Holiday bread

Hello everyone, hope you are all well.

Are you stressed out now that Christmas is just around the corner..? I hope you will have time to relax a bit, and to enjoy some time with family and friends.

My children are big now, Christmas isn’t as stressful as it used to be. And most family members live abroad, so there are usually just us over the holidays.

I’m very much looking forward to a few days off, just relaxing and spending time with my husband and children.

Today I made delicious holiday breads, packed with seeds, grains and whole wheat. So easy, but so good.

Perfect for the holiday breakfast table, or why not give them away as a gift?

Everyone loves homemade bread, made with love..

Holiday bread

(Yield: 2 loaves)

• 4 2/3 cups (1100 ml) water, at 77°F (25°C)
• 3 tablespoons honey or syrup
• 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) seeds or grains of your choice, finely ground
• 1/2 cup (50 g) oats
• 8 cups (1 kilo) bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 3 1/3 cups (400 g) whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt

To brush:

• cream or whole milk

I use my pink Assistent original, perfect for breadmaking. You can get it here.

Mix together the water and honey or syrup. Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Pour in the honey/water mixture into the bowl and mix well until everything is well blended.

Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and let rise for 3-4 hours. After one hour, wet your hands with cold water and lift the edges of the dough in toward the centre in the bowl. Repeat the folding and proving process once an hour.

In the meantime, grease two loaf pans with butter or non-stick baking spray.

Tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two pieces. Shape each piece into a sausage the length of the loaf pans, and place in the prepared pans.

Cover and prove for about 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 410-430°F (210-220°C).

Brush the breads with the cream or milk.

Bake on the lower rack for about 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the base.

In the meantime you can just enjoy a cup of tea…

I love this beautiful kettle from Smeg, you can get it here.

Transfer the baked breads to a wire rack to cool.

TIP: add 3 grated carrots to the dough for a delicious carrot bread.

The folding process during rising period is not crucial, but it certainly makes these breads even better. 🙂

I love toasted bread, and even more so when can use my pink Smeg toaster. You can get it here.

Toasted bread with delicious Dutch cheese, cucumber and tomato, and I’m in heaven.

Are you all set for Christmas?

I hope you will all have a wonderful time with joy in your heart, and hopefully with some snow!

See you again soon

Hugs from me to you.

The winner of yesterday’s give-away is: Thora Teig. Congratulations!

E-mail me your address and we’ll make sure you get your prize.