let stand 10 minutes. Grease 8-inch-diameter cake
pan with 2-inch-high sides. Divide dough into 3 equal portions (about 14
ounces each). Knead 1 dough portion 1 minute. Form dough into ball and place
in center of prepared pan. Divide each 2 remaining dough portions into 3,
creating 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Place pieces evenly in
pan around center. Cover with plastic wrap. Let loaf rise in warm draft-free
area until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush top of loaf with egg. Sprinkle
center generously with poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown, about 1 hour 5
minutes. Cool bread slightly. Serve bread warm or at room temperature.
Makes 1 loaf.
Featured Archives Recipes -
French Country Bread Series:
Bran Bread
Hazelnut
Bread
Raisin and Millet Rolls
Rye and Walnut Rolls
Olive Bread
Index - Bread Recipe
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Index
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