That said, it needs some tweaking, so I'm open to suggestions for how to improve this bread. My assessment of this bread was, "It tastes like it's healthy," which was probably true but not what I was going for. However it's hard (at least for me) to find good recipes for whole wheat breads, so I figure I'll keep fidling with this one a little more.
I also wanted to experiment with amaranth, a grain I'd heard of before but never worked with. It is very small and round and the Joy of Cooking claims that you can put it into bread raw; however, I didn't realize that when you do this, it's basically like you're adding seeds, and the stuff comes off and gets everywhere in the kitchen every time you touch the loaf. So perhaps I need to cook it first next time...
Amaranth Bread
Adapted from: The Joy of Cooking (Quick-rising white bread)
Grade: B (definitely healthy, but could be a lot tastier with softer texture)
The original recipe makes 2 loaves, so I cut that in half and subbed some of the whole wheat flour and amaranth for 1 cup of bread flour.
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/8 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup amaranth, uncooked
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup warm water
1/2 tbsp melted butter
some honey (I don't remember how much but I was trying to replace the 1 tbsp sugar)
1/2 tbsp salt
Dissolve the yeast in water in a bowl and let stand for 5-10 minutes until nice and bubbly. Add 1 1/2 cups bread flour, the remaining water, butter, honey, and salt and mix. Add the remaining flours and amaranth in increments until the dough comes together and is moist but not sticky. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, incorporating the sunflower seeds in small amounts. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap, and let it rise 1 1/2 hours.
Grease your loaf pan. Punch the bread down and form it into a loaf. Let it rise in the bread pan, covered with saran wrap, for another 1 1/2 hours.
Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 450F, then for another 30 minutes at 350F, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on a rack before cutting (the sunflower seeds and amaranth made this loaf a little harder to hold together).
On another note, we had an epic fail in the meringue department this evening. I was quite put out about it, but vowed to buy a dozen eggs next time I'm at the store and keep trying until I get it right.
Hi again, from Sunny CA. New England weather may be part of your meringue problem. Meringues need dry air. (as do jellies and many candies). I'll just cross my fingers for you on that... or you could come visit, and make meringues in my kitchen!
ReplyDeleteAmaranth bread... try adapting a recipe which calls for cooked cereal... oatmeal, cornmeal, farina or millet. Or, a recipe for potato bread which actually begins with leftover mashed potato, rather than using instant. You might want to research some of the "Breadwinners" books by Mel London. Even if you use cooked amaranth, throw in just a bit, along with the sunflower seeds for a nice crunch.