A customized print-friendly version of this recipe is available by clicking the "Print Recipe" button on this page.
Heart of Winter Loaf
This robust loaf is great alongside stew or a hearty soup.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Premium Whole Wheat Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 cup oat flour or ground oatmeal
- 1/3 cup golden flax meal*
- 1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
- *Or substitute 1/3 cup additional whole wheat flour + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Topping
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- artisan bread topping, or the seeds of your choice
Instructions
- To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing and kneading to form a smooth, sticky dough.
- Cover the dough, and let it rise for about an hour; it should become puffy.
- Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a 10" oval loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover the pan, and allow the loaves to rise for about 90 minutes, or until they've increased in size by about one-third.
- Just before baking, brush with a lightly beaten egg white, then sprinkle with seeds. Slash each loaf diagonally three times.
- Bake the loaves in a preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the interior registers 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Store fully cooled bread at room temperature, well-wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/2" slice, 51g
- Servings Per Batch
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 110
- Calories from Fat
- Total Fat 1g
- Saturated Fat
- Trans Fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium 210mg
- Total Carbohydrate 22g
- Dietary Fiber 3g
- Sugars 3g
- Protein 5g
* The nutrition information provided for this recipe is determined by the ESHA Genesis R&D software program. Substituting any ingredients may change the posted nutrition information.
Tips from our bakers
- To bake this loaf on a stone: Place the shaped loaves on parchment paper. Preheat the oven with the stone on the middle rack. When the loaves are ready, brush them with the egg white and sprinkle them with the artisan bread topping. Transfer the loaves on parchment to the hot stone (sliding the parchment and loaves from the back of baking sheet to the stone is an easy way to do this), and bake according to the recipe instructions.
Recommended For You
Reviews
This recipe makes for an easy whole grain bread to make if you're new to bread making. As I finally found in a review response below - knead in a mixer with a dough hook for 7-8 minutes - it will still be REALLY sticky but at least you'll know you worked it enough. I made this at high altitude and it did not dry out, tasted delicious, and will make again. I did not have milk powder and substituted 1 cup milk for part of the water. I also didn't have flax seed and substituted brown rice flour. This bread comes out somewhat flat, but it is still delicious so who cares!
after reading other reviews started with less water(about 1/4C), still ended up adding more flour(4T) to make dough come together, was moist and just slightly tacky. Formed two rounds & covered with KAF seed mix--soft crumb with good flavor--seemed to bake quickly compared to other breads that I usually make--will make again for sure will try to make it just a little 'sturdier' next time
I used bread flour for most of the AP in an attempt to add protein and make the dough more workable based on reviews saying it was soft. Even with that, I had to add over 100g more flour than the recipe called for. (I measured in weight.) After 8 minutes of kneading in the stand mixer, the dough had come together and was no longer as liquid, but it was still pretty floppy. I baked in a covered stoneware baker - the loaves required about an hour before they were done. The bread is tasty, though a little more flavor wouldn't hurt. It has a nice crumb and a good crust after coming out of the baker and resting in the cooling off oven.
I wrote the review just before this one. I'm very happy with the bread and appreciate the response to my comment, but would like to clarify that I did use King Arthur brand flour (white and whole wheat), so I don't think that is what made the dough so soupy. Reading the review section, it looks most of the other people who followed the recipe had the same problem, including many experienced bread bakers. I intend to keep making this bread--it's so good!--but I'll certainly read the blog post you mention to learn how to shape it and add an extra half cup or so of flour next time, like I did before. Thank you for the shaping advice, and for developing this delicious recipe.
Delicious, with a soft crumb and good flavor from the seeds. Well reviewed by all tasters. I measured the ingredients by weight, and even so found the dough unaccountably wet. I understand a wet dough has its advantages, but it was so wet I didn't think I would be able to shape it after the first rise. I used a stand mixer and ended up adding between half and three quarters of a cup more flour. Some instructions on shaping the loaves would have been nice, though they turned out alright despite my lack of shaping know-how. The end result was very tasty.It sounds like you might have used another brand of flour, which tend to be lower in protein than King Arthur Flour and therefore less absorbent. If you'd like some additional tips on shaping artisan loaves, check out our blog post called "Artisan Sourdough Bread Tips, Part 2." It includes step-by-step photos, which we hope you find helpful. Kye@KAF
I have used this recipe for 4 years to make 12 loaves of bread for my teacher son's 8th grade Medieval Day in Whitefield, NH. It has always been too flat looking. This time I made a mistake which turned out to be fortuitous! I need to use 10 1/2 cups of water - SO used my 4 cup measure twice - thinking it was 5 cups - and it was quite hard to knead for the 12 minutes I do it by hand... After 7 hours or so it was all done and out of the oven. My son came home and said the loaves looked much more like bread than before....I was kicking myself all over town... WELL next day he took them to school....The kids gobbled them up - every crump - and even one whose dad is a head chef at one of the big hotels up there said it was better than he had ever had before! SO I'm thinking maybe there is too much water in the recipe...and next year I'll put less in. The kids are even asking for the recipe!
This was wonderful! I didn't have oat flour, so I ground up regular oatmeal in my food processor. My suggestion for the wet dough is, be patient. I didn't need to add any extra flour, just keep kneeding the dough. I kneeded in my stand mixer for a good 10 minutes. Yes the dough was STICKY, just as the recipe says. It looks Beautiful! Wish I could send a picture. Will definitely make this again.Congrats on your success, Carolyn! We'd love to see your loaf and encourage you to share it with us on our Facebook page or by using #kingarthurflour on Instagram or Twitter. Mollie@KAF
I've baked this bread twice, and it is excellent: beautiful crust, tender crumb. The first time I baked it, I soaked the whole-wheat flour (hard red, freshly ground) overnight with about 5 ounces of water to make sure it was well hydrated. I ended up adding quite a bit of flour during the kneading stage (using Kitchen Aid mixer) because the dough was way too wet. But the finished product was excellent. Also, I used a wash made from whole egg rather than egg white. The second time I made this recipe, I used 12 ounces of water rather than 14, and I substituted sprouted whole-wheat flour for whole wheat. 12 ounces was still too much water, and again, I ended up adding flour--maybe three rounded tablespoons. Again, though, the result was delicious. Next time I make it, I'll try 10.5 or 11 ounces of water. One tip that makes it easier to handle this very sticky dough: Don't flour your kneading board; rub it (and your hands) with oil before handling the dough. So although I've made some tweaks to the recipe, it's an excellent bread, and I'll keep making it.
I too had to add extra flour to make the dough workable - and I weighed the ingredients (I usually don't). Instead of flax meal I used almond meal and had no problems. The bread is dense, but has a good crumb and I plan on making it again.
Awesome bread, I pretty much follow the instructions but I hold back on the water some, until I get a sticky consistency. I also made a sponge which helps with making it lighter. Also I make my own seed topping a combination of hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and a little salt to help wound out the flavor.
