green tea multi seeded bread

it is no secret that my ultimate weakness is bread- straight out of the oven freshly baked bread

left alone i would more than likely eat the entire loaf still warm and slathered with vegan butter

bread making for me is much like meditation

after my stressful cupcake making session i opted for a more soothing recipe

for the past week i have been bouncing around a few different bread recipes; those recipes are written down on about 6 different sticky notes, some are filed away in my noggin

this is the final version , an accumulation of all those random ideas- the green tea was added sporadically

did i know it was a good idea at the time? no.

was it a good idea? YES!

this past week over breakfast i was thumbing through the latest king arthur magazine and stumbled upon a seed mix; i thought to myself who would spend 9 bucks on seeds - that would be wicked easy to make. so that's exactly what i did - make my very own seed mix.

a mixture of sesame, black sesame, hemp seeds, sunflower & millet are used in my particular mix

i am sure there are hundreds of combinations- so have fun and use what you have on hand

green tea, agave and a tablespoon of seeds makes this bread what it is

super fabulous - a perfect bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner

after the first rise the dough is divided into 2 equal parts and shaped into "logs"

then twisted together

and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with seeds

i am absolutely in love with the contrast of the black sesame seeds -

i may just be a little addicted

baked in a hot oven until golden brown

doesn't that picture just make you want to reach in through the screen and devour the entire loaf?



my goal this year is to attempt a gluten free bread for my gluten free peeps

i  just have to work up the courage to dive into gluten free baking

i am pretty sure my bread addiction is hereditary

my mom, and aunts can pass up all the sweets in the world

however one sniff of freshly baked bread and they too find themselves unable to resist

i am pretty sure my aunt stopped using & gave away her bread machine due to the fact she would be baking and eating bread about everyday of the week

thankfully i don't own a bread machine- that would be dangerous

it was dangerous enough when i was on the "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" kick- way too easy for Justin and i to have fresh bread every night

kid you not, i am pretty sure i  must gave gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks from eating so much GOOD bread. my very first recipe blog post was that very recipe

if you have time to make this beautiful bread let me know what you thought of it and if it tasted just as good for you as it did for me

Green Tea Multi Seeded Bread

makes 1 loaf  & 1/2 cup seed mix

you will need:

for the seed mix:

2 tsp of each; black sesame & regular sesame seeds

1 tbsp millet

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp hemp seeds

for the bread:

2  1/4 tsp dry yeast

1 cup warm green tea (120*)

1/4 cup agave

1 tsp coarse salt

2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour

2 tbsp of the seed mix - divided

olive oil

assembly:

for the seed mix combine all seeds in a jar and shake to mix

store in the refrigerator in between uses

in a medium mixing bowl combine yeast & green tea

allow to sit for 5 minutes or until frothy & bubbly

add agave, 1 tbsp seed mix & about 2 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time & stir using a wooden spoon with a gentle hand

turn dough (cleaning the sides of the bowl with spoon) onto a lightly floured surface

begin to knead the remaining flour into the dough a 1/4 cup at a time for about 8-10 minutes until your dough is smooth & elastic

in a clean bowl (i like to clean out my original bowl under hot water) drizzle bottom of bowl with about a teaspoon of olive oil, place dough ball in bowl and turn upside down to coat both sides

cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm area free of drafts to rise for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours or until double in size

once double in size, gently punch dough down and turn onto a clean work surface

on a piece of parchment paper, divide dough into 2 equal pieces

working with one piece at a time, covering the other piece with plastic wrap; shape the first piece into a log about 12 inches long; repeat with the second piece of dough

lay logs side by side - overlap logs creating a twist

seal ends making sure they are secure and tucked under

cover with parchment paper or a clean kitchen towel

allow to rise an additional 30-40 minutes in a warm location free of drafts

during the last 15 minutes of rise time pre heat oven to 425* - pre heat your baking stone at this time - if you do not have a baking stone feel free to bake your bread on parchment paper directly on the oven rack (make sure to pay close attention to the bottom of your bread to ensure it doesn't burn)

after the second rise is complete drizzle bread with olive oil & sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of seed mix

transfer bread along with parchment paper directly to the pre heated stone

bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and when the bottom of the bread is tapped it sounds hollow

remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes prior to slicing - a bit longer if you can make it

enjoy!

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