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1
On the day before making the bread, make the soaker.
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2
Combine the cornmeal, oats, and bran with the water in a small bowl.
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3
The water will just cover the grain, hydrating it slightly.
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4
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature overnight to initiate enzyme action.
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5
The next day, to make the dough, stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer).
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6
Add the soaker, rice, honey, buttermilk, and water.
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7
Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball.
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8
Add a few drops of water if any of the flour remains separate.
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9
Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook).
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10
Knead for about 12 minutes (or mix for 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low speed), sprinkling in flour if needed to make a dough that is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky.
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11
The individual ingredients will homogenize into the greater dough, disappearing to an extent, and the dough will smooth out and become slightly shiny.
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12
(If you are using an electric mixer, hand knead the dough for a minute or two at the end.)
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13
The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77 to 81F.
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14
Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil.
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15
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
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16
Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.
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17
Remove the dough from the bowl and press it by hand into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long.
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18
Form it into a loaf, as shown on page 81, or into another desired shape.
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19
Place the loaf into a lightly oiled 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, or onto a sheet pan lined with baking parchment if you are making rolls or freestanding loaves.
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20
Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle on the poppy seeds.
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21
Mist again, this time with spray oil, and loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel.
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22
Proof for approximately 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size.
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23
If you are using a loaf pan, the dough should crest fully above the lip of the pan, doming about 1 inch above the pan at the center.
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24
Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
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25
Bake for about 20 minutes.
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26
Small rolls probably will be finished at this point.
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27
For everything else, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes for freestanding loaves and 20 to 40 minutes for loaf-pan bread.
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28
The bread should register at least 185 to 190F in the center, be golden brown, and make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
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29
When the loaves are finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.
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30
Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
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31
Day 1: 5 minutes soaker
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32
Day 2: 10 to 15 minutes mixing; 3 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 20 to 60 minutes baking
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33
If you do not have wheat bran on hand, you can sift whole-wheat flour through a fine sieve and extract the bran.
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34
The flour that sifts through can be used in rye breads or in pain de campagne (or it can be stirred back into the whole-wheat flour).
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35
This formula uses such a small amount of cooked rice that its hardly worth cooking it just for the bread (unless you are making a larger batch of bread than this version).
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36
I suggest making brown rice for a meal and holding some back for special uses like this bread.
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37
You can keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days (any longer and it develops enzyme characteristics detrimental to the dough development), or freeze it in small packets for use over the next 6 months.
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38
You can also substitute cooked white or wild rice, but brown rice blends in the best.
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39
You can leave out the milk altogether and replace it with an equal amount of water.
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40
The bread will be slightly chewier and lighter in appearance without milk, as the milk not only tenderizes and enriches the dough, but also adds a small amount of lactose sugar that helps caramelize the crust.
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41
Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire %
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42
(SOAKER)
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43
Cornmeal: 50%
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44
Rolled oats: 37.5%
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45
Wheat bran: 12.5%
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46
Water: 100%
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47
Total: 200%
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48
(DOUGH)
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49
Soaker: 29.6%
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50
High-gluten flour: 100%
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51
Brown sugar: 11.1%
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52
Salt: 2.8%
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53
Instant yeast: 2.4%
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54
Brown rice: 7.4%
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55
Honey: 7.4%
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56
Buttermilk: 29.6%
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57
Water: 44.4%
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58
Total: 234.7%
