Dakota Bread

From Cook's Country

Be sure to use hot cereal mix, not boxed cold breakfast cereals, which may also be labeled "seven-grain."

Ingredients

• 2cups (480 ml) warm water
• 1 1/2cups (360 ml) seven-grain hot cereal mix
• 2tablespoons (30 ml) honey
• 2tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 1/2cups (840 ml) bread flour
• 1 3/4teaspoons (9 ml) salt
• 1teaspoon (5 ml) instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 3tablespoons (45 ml) raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 3tablespoons (45 ml) raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1teaspoon (5 ml) sesame seeds
• 1teaspoon (5 ml) poppy seeds
• 1large egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Grease a large bowl and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, cereal, honey, and oil, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour, salt, and yeast to the cereal mixture. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) pepitas and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sunflower seeds to the dough and knead for 1 minute longer. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until the seeds are evenly distributed, about 2 minutes.
4. Transfer the dough to the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size and a fingertip depression in the dough springs back slowly, 60 to 90 minutes.
5. Gently press down on the center of the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and shape into a tight round ball.
6. Place the dough on the prepared sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
7. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lowest positions and heat the oven to 425 degrees (220°C).
8. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pepitas, remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds in a small bowl.
9. Using a sharp knife, make a ¼-inch (1 cm)-deep cross, 5 inches (13 cm) long, on top of the loaf. Brush the loaf with egg and sprinkle the seed mixture evenly over the top.
10. Place an 8½ by 4½-inch (22x11 cm) loaf pan on the lowest oven rack and fill with 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water. Place the baking sheet with the dough on the upper-middle rack and reduce the oven to 375 degrees (190°C).
11. Bake until the crust is dark brown and the bread registers 200 degrees (95°C), 40 to 50 minutes.
12. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve.

The right mix

Our Dakota Bread recipe calls for bread flour (for an appropriately chewy texture) supplemented with seven-grain hot cereal mix, which provides the bread with nutty depth. Don't confuse seven-grain hot cereal with seven-grain cold cereal; the latter will harm the texture of the loaf.

Making a round loaf

On a lightly floured counter, shape the loaf by pulling and pinching the dough and tucking it under until it forms a smooth, taut ball. After it's shaped, the dough rises for the second and final time. (In French, this shape is known as aboule.)