Home-Style Honey Wheat Bread

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Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm milk (about 110 degrees F.)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil or butter
• Melted butter, or egg glaze

Instructions

1. Dissolve yeast with the milk and honey in a large mixing bowl; let it proof until foamy. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour,salt and cooking oil; beat until smooth.Stir in remaining flour, 1cup at a time, to make a firm dough.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured board; coverand let rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, about 10 minutes.
3. Place in a greasedbowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover and let rise in a warm,draft-freeplace until doubled in bulk (about1-1/2 to2 hours).
4. Punch down the dough. Sprinkle bottom of the cloche dish with wheat germ. Shape dough into a round loaf and place it in the center of the cloche dish.
5. Cover with cloche lid and let rise in awarm,draft-free place until doubled in bulk (about1hour). Brush with melted butter or egg glaze. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F. for 40 to 45 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped (remove cover for last 10 minutes of baking). Allow to cool on a wire rack.

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Source:

Crusty Country Loaf

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Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F.)
• 5 cups hard wheat unbleached flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of the water and let proof.
2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, add the yeast mixture and the rest of the water. Mix thoroughly, adding more water or flour if necessary. Turn out on a floured board and knead for 10 - 15 minutes until dough is soft, silky and elastic.
3. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap andlet rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk (approimately 45 minutes to one hour). Punch down dough, remove from bowl and knead a few times. Let rest for 5 minutes and form a ball.
4. Sprinkle bottom of cloche dish with cornmeal and place the ball of dough in the center. Cover with cloche lid and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk (approximately 45 minutes to one hour).
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Slash top of dough with a razor blade or a sharp knife and place cloche, with lid in place, in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F. and continue baking for another 30 - 40 minutes or until bread is crusty, golden brown and tests done (loaf should sound hollow when tapped). The cloche lid should be removed for the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking.
6. Cool on a wire rack and serve while still warm.

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Source: La Cloche.  (Thanks to Chuck Williams of Williams-Sonoma for use of this wonderful recipe)

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