Malted bread – Feasting Is Fun

Bread is an everyday essential for most people in the Western world. And is available in different shapes, sizes and varieties. With the most popular bread, judging by the number of loaves sold each year, being sliced, predominantly white, plastic wrapped loaves. Yet what do offer in terms of flavour? In my opinion very little! Rather they are a carrier of flavours. Whether ham and mustard, egg and cress or the numerous filling combinations, the bread itself adds little to the taste or nutrition value of a sandwich. So, when you make this Seeded Cob Loaf, your world and tastebuds will open to the real flavour and texture of good, homemade bread.

FF Seeded Cob Loaf — **Seeded Cob Loaf** full of flavour.

Seriously, this could be called ‘Change Your Life Seeded Cob Loaf.’ Because, as soon as you make it, with your own hands, bake and then try it, you will find it hard to go back to your usual loaf. Since it not only does it have incredible flavour, it’s cheaper, far healthier and more rewarding than plastic wrapped loaves.

The Benefits Of Homemade Bread

Also, an important benefit from making bread at home, is that you, the baker, know exactly what goes into your bread. Flour, yeast, water, salt and a little unsalted butter. No preservatives, additives, flour improvers or any other number of E numbers found in mass produced bread. Simply a great tasting homemade loaf.

Personally, this is one of the very best loaves I have made. Most importantly, I check my recipe twice, baking on two different days, to check consistency. Since tasting the first slice, lightly buttered, I have been eager to share this with you. Such is the depth of flavour and ease of shaping. Credit goes to Jack at Bake With Jack . Because watching his vlogs will improve both your knowledge and technique, when making bread at home.

Recipe: Makes 1 Seeded Cob Loaf

400g Wholemeal Seeded Bread Flour I use 3 Malts Sunflower from Shipton Mill – alternatively use half Wholemeal Bread Flour and half Strong White Bread Flour (250g + 250g = 500g total flour weight)

100g White Bread Flour (do not add if making your own flour mix – see above)

7g Fast Action Dried Yeast – I use Allinson’s

340mls Room Temperature Water

50g Mixed Seeds – plus a small handful for sprinkling on the loaf

30g Softened Unsalted Butter

7g Salt – I use Maldon

Method: I use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, alternately this bread can be made by hand.

Note: For complete accuracy the use of digital scales is advised. Even for weighing water, 1ml is equivalent 1g.

Making The Seeded Cob Loaf Dough Using A Stand Mixer

Into the bowl of the stand mixer weigh the water and yeast.
Next, add both flours and the additional 50g of seeds, even if you are using seeded flour.
On top of the flour add the salt and cubed butter.
Lower the dough hook and mix on slow for 5 minutes, then increase the speed and mix for a further 5-10 minutes on medium. The dough is ready when it can be stretched without tearing and light can be seen through the stretched dough. This is known as the windowpane test.
Use clean hands to scrape any dough stuck to the dough hook back into the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and place on a surface that is draught free.
Leave the dough to prove until doubled in size. This may take between 1-2 hours, depending on the room temperature.
While the bread is proving, grease a large baking tray with a little butter.

Knocking Back And Shaping The Dough

After proving scatter a very small amount of flour on to the work top.
Turn out the dough ensuring the domed top becomes the bottom and the sticky underneath is uppermost.

Following the pictures above, shape the dough. First pull the edge of the dough and press it down into the sticky centre. Continue, working around the edge of the dough, pulling out and pressing in. While doing this, tension is being built across the top of the loaf, (the underneath of the dough), this helps ensure a tight ball shape that doesn’t collapse whilst proving or baking.
Keep working around the edge of the dough until you achieve a tight ball, as seen in the left of the photo below.

Cover the dough ball with the tea towel and leave until doubled in size. See photo above on the right.

Baking The Cob Loaf

While the dough is undergoing its second prove Preheat the oven to its hottest setting. Add a tray of water to the bottom of the oven. Since adding water provides steam which helps the dough to rise (oven spring) before forming a crust.
As soon as the dough has doubled in size, it is ready to bake. Remove the tea towel and brush the top of the dough with water. Then sprinkle over the remaining seeds.

Round bread dough ready to be baked. — Seeded Cob Loaf ready for the oven.

Place the seed covered loaf into the middle of the oven.
Immediately reduce the temperature of the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7, 425F . Note – the reduction in heat stops the seeds from burning.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven. Take the loaf off of the baking tray and place back in the oven, directly on to the oven shelf. Continue baking for 10-20 minutes, depending on how crusty you want your bread.
As soon as the bread is done, remove it from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Ensure the loaf is completely cooled before slicing.

Perfect for slicing, packing up with an assortment of fillings and taking on a picnic. Alternatively simply tear into chunks and dunk in warming bowls of soup.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Seeded Cob Loaf then you may also like these:

Farmhouse White Loaf

Farmhouse White Bread — Farmhouse White Loaf

Large White Bloomer

Crusty White Bloomer Bread — Large White Bloomer

Easy White Cob Loaf

I find baking at home an immensely fulfilling experience. Especially the tempting aroma as a beautiful bread in baking in the oven. And if your first loaf isn’t the perfect shape, it’s taste will more than make up for its appearance. So, keep practicing and your technique will improve! Finally, baking bread at home will give you a delicious loaf and a sense of accomplishment.

