Vegan She Wrote: W.O.O.F. Bread

Whole Grain Seed Bread

(i.e., Awesome Hobbit Food)

This is a really easy recipe. It's also really delicious. Crunchy, crusty, hearty and packed full of seeds and grains. Always makes me feel like I've stumbled into Middle Earth when I make a loaf of this bread - especially when I'm eating it slathered with Earth Balance and agave (the vegan equivalent of butter and honey). If you're not a fan of crusty breads, then this is probably not the best bread for you. However, if you're like me and are willing to fight to the death for the heel of the loaf, then you'll probably dig this :)

I bring you this recipe courtesy of my awesome little brother (vegan, musician, dog enthusiast). The story of where this recipe came from is also pretty neat. It's a recipe that my brother brought back with him after a summer spent Working On Organic Farms (also known as W.O.O.F.-ing) across the United Kingdom. One of the farms he worked at in Ireland was owned by an Italian woman named Paola. This is her recipe. It was apparently quite famous in the town (Skibbereen, West Cork), and she would even trade goods and services for it. The secret of the bread, and it's fame in the town, was the fresh water from her well that she used, which brought it mystical powers of tastiness. She was kind enough to share it with my brother, and he in turn shared it with me.

According to my brother's original writing down of this recipe, he says of the recipe's creator "she's very Italian, so she doesn't have the recipe written down, so it's really just very touchy-feely." Which is how I always approach this bread. The seed mixture you use is really up to you - for instance, today, I had quinoa, quinoa flakes, instant barley, millet, sunflower seeds and chia seeds. Pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite additions to this bread, but I didn't have any on hand today. When I know I'm going to be making quite a bit of this bread I like to make a batch of mixed seeds to just keep handy. I also usually find that I need to add extra water (though it isn't mystical well water sadly) in order to achieve the firm cake batter consistency this bread calls for. Also great about this bread? No kneading!

Whole Grain Seed Bread

4 cups whole spelt flour, or whole wheat flour (which is what I usually end up using because I don't always have spelt flour in the pantry)
1 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup seed & grain mixture containing any of the following (I usually do equal parts each, but it's really down to personal taste) - sesame seeds, whole flax seeds, chia seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, quinoa, quinoa flakes, millet, amaranth, rolled oats, instant barley, rice flakes, etc.
Additional 2 TBS seed & grain mixture to sprinkle on top of loaf if desired
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 - 2 cups warm water (warm, not hot - think baby bathing temp), plus more if needed

Pour the flour, salt, and seed/grain mixture into a large mixing bowl, and mix to combine. Make a well in the center and add the yeast. Cover with the 1 cup of the warm water. Begin to combine the mixture with a wooden spoon, adding more water until it begins to come together. You want the dough to be very sticky and un-kneadable, so if you need to add more than the 2 cups of water, just keep adding until you reach a very firm cake batter like consistency.

Seed & Grain Mixture

The dough should be VERY doughy. Like thick brownie batter.

Not kneadable.

Lightly grease a bread pan, and pour the bread dough into the pan. I like to sprinkle some additional seed & grain mixture on top, pressing it down lightly into the dough so that it has a firm hold. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 40 minutes.

It has risin!!!! You can see where I've added the extra seed & grain mixture on top.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the bread for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Finally, take the bread out of the bread pan and bake naked for 10 minutes more to develop a nice crust. Though this last part is optional. You can absolutely continue baking the bread in its pan for the additional 10 minutes. Totally up to you!

Crusty and golden. I baked mine naked for those extra 10 minutes, and I love how crunchy it gets.

Mmmmmmmm...

Crusty on the outside, soft yet full of texture on the inside.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice, slather with Earth Balance, agave, jam, nut butters, toast it, use it in a sandwich, or enjoy simply as is. However you eat it, I hope you like it!