A simple and quick rye bread, adapted from Dan Lepard's "The Handmade Loaf". The "secret ingredient" here is the pickle juice with some extra dill. The bread came out with great texture and tasted so delicious.

200 g Dark rye flour, toasted 300 g Bread flour 3/4 tsp Salt 350 g Cucumber pickle juice at 20C/68F 1+1/4 tsp Fresh yeast, crumbled 5 g Dried dill

1. To toast the rye flour, preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Spread the rye flour in a thin layer over a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the flour has turned a light tannish brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
   
2. Combine the flours, and mix with the salt. In another bowl, whisk the pickle juice with yeast and dill. Mix this liquid and the flour together with your hands. Squeezing it through your fingertips. When roughly combined, cover the bowl and leave it for 10 minutes. Tip the dough out on to a lightly oiled work-surface and knead gently for 10-15 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, leave for a further 10 minutes, then knead once more for 10-15 seconds. Repeat one more time.
   
3. Stretch the dough out on the work-surface and pat it out lightly into a rectangle. Fold one end, a third of the length, back to the centre. Fold the other end back over it, so you have three layers. Repeat after 30 minutes and 1 hour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and shape each into a round. Place both on a flour-dusted baking sheet, leaving a space between for the cobs to grow. Cover and leave for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Cut a slash across the center of each cob. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 minutes until the cobs are a good rich brown colour and when tapped on the bottom, sound hollow. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

This almost no-knead bread recipe uses a mix of white, wholemeal, spelt flour and a rye sourdough starter, though the recipe could use any other flour or combination. The method is almost identical to the white leaven bread in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard
angiesrecipes, however the result is a bit different, with a dark, nutty sour taste to the crust and crumb thanks to the use pure rye sourdough starter.

470 g Rye leaven or white leaven 550 ml Water at 20C/68F 650 g Plain flour angiesrecipes

200 g Wholemeal flour angiesrecipes 75 g Spelt bread flour angiesrecipes 20 g Salt

1. In a large bowl, whisk the leaven with the water. Add the flours and salt. Mix the ingredients together to form a sticky mass. Cover and leave 10-15 minutes to stand, to allow gliadin and glutenin proteins in the compound gluten to hydrate and bond.
2. On a lightly oiled work surface, place the dough and knead briefly, 20 to 30 seconds will be enough. Shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next day, scrape the dough on to a lightly oiled work surface and pat it out to form a rectangle, roughly 40cm x 20cm. Fold one end, a third of the length, back to the centre. Fold the other end back over it, so we have 3 layers of dough, like folding puff pastry.
3. Pat it out again and fold it once more. Leave one hour at room temperature and repeat. Leave another hour and repeat. The dough should be rising nicely. To check, slash the dough with a sharp knife. It is ready to shape once bubbles formed in the dough. Otherwise leave the dough a further hour to check again.
   
   
4. Divide the dough into 3 smaller dough. Shape into balls on a lightly floured surface and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Form dough into a baton or round. Turn the shaped loaves into the floured baskets or tins with the seams up and leave them to finish rising. They're ready for baking when doubled in size, about 3 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Upturn the loaves on to floured baking trays and slash a few times across it. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling wire.

Pain d'Epi baked with White Levain

Pain d'Epi baked with Rye Sourdough

A stalk of wheat----Epi bread is a type of classic and common artisan bread. Crackly crust and creamy, airy crumb! Store the bread wrapped in butter paper until it is used, and if the bread has started to go stale, sprinkle it with water and bake briefly to refresh it.

240 g Sourdough starter, 100% hydration (fed with bread or rye flour) 420 g Water at 20C/68F 670 g German #550 angiesrecipes 1 g Instant dry yeast 18-20 g Salt

1. Sift together the flour and dry yeast in a bowl. Combine the starter and water in a large mixing bowl. Add in the flour mixture and stir on low speed for 2 minutes. Let the mixture rest for 25 minutes, allowing the flour to absorb the water. Add in salt and stir for 4 minutes on middle speed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
   
2. Scrape the dough on to a lightly oiled work surface and pat it out to form a flat rectangle. Fold one end, a third of the length, back to the centre. Fold the other end back over it, like folding puff pastry. Pat it out again and fold it once more. Cover and leave at room temperature for 60 minutes. Repeat pat-flat-fold, leave another hour and repeat one more time. Slash the dough with a razor and if bubbles form in the dough, it’s ready to shape. Or leave the dough one more hour and check again.
   
