multi seeded baguettes

Do you know what I love more than bread? Seeded bread! I absolutely adore all shapes, sizes and textures of bread but head over heals in love with multi seeded breads & bagels. So in love.

Bread making may seem tedious to some, but I love the motion of kneading, watching the first rise and the smell of baking bread. Baking bread  is a labor of love which involves all senses. Truthfully, it really isn't that hard to make a beautiful loaf of bread at home, just a little bit of practice and time.

I started making my own bread at home about 9 or so years ago, like many people I was really hesitant about bread making- would it rise, did I use enough flour. salt or no salt? Bread making is very intuitive, thus the reason you will likely find a range in the amount of flour needed. Sometimes you need more, sometimes less. The dough will tell you its ready by feel, the more practice you have the easier it is to "feel" its readiness.

Growing up, my Mom would use a bread maker to make fresh bread, I am not sure how this recipe would translate to a bread making machine, but it is so worth making by hand. The spelt flour will give you a more rustic, dense bread while the bread flour will bake up a lighter, fluffier bread. I prefer using spelt flour or a combination of spelt and bread flour.

This particular bread is studded with seeds and sweetened with maple syrup- the perfect bread in my book. You can easily make your own seed mix, which I have done on many occasions or you can scout out a blend already mixed up for you. I purchased a bread making kit from Food52 (anyone else addicted to that site?) which came with a seed blend from King Arthur Flour that was pretty amazing, but can easily be made at home. The kit also came with a bakers couche; it is suppose to help provide the crunchy exterior baguettes are known for; it did do the job nicely but isn't necessary to be a pro home bread maker.

You can easily have a fresh loaf of bread for Sunday Dinner if you get started in the morning or afternoon, much of the time preparing bread is inactive. The resting and waiting helps to develop the flavor of the bread, the longer you wait (overnight is great!) the better tasting bread. You can create a sponge to further develop the taste of your bread, but that is a post for another day.

Are you a bread making family?

Do you enjoy the process of bread making?

Multi Seeded Baguettes

makes 2 small baguettes

you will need:

1 packet of dry instant yeast ( 2 1/2 tsp)

1 1/4 cup(s) warm water

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

 2 1/2 -3-1/2 cups spelt or bread flour

1 tsp kosher salt

3 tbsp mixed seeds , divided

assembly: 

In a medium bowl combine yeast, water and maple syrup (in that order). Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy & frothy. Add 1 1/2 -2 cups of flour, salt & 2 tbsp of seeds, stir until dough begins to form and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead as much of the remaining flour into the dough as you can; 7-8 minutes. Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm area free from drafts until double in size; about 1 hour.

Gently turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form each piece into a baguette shape (oblong, thicker in the center with the ends tapered) & gently  roll each shaped baguette through the additional 1 tbsp of seeds. Place shape baguettes onto a parchment lined pan or bakers couche; cover & allow to rise an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat Oven to 400* along with your stone (if using). 

Uncover, using a sharp knife, quickly score the tops of each baguette. Gently transfer the baguettes onto the pre heated stone or baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown or when tapped on the bottom the bread sounds hollow.

Remove from oven, allow to rest/cool for at least 10 minutes prior to cutting.

Enjoy!