Lady Hilaria's Wholemeal Loaf

Não gosto de comer todos os dias o mesmo pão, por isso vou variando as receitas: branco, de mistura, com sementes... Há umas semanas fomos visitar o moinho de Stainsby e comprámos um pