Sourdough Wheat Bread with Seeds

Sunday, August 13, 2006
I'm getting braces this Wednesday, so I decided that I'd better make a few breads that I might not be able to eat post-braces, including bread with seeds and caramel rolls. I'm afraid that I don't have a better reason for getting braces than vanity. I always thought that when I was done paying for my daughters' extensive orthodontic work, I'd get my own teeth fixed. I woke up one day and decided that if I'm going to do it, I'd better do it now. I'm not sure whether it's crazy or not. I can certainly think of more fun ways to spend $5,000. I'd feel more justified if my dentist had told me my teeth would fall out if I didn't have braces put on, but she didn't, so I'll have to settle for vanity.
Back to the seed bread.... My sourdough starter was still in good spirits from the last bread, and it also seemed to be a good idea to use it before it went flat. (I know that I can keep it going by feeding it, but it doesn't make noise like a cat does, reminding you that it needs feeding).
This is a BIG batch of dough, probably the most dough I've ever had in my mixer. And both breads needed a lot of tending, and both were two-day projects, and I got very confused about what I was doing. I ended up baking one in La Cloche and one just on a pan. I was going to bake them seriatim in LaCloche, but I forgot to use parchment or to put cornmeal on the bottom of the pan, so the first loaf got seriously stuck, and I had to spend about 20 minutes hacking away at it. (I said I got confused).
Even so, they both turned out quite well. The non-LaCloche bread was actually more photogenic, because its torpedo shape didn't get deformed by the pan (and also because it didn't have to be hacked off its parchment), but the LaCloche was a prettier color and was crustier.
This sourdough is an extremely satisfying loaf of bread. What with the whole wheat, the wheat bran, the wheat germ, the flax and all the other seeds, this is the most healthy bread I've ever made. I felt postively virtuous eating a slice (or two or three) of this seedy bread. The only thing that is bothering me right now is whether I should have a piece of bread and some cheese and wine for a mid-afternoon snack or another chocolate caramel roll (see next entry) with cappuccino. What a dilemma!