How-To: Easy, 100% Whole Grain Artisan Bread

Seeded Wheat Bread

½ cup ground flaxseed

7 cups whole white wheat flour, (25.5 oz by weight)

1 ½ Tbsp. Granulated yeast (you can use less, but you will have to let it sit longer)

1 Tbsp. Kosher salt (increase or decrease to taste)

¼ cup vital wheat gluten (can be omitted if using potato water)

¼ cup whole millet

¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

3 ¾ cups lukewarm water (you can substitute the water drained off of boiled potatoes here, at least two cups - you can leave out the gluten flour if you do this)

1. Whisk together all ingredients but water in a large bowl until well mixed.
2. Add the water, and mix well without kneading.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours (more if you use less yeast).
4. The dough can be used immediately after it initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours, but I typically just bake it fresh to save time.
5. On baking day, grab a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) or 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece of dough out of the bowl or container, and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go.
6. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper, a USA Steel Recycled nonstick cookie sheet or in a loaf pan for 90 minutes (40 if using fresh dough).
7. If baking on a stone, preheat the oven to 450°F (400 - 425 for USA Pans, they are more efficient, and can't take the higher heat) thirty minutes before baking time. If using a loaf pan, preheat can be as short as 5 minutes. Stone should be on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread (bottom usually works best).
8. Slide loaf directly onto the hot stone, or place cookie sheet or loaf pan on the stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes for 1 pound loaves, and 45 to 50 minutes for 2 pound loaves. If you used a cookie sheet, remove the cookie sheet and place the bread directly on the stone two thirds of the way through the baking time if a crispier crust is desired.
9. Allow bread to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.
10. Store in a plastic bread container, or wrapped tightly in saran wrap.