3. Divide the dough into the loaf sizes. Shape each into a baguette by stretching each dough into a rectangles, then folding the bottom and top thirds to the center, pinching the seam together and allowing them to rest for 10 minutes. Fold the dough over lengthwise and press the ends together. Roll each dough back and forth to elongate it to the desired length and taper the ends.
4. Place the loaves on a baking sheet dusted with flour, cover and let rise until slightly under proofed. Preheat the oven to 210C/420F. Cut one end of the loaf at an angle with a scissor, pull the cut piece of the loaf to left side. Move down a couple of inches, make a snip and pull the cut piece dough to the right. Alternate directions while cutting the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden crispy. Cool them on a rack.

Pain d'Epi baked with Rye Sourdough

Pain d'Epi baked with White Levain

Natural white leaven refers to sourdough starter made entirely from white flour, either bread or all-purpose flour. The bread made with preferments (either prepared with commercial yeast or wild yeasts and bacteria) yields a more complex flavour and taste. Enjoy this rustic apple oat bread with a bowl of steaming hot soup or a salad for a simple yet satisfying lunch.

50 g Rolled oats 100 g Boiling water 200 g Apple, peeled and grated 50 g Water at 20C/68F 100 g White leaven

2 g Instant dry yeast 250 g German #550 flour angiesrecipes or all purpose flour 3 g Sea salt 2 tbsp Egg wash 2 tbsp Rolled oats

1. Put the rolled oats into a small bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Add the grated apple to the water, leaven, and yeast. Stir the mixture well until the yeast is dissolved, then stir the soaked oats into this. In another bowl weigh the flour with the salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and stir the mixture with your hands until it is evenly combined and you have a soft, sticky dough. Scrape any dough from Your fingers into the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Rub 1 teaspoon olive oil on the work-surface and knead the dough on the oiled surface for 10 seconds, ending with the dough in a smooth, round ball. Clean and dry the howl, then rub lightly with a teaspoon of olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for a further 10 minutes. Remove the dough and knead once more on the oiled surface, returning the shape of the dough to a smooth, round ball. Put it back in the bowl, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Lightly flour the work-surface and shape the dough into a baton or a round. Rub a tea-towel with a handful of flour (or use a linen-lined proving basket) and place the dough inside seam-side-up. Wrap the dough snugly in the cloth, and leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until almost doubled in height.
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Upturn the loaf on to a flour dusted tray, then brush the surface of the loaf with the egg wash and dust with rolled oats. Bake the loaf in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 190C/375F and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, until the loaf is a good brown, feels light in weight, and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Poolish sponge is a type of French starter made from the same amount, in weight, of flour and water with a very small amount of yeast, and left to ripe for a long time. This allows bread to develop its characteristic flavours and texture.
You can make the poolish anywhere between 8 and 16 hours before you start mixing the final dough. Poolish should be a wet mixture, very much like a thick pancake batter and when the surface is covered in tiny bubbles, it’s ready to use. Bread made with preferment also tends to keep better, compared to bread made from straight dough.

Spelt and Oatmeal Bread Stars

adapted from Ploetzblog

Poolish Sponge	Dough
150 g Wholegrain spelt, ground 150 g Water, lukewarm 1 g Fresh yeast	170 g Water, lukewarm 315 g Bread flour 75 g Oatmeal 9 g Fresh yeast 9 g Sea salt 10 g Liquid malt extract Poppy and flax seeds for coating

