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Foolproof fermented wheaten bread

SERVES 4-6

4hrs

This recipe is inspired by traditional Irish wheaten bread. With crunchy crusts and a deliciously moist and dense crumb – you’ll never need to buy bread again.

Fresh baked brown wheaten bread displayed on a chopping board with a bowl of soup

4.25 Plant Points

Ingredients

Wheaten bread

300g wholemeal flour (plus extra for dusting)
200g live thick yoghurt
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
100g grated carrot (approx. 1 large carrot)
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked, or 1 tsp dried thyme

Method

Mix half the flour with the yoghurt and 100ml of water. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to ferment for around 3 hrs (keeping it out of direct sunlight).
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
When you are ready to bake, mix in the remaining ingredients, using a butter knife to combine. Be careful not to overwork the dough as this will make it tough.
Gently turn the dough on to a lightly floured baking tray and bring it together into a loaf shape. Score a cross on top with a sharp knife.
Bake for 40-50 mins until golden, and check that the base is dry and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Place on a wire rack and let it cool completely.

SCIENCE FACT

Adding vegetables into your bread recipes, like here with an entire carrot, doesn’t just make your bread taste more complex and flavourful. There is research that shows the health benefits of veg-enriched loaves. In one 2021 study, researchers looked at the impacts of veg-enriched bread versus commercial white bread and commercial brown bread on indicators including the appetites and insulin levels of people participating.

To find out more about the results, check out this ‘Not adding vege to your bread? Here’s why you should…’ article.

FOOD INSPO

Want a plant-powered dish to go with your wheaten bread? Check out this ‘Super green pea and ham soup’ recipe.