A Hungry Bear

There’s no better way for me to show A that I really love him than by baking him homemade bread (okay, maybe Steelers tickets, or that fighter pilot for a day thing). I’ve been trying several recipes for classic white sandwich bread and variations of whole wheat, but by far, the most perfect loaf of bread that I’ve found is the Cracked Wheat Bread from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. In the recipe, she says she modeled this one after her favorite sandwich bread from Pepperidge Farm, which has since been discontinued. I’ll make up a double batch of this bread, slice it, then freeze the slices in large ziploc storage bags (the slices can be individually taken out as needed, thawed for a few seconds in the microwave or toasted).

Note: I’ve provided Beranbaum’s recipe for a single loaf. When I make this, I always double the amount, so that’s what my pictures reflect.

Grocery list (for the dough starter): 1/2 cup (2.75 ounces) AP flour, 1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) whole wheat flour, 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9.3 ounces) lukewarm water (70-90 degrees F); (for the flour mixture) 2 cups (11 ounces) AP four, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast; (for the cracked wheat and finishing steps) 1/2 cup extra coarse or coarse bulgur, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 3/4 teaspoons salt.

Start by mixing together the dough starter. If you have a kitchen scale, it’s so easy - just set the bowl on the scale, set the reading to 0, and pour the ingredients directly in. You don’t dirty up any measuring cups, and you can be very precise with the measurements.

Add all the ingredients for the dough starter together in the mixing bowl.

Whisk by hand for about 2 minutes until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the “flour mixture” ingredients together (11 ounces AP flour, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon yeast). This will provide fuel for the dough starter to eat while it’s in the fridge.

Carefully pour the contents of the second bowl over top of the liquid dough starter in the mixing bowl. Try to keep a smooth layer of dry ingredients over the wet part - do NOT mix! Cover with plastic wrap.

Let the mixing bowl sit out on the counter for an hour, to start the fermentation process. After an hour, the dough starter might start peeking through the flour layer, like in the above picture - that’s perfectly normal. Place the mixing bowl in the fridge for anywhere between 8-24 hours (the longer you leave it in the fridge, the more “complex” the flavor development will be).

The next day, or after it’s been 8-24 hours, take the mixing bowl out of the fridge and allow it to return to room temperature for an hour before mixing. At this time, make sure you prepare the bulgur. I found extra course bulgur in bulk at the farmer’s market, but you can also find it in the bulk dry goods containers at whole foods or prepackaged in boxes on the cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc) aisle.

Heat 1/2 - 2/3 cup water to boiling. The lesser amount of water will make for crunchier bits of cracked wheat, while the greater amount of water gets absorbed to make softer, chewier pieces. Stir the 1/2 bulgur into the boiling water, and allow it to sit about one hour until the water is absorbed. You can do this ahead of time, just refrigerate the bulgur (covered) in the mixing cup after it has absorbed the water.

Set the mixing bowl in the stand mixer. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the prepared and now cooled-off-to-room-temperature bulgur over the dough. Attach a dough hook and mix on low speed (#2 on a kitchenaid) for 1 minute, so it comes together in one big ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough, then knead on medium speed (#4 on a kitchenaid) for 7-10 minutes. You might want to use your stand mixer’s plastic splatter cover if you have one, because the bulgur can pop out of the dough and fly all over the place…

Oil a large bowl or plastic container. I got this one from a restaurant supply store for about $2 - it has straight sides so it’s easy to tell when the dough has doubled exactly (another Beranbaum recommendation). Use an oiled spatula to easily transfer the dough from the mixing bowl into the container. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume - this could take between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen.

Beranbaum suggests a second rise, and if you have the time, go for it. Most other bread recipes I’ve tried would just shape the dough at this point though. Remove the dough from the container to the counter.

Flatten it and fold it in thirds.

Return it to the container. Allow it to double in size again.

Now it’s time to shape the loaf and get it into its loaf pan for the final rise. Since I was making a double batch, I used my kitchen scale again to make sure that I was dividing the mass of dough into exact halves. If you’re making the single batch, you don’t have to mess with this of course.

Grease your loaf pan with butter (make sure you get in all the cracks!). Press the dough out into a rectangle, a little wider than the length of the loaf pan and about 3 times as long as the width of the loaf pan. That sounds pretty confusing doesn’t it? Try this - just press it out into a 15 inch by 10 inch rectangle.

Fold the dough in thirds, so it’s now about 5 inches wide and 10 inches long.

Carefully transfer the little bundle of dough, seam side down, into the loaf pan. You want the ends tucked under just a bit, so the top appears seamless and rounded at the edges. Cover with plastic wrap. Go ahead and preheat the oven now to 350 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, the dough will double in size in the loaf pans - this could take about 45 minutes to an hour. At this point Beranbaum includes directions for slashing and glazing the top of the bread with butter, but I’ve always skipped this step. I’m not sure why, since I’ve followed the rest of the time consuming recipe to a tee, but for some reason this is where I draw the line.

If you have a baking stone or pizza stone, set it on the lowest rack in your oven. Move the other racks up top or out of the way entirely to make room for the bread. When the dough has risen and you’re ready to bake it, stick a meat thermometer in the corner of the loaf. Set the loaf pans directly on the baking stone. Fill an extra empty loaf pan or cast iron skillet with a cup of ice cubes, and place on the bottom rack next to the baking stone. Close the oven and don’t open it again. Bake the bread for 45-55 minutes, until the thermometer reads 205 degrees and the top is golden brown.

While the bread is still hot, flip it upside down over a wire rack (the loaf should easily fall right out - if you have any trouble at all, next time use more butter when greasing the pan!). Turn the hot loaf right side up and allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Sliced bread will keep for a month or two in the freezer, if you use freezer-safe ziploc bags.