Old-Fashioned Hearth Bread
Submitted by gwsumnall
Old-fashioned hearth bread made with honey, wheat germ, and dry milk, kneaded in a food processor and baked into a rustic round loaf. Simple yeast bread with a golden, hollow-sounding crust.
YIELD
1 loafPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
4 hrsA round, rustic yeast bread shaped by hand and baked free-form on a cookie sheet. No loaf pan needed. The food processor handles all the kneading, turning what would be 10 minutes of hand work into about 40 seconds of machine time.
The dough builds flavor from a few smart additions: honey for a touch of sweetness, wheat germ for a faintly nutty depth, and dry milk powder for a softer crumb and golden crust. You drizzle the water in slowly through the food processor’s feed tube, watching the dough form a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. That visual cue tells you when the hydration is right.
Two rises give the bread its structure. The first doubles the dough in about an hour. After punching down and shaping into a six-inch round, the second rise takes another 45 minutes. When it’s done baking, tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it’s ready.
Kitchen Tips
- Drizzle the water very slowly through the feed tube. Adding too much at once makes the dough sticky and hard to recover.
- The dough should feel soft, smooth, and satiny after processing. If it’s still tacky, let it rest a minute, then process briefly with a tiny bit more flour.
- Don’t skip the hollow-tap test. It’s the most reliable way to tell if bread is done all the way through.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cutting into hot bread compresses the crumb.
Variations
- Swap honey for light molasses for a darker, more robust flavor.
- Add a tablespoon of rolled oats to the dough for a heartier texture.
- Brush the top with an egg wash before baking for a shinier, deeper golden crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine ¼ cup of the water, honey and yeast.
Stir to dissolve yeast and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Fit processor with steel blade.
Measure flour, dry milk, wheat germ, butter and salt into work bowl.
Process until mixed, about 15 seconds.
Add yeast mixture to flour mixture.
Process until blended, about 10 seconds.
Turn on processor and very slowly drizzle just enough remaining water through feed tube into flour mixture so dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl.
Process until ball turns around bowl about 25 times.
Turn off processor and let dough stand 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn on processor and gradually drizzle in enough remaining water to make dough soft, smooth and satiny but not sticky.
Process until dough turns around bowl about 15 times.
Turn dough onto lightly greased surface.
Shape into ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all sides.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch down dough.
Shape into smooth ball and place on greased cookie sheet.
Roll or pat into circle about 6 inches in diameter.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Bake until golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from cookie sheet.
Cool on wire rack.
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