Guided by the lordly wisdom of Tim and his King Arthur's Glorious Roundtable Wheat Bread recipe, I forged in my oven a loaf of wondrous flavor and texture the likes of which Camelot itself has never known. The tale of its noble origins:
- 1 dozen(ish) sundried tomatoes
- 1 1/3 cups water (the very same water that softens the tomatoes!)
- 2 packets active dry yeast (not instant)
- 5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup whole oats
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup soymilk
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar (substitute with honey, molasses, or syrup)
- 1/2 cup hemp protein powder (optional)
There's an element of sorcery in the measurement of these ingredients; there's no need to be precise. The devil is in the details, they say, and I have no taste for devilish breads.
Tomato prep: Soften sun dried tomatoes overnight in water. Save that water, friend. It becomes the color of an afanc's* blood; adding it to the dough gives the bread its scarlet tint and earthen flavor.
The following 'morn, slice the tomatoes into small bits, then combine all ingredients into a deep bowl. The following steps share those of Tim's kingly bread, so follows are his words, minced with those found on a King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour bag:

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface and shape it into a [hearty] log. Place the log in a lightly greased loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 30 to 60 minutes, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan (Whatever size the bread is when you put it in the oven, is how big it will be, so I let it get nice and puffy).
Brent adds: I lack a bread pan. I let the dough rise in a deep bowl, then baked it in a large, flat, broiling pan. The bread, freed from its constraints, grew to mammoth proportions!

Brent adds: I removed the bread from the hearth a bit early, while it was still a bit moist. This made for a most glorious cuisinary experience that ripened with each day of passing. Enjoy with soft cheese, or dipped in cabbage-beet-soup.
*Afanc: Demonic lake monster from Welsh mythology - part crocodile, part beaver, part dwarf. Some say the creature was slain by King Arthur himself. Arthur's steed dragged the beast from the deep, allowing it to be killed. -BBC: Wales History
1 comment:
Glad your first loaf came out worthy of ingestion. I commend you for jumping right in, as I've practiced 3-4 times on the basic Glorious Roundtable recipe. I have a hot pepper nearly ripened, and plan on making a chedder jalapeno wheat bread soon.
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