This is an exceptionally easy yeast bread that requires no kneading and is quick to make. It is lighter than soda bread and more elastic so can be cut thinner, especially if a strong wholewheat bread flour is used.
Ingredients for 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 loaves
450 / 900 / 1350 / 1800 gms Wholewheat flour (preferably stone-ground and fairly fine; can substitute 10% strong white flour for some of the brown)
425 / 850 / 1275 / 1700 mls Warm water* (variable - dough just too wet to knead)
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 small tsp Salt
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 tsp Black treacle
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 sachets (7gms) Dried yeast - yeast quantity not critical but will affect rate of rising
Sprinkle Sesame, sunflower or other seeds (Optional)
Method
- Mix flour, salt and yeast
- Mix Treacle into warm water* and mix quickly into the flour mix
- Divide into pre-warmed and oiled bread tins (containing seeds, if using), cover with warm tea-towels and allow to rise to rim of the tin (around 20 mins in warm place)
- Bake at 230C for 45 to 50 mins until brown and sounds hollow
- Turn out of tins and cool covered with damp tea towel
*Water temperature can be up to 50C but do not exceed that temperature or it will kill the yeast. Cooler water will take a little longer to rise
This recipe is loosely based on Darina Allen's Ballymaloe brown yeast bread. Darina suggests: Old yeast dough adds extra flavour and interest to a batch of bread. Sometimes when I'm making brown yeast bread, I hold back a quarter of the dough and put it in a tall glass jar (if it's white yeast dough, I use a covered bowl). Then I can save it for a few weeks and use it as a base for the next batch. The dough gets more sour and the brown bread takes on a deeper flavour, almost like pumpernickel.
