World Baking Day Exclusive – Hemp Seed Bread
It’s World Baking Day, so we’ve found you a delicious recipe for a rye/wheat sourdough bread recipe, with added hemp seeds!
Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds have been in existence for a long time, but it only recently that their medical benefits have been discovered. Hemp grows in almost every part of the world and it can be comfortably grown across several environmental conditions and climate zones.
Hemp seeds are highly nutritious and rich in various elements such as fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Other components include; omega 3, omega 6, copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, potassium and antioxidants among others.
The seeds are an excellent source of protein, containing up to 20% by weight! The omega 6 and omega 3 acids that occur in them are present in exactly the right ratio for optimum brain function and development in humans. Both acids are essential for these functions and only occur in a limited range of foods.
Cooking with Hemp
The hemp seeds can be eaten whole as they are. They have a nutty taste comparable to walnut or pine nut. Due to being hollow and brittle, hemp seeds are satisfyingly crunchy. On the other hand, they can be used to make other foods like hemp seed bread, salad, hemp milk, hemp oil, and smoothies.
In this article will look at how to make a hemp seed bread. Sourdough is used instead of commercial yeast, due to its healthiness, and that it is best for bread containing rye. Rye flour is added because it complements the flavour of the hemp seeds, while the wheat flour gives the bread a good lift and structure.
Ingredients
Sourdough
Wholegrain rye flour 125g
Water 125g
100%-hydration sourdough starter 25g
Main Dough
Wheat flour 400g
Wholegrain rye flour 125g
Water 280g
Salt 11g
Toasted hemp seeds 75g
Recipe
The first part is preparing the sourdough
Combine all the sourdough ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly, cover and then wait for about 16 to 24 hours, until bubbling vigorously.
Combine 250g of the sourdough starter and all the main dough ingredients except the toasted hemp seeds in a large bowl.
Form the dough and then carefully turn it on to a wet surface and knead for about 10 -15 minutes.
Add the toasted hemp seeds and then knead them all together until you achieve an even distribution.
Take the kneaded dough and place it in a big bowl in a warm place and cover it for three to four hours to allow it to expand a little.
Turn out the dough and knead it for a couple of minutes then proceed to shape a round loaf.
Dust the loaf with flour before placing it in a pre-floured proofing basket, or into a well-floured cloth-lined colander.
Cover for a couple of hours to prevent it from drying out.
Once roughly doubled in size overnight in a cold environment, or 4-6 hours in a warm kitchen.
Preheat the oven to up to 220 °C, or as hot as you can get it.
Turn the loaf out on a baking tray, lined with either baking paper or some flour.
Bake at a high heat for 10-15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 190 °C for another 50 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom.
Cool on a wire rack, try to wait until it’s cool, and enjoy!
