Our Daily Bread (continued)

I was given some sound advice from a friend, over Sunday brunch, in response to my neurotic worries about baking bread:  "Fear not the yeast."

You know what?  She was right!  Yeast is totally not scary!  Yeah, it needs to dissolve, but once that happens, it's pretty much smoove sailing.  

Behold, honey cardamom wheat bread!  Yes, it IS delicious!

And fairly simple to make.  I referenced two recipes.  One was confusing (due to lack of timing instructions), but contained the ingredients I wanted to use, and the other, from here, was more common sense.  

Here's what I did:

Ingredients

3/4 c. warm milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp (roughly one package) dry active yeast

1 egg

1/3 c. + 2 tsp sugar

1/4 c. + 2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp cardamom powder

under 1/4 c. milk and oil mixture, for washing the bread

Step 1.

Warm the milk, mix with the oil and add the yeast.  Whisk until dissolved and let sit for 10 minutes. Set oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for the 2 tsps of honey and sugar and the milk/oil mixture for washing the bread) and knead well into a dough by hand or mixer.  I used a mixer, but maybe you want a forearm workout?

Step 3. 

Coat dough in some oil, place in a bowl and cover with a damp-ish towel for about an hour.  This process is called "proofing" and it allows the bread to rise.   In "The Naked Chef Takes Off" Jamie Oliver suggests doing this process twice (remember to knead and beat the air out of the dough in between proofing sessions) to achieve a lighter, fluffier dough.  There are a number of activities you can accomplish while you do this (a mini workout, the NYTimes Tuesday crossword puzzle, your taxes), so don't be deterred by the waiting.  

Step 4.

Once the bread is proofed to your liking, knead it into a square and cut into three long rows. Allow these to sit for another 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, braid the rows together, pinching the ends of the bread.  Coat hands with the 2 tsps of honey (they should already be slick from the oil on the bread) and rub over the outside of the bread.  Then, with a pastry brush (or your hands) wash the top of the loaf with the milk/oil mixture. Sprinkle the top with a chunky sugar.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Step 5. 

Place sheet in oven and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes or until the top is brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. 

Step 6.

Break off chunks of the warm bread, slather with butter and enjoy while the hot butter oozes down your chin.

Fin!  This bread is so delicious and warm, with the delicate flavors of sweet honey and spicy cardamom.  It's yummy anytime of day (breakfast, midnight snack) and with different toppings (butter, hummus, cheese).  Plus, it's a great first foray into baking bread.  Now I no longer fear the yeast.  I hope you won't either.