Have fun, making, creating and baking in your kitchens.

Sammie xx

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Many of you may have realised by now, that I love baking bread. Especially as the smell and taste, is far superior to any supermarket loaf. Also, no unnecessary additives are added to home baked breads. Finally, having been asked numerous times for the recipe to make my Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf here it is! A tasty, family sized loaf of bread that’s ideal for sandwiches and toast.

FF Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf — **Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf** utterly delicious.

Since I have been asked a few times if I’m sponsored by Shipton Mill I will set the record straight, I am not. Yet their’s is simply THE best bread flour I have ever used. And I adore that their 3 Malts with Sunflower flour blend gives the loaf a chewy, nutty, malt flavour, without the heaviness of 100% wholemeal Flour.

Likewise, this Seeded Cob Loaf is also a tasty, semi wholemeal bread, that’s easy to make and bake and highly recommended.

Since I’ve baked this Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf a number of times now, I’ve found it to be consistently good. Resulting in a fantastic, family sized bread, that slices well and tastes great toasted, made into sandwiches, or buttered and served with soup.

Recipe: Makes one Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf

Note: A large plain white loaf can also be made using this recipe. Substitute an equal quantity of Strong White Bread Flour and follow the recipe and method as given.

750g 3 Malts with Sunflower Flour from – Shipton Mill – Alternately use a malted bread flour mix and add 3tbsp of sunflower seeds.

530mls Tepid Water

12g Fast Action Dried Yeast – I use Allinson Easy Bake Yeast

1.5tsp Runny Honey – alternatively use either the equivalent of Maple Syrup, or sugar for a Vegan loaf

40g Softened Unsalted Butter – alternately use 2tbsp Rapeseed Oil (Canola Oil)

10g Sea Salt – I use Maldon

You will need a large 4lb loaf tin that’s been buttered for this recipe.

Making, Shaping And Proving The Malted Dough

First of all, place the water, honey and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached.
Add the 3 Malts flour on top of the wet mixture in the bowl.
Next add the salt and butter – broken into small pieces.
Lower the dough hook and mix on low speed for ten minutes. The dough should be stretchy and coming clean away from the sides of the bowl.
Lift up the dough hook and scrape any dough off, using your fingers, into the bowl.
Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel.
Leave the dough to prove in a draught free place until it is doubled in size.
Lightly dust the worktop with flour.
As soon a the dough has doubled in size, using a clean, flour dusted hand, tip the dough on to the work top, easing it out of the bowl with your hand.
Flatten the dough slightly and fold the bottom third up and the just over the top third down. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat.
Turn the dough over and tuck any edges underneath so that you have an oval shaped piece of dough.
Place the shaped dough into the buttered bread tin and cover with a clean tea towel.

Place the covered dough in a warm, draught free place until doubled or tripled in size.
As this loaf starts to rise above the tin put the oven on to preheat at 230C/210C fan, gas mark 8, 450F.

Making The Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf

As soon as the loaf has risen well and is above the edge of the pan place in the centre of the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes.

FF Large 3 Makts Sunflower Loaf — **Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf** 3 times its original size and ready for the oven.

You can check your loaf at 25 minutes. It is baked when golden brown and sounds hollow when rapped on the base with your knuckle.
For a deeper, darker crust, tip the loaf out of the tin and bake for a further 10 minutes directly on the oven shelf.
Once baked to your liking, remove the bread from the oven and place on to a cooling rack.

You simply cannot get the smell of freshly baked bread at home, well, without freshly baking it yourself!

During the summer, I cover the loaf with a net food tent to keep flies and bugs off.

Finally, leave the bread to cool completely before slicing. Not only will the bread slice better, it is also said to be better for digestion.

I had a delicious slice of this bread toasted, with jam, for breakfast this morning. Sitting and relaxing in our garden, cup of coffee in hand, watching the bees and butterflies, while munching away!

Note: For a smaller loaf use the weights and timings for the Lighter Wholemeal Loaf.

Homemade bread is so easy using a stand mixer. Alternatively, you can by always make this loaf by hand.

If you have enjoyed the recipe for this Large 3 Malts Sunflower Loaf here are some others you may enjoy too:

Lighter Wholemeal Loaf

Large White Bloomer

Family sized white bloomer loaf cooling on a rack. — Large White Bloomer

Farmhouse White Loaf

Importantly, the process of making bread, for me, is really enjoyable and fun. Also, if you look at the ingredient list on any standard, plastic wrapped loaf and compare it to mine, prepare yourself for a shock!

As you begin to routinely make your own bread, it will become easier to double the recipe and make two loaves. Resulting in an extra loaf for the freezer and lessening the need to buy a loaf from the supermarket. Most importantly, the nutritional quantity and flavour homemade bread is far superior and less expensive than it’s supermarket counterpart.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

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