Whole Wheat Honey Millet Bread Recipe

How to make it

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• Put yeast and warm water into heavy-duty mixer and stir a little by hand.
• Leave for two minutes to foam.
• Meanwhile, heat milk over medium heat almost to a simmer, but not quite. Turn down heat and hold below a simmer for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
• In the mixing bowl with yeast and water, add the unbleached bread flour and then milk. Beat at low speed for 4 minutes with a paddle blade. Then turn off and let sit to rise (this makes a sponge) for 30 minutes to 2 ½ hours (the longer it sits, the better the flavor will be, but I almost never have time to let it sit for longer than 30 minutes).
• Remove the paddle blade and insert the dough hook. Add the vitamin C (or dough enhancer), crushed ice, sea salt, honey, egg yolk, millet and whole wheat flour.
• Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check dough – it should be very elastic and somewhat sticky. It should pull in strings between two fingers. Add a little more flour or water if necessary (I have never found it necessary).
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until it rises double in size, about 1 ½ hours.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Once it’s risen to double or slightly more, oil your hands a little and then punch down the dough right in the middle and pull up and over the sides. Work your way around the bowl like this.
• Make a ball out of the dough (I cut it in half and make two smaller loaves – they seem to cook better this way, but they’re smaller). Let it sit a minute or so and then gently (in cupped hands) stretch it lengthwise a little so it fits the breadpan. Place into a well-oiled pan.
• Brush the dough in pans with beaten egg and let rise a second time, until about double.
• Brush again just before placing in the oven.
• Put a pizza stone in the oven to preheat and place loaf pan/s on heated stone. (Atlernative if you don't have a stone: Place a small pan of boiling water right on the bottom of the oven. Put rack in the middle of the oven and place pan/s in the middle of the rack.)
• Bake for 30-50 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it (you’re supposed to tap the bottom, but you can’t really do that unless you take it out and turn it out of the pan, now CAN YOU?). I go until it sounds hollow on top, then I leave it in as long as I dare, watching very closely how brown it is getting. Turn out of pan/s immediately and cool on racks.