1. Combine all the poolish ingredients in the mixing bowl and leave it, covered, at room temperature for 10-12 hours. If you want to use dry yeast, then 0.4 grams, about 1/8 teaspoon, would be enough.
2. Add in the rest of ingredients and stir at slow speed for 6 minutes, then increase the speed and continue to mix for 8 more minutes until it comes together and pulls away from sides of bowl.
3. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the dough a few times and shape into a round. Cover and rest for 40 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 10-12 portions and shape each into a round. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, gently flatten a dough ball. Cut 3 times on the center all the way to the bottom in a crisscross style, leaving about 2-cm edges intact. Now turn each triangle outside to create a 6-point star.
6. Dip the star into water, then coat with a mix of seeds. Place them in baking trays lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof 90 minutes.
7. Place a roasting tray at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 240C/460F. Place the bread stars on the upper rack of the hot oven. Pour a cup of boiling water into the roasting tray. Bake for 20 minutes until they are nicely golden brown.

The earthy flavour of dark rye, nuttiness of rolled oats, offsetting sweetness of dried longan flesh combine to make a dark brown bread that has rich hearty flavour and a dense chewy texture. Serve, lightly buttered, as a breakfast or as after-school snack.
Dried longans (“dragon eyes”) are high in iron, fiber, and considered to help with insomnia, stomach ache and to improve memory. Many Chinese believe longans can be used as an antidote for poison, and as a blood tonic, to nurture the heart and to add luster and beauty to the skin. You can purchase dried longans in most Asian supermarkets.

Dark Rye Bread with Oats and Longans

adapted from Brot backen - Köstliche Rezepte aus der guten alten Zeit

500 g Dark rye flour (German #1150) 40 g Fresh yeast 1/2 tsp Sugar 500 ml Water, lukewarm 1 tbsp Sea salt 350 g Dried longan flesh 250 g Rolled oats

1. Place dark rye flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Crumble the fresh yeast and place them in a bowl together with sugar. Dissolve with 100 ml lukewarm water. Now put the yeast mixture into the flour well. Mix in some flour until it resembles thick porridge. Cover this starter and leave it aside for 30 minutes.
2. Add in sea salt and the rest of the water. Stir until a pliable dough forms. Turn it out onto a floured work surface. Knead firmly, with floured hands, for 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, covered, and proof at room temperature for about 60 minutes.
3. Knead the dried longan flesh and rolled oats into the dough. Divide the dough into two portions. Shape them into a baton and boule. Place them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof for 30 minutes at room temperature.
4. Place a tray of water at the bottom of oven. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake the bread for 1 hour at the lower rack. Cool the bread on a rack.

Ok, I must admit that I am a true bread lover. I could have bread for breakfast I, for breakfast II (yes, I need two breakfasts a day :-) ) bread lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. My husband finds it amusing one who grew up eating rice adores bread so much.
There is a great choice of bread for all the tastes and costs available in Germany. But not many things beat a homemade artisan bread and don't you love the smell of fresh bread right out of your oven?
I first discovered this bread in Heavenly Housewife at From Donuts to Delirium and I was immediately intrigued. You can also find the original recipe from Dan Lepard's cranberry oat bread recipe at Guardian

75 g Instant oats ©angiesrecipes, plus extra for the crust 175 g Dried cranberries©angiesrecipes 375 ml Boiling water 450 g Spelt #630　flour©angiesrecipes 7 g Salt

3 g Cinnamon Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 50 g Unsalted butter 6 g Instant dry yeast Olive oil, for kneading

1. Put the oats and cranberries in a bowl and add the boiling water. Leave for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture is warm. Spoon the spelt flour, salt, cinnamon and zest into another bowl, rub in the butter, toss the yeast through, then add the oats and berries, and mix well. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
   
2. Oil your hands and a 30cm patch of worktop, knead the dough on it for 10 seconds, then leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this knead-and-rest sequence twice more at 10-minute intervals, then cover the dough and leave for 30 minutes.
   
3. Pat the dough into a rectangle, roll up tightly and squeeze, seam-side down, into a large, deep, 19cm-long loaf tin. Or use any loaf pan you have. Leave for an hour until risen by half. Heat the oven to 210C/420F. Brush the top of the loaf with water, press on a handful of oats, cut a gash down the middle and bake for 50 minutes. It will scorch on top, but that's typical for fruit bread.

THANK YOU!

Elin at Elinluv's Tidbits Corner	Jay at Tasty Appetite

Cranberry Oat Bread

Adapted from Dan Lepard: The Handmade Loaf (Mitchell Beazley Food)

Gelatinized Rye Mix	Dough
240 g Boiling water 60 g #1150 Rye flour ©angiesrecipes	200 g Rye leaven at 21C/70F 50 g Water at 19C/35F 200 g #1150 Rye flour ©angiesrecipes 100 g #997 Light rye flour ©angiesrecipes 1 tsp Sea salt

1. Cool the boiling water until it reaches 90C/194F. Quickly whisk in the rye flour trying to avoid too many lumps forming. Cover the bowl and leave for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). This gelatinized mixture will give the crumb of the loaf some elasticity.
   
2. Whisk the rye leaven into the cold water, then whisk in the gelatinized rye mix (saving 1 tablespoon to brush over the loaf). Stir this with the dry ingredients until you have a soft sticky paste. Tip this dough out on to a lightly oiled work surface and knead gently into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into a baton or a ball. Place the loaf seam-side-up on a floured cloth or baking paper, pulling the cloth up around the dough to hold its shape or proof it on a basket. Leave to rise at room temperature for 5 hours or until the loaf has almost doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F. Carefully upturn the loaf on to a tray and brush with the gelatinized rye mix. Spray the loaf lightly with water, and bake for 50 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. When cold, wrap tightly in baking parchment, and leave for a day before slicing. Spread the bread slices with desired toppings.

Sour 100% Rye Bread

Sponge	Dough
80 g Wild Grape Sourdough Starter 110 g Water, lukewarm 110 g All-purpose flour	All the sponge above 190 g Water, lukewarm 470 g All-purpose flour 60 g Rye flour 12 g Salt

1. Combine the sponge ingredients and allow the mixture to rest for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature until it�s fully activated. Combine all of the dough ingredients, but salt, and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, till they are well-blended. Allow the mixture rest for 30 minutes, allowing the flour to absorb the water. Add in salt and knead the dough till it's firm and elastic.
2. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap for 50 minutes in a warm place. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly-floured surface, gently pat down flat and fold like an envelope, all four sides being brought over the center of the dough. Return the dough into the bowl, cover and let ferment for another 50 minutes. Pat down, fold and round up. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment until about doubled. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions and shape each into a sandwich loaf, namely demi baguette. Proof the demi baguettes, covered, in the folds of a linen or baking paper. Dust them with flour, cover, then refrigerate overnight. Next morning, remove the loaves from the fridge, and let them sit, still covered, for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Place a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven and start preheating to 250C/500F. Use tiles or stones on the oven rack. Slash with a razor knife across top of loaves and slide the loaves onto the heated baking stone. Pour a cup of very hot water into the water pan. Close the door and bake for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200CT/400F and continue baking the loaves until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool them on a rack.

I like to thank Anncoo@Anncoo's Hoobby, Elin@Elinluv Tidbits Corner, and Arlette@Phoenician Gourmet sharing their awards with me!
Sourdough Demi Baguette

This simple whole wheat bread has proved that the wholemeal bread really doesn't have to be dense and dry. They taste great with homemade jam, mango chutney, herbal butter or cheese.

250 g Wholemeal flour 1/2 tsp Salt 20 g Fresh yeast 175 ml Lukewarm water

1. Mix together the wholemeal and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Dissolve the fresh yeast in 175ml water. Add into the flour mixture. Knead at the low speed until the dough forms and become smooth and elastic.
   
2. Cover with a damp towel and let ferment at room temperature for about 40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F with a bowl of boiled water.
   
3. Punch down the dough and form into a roll, then divide into 8 portions. Round up and flatten each dough with your palm. Place them on a baking tray lined with a baking paper. Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife. Sprinkle some seeds on the surface if desired. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes until about doubled.
4. Bake the bread rolls in the middle of preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and cool the bread rolls on a wire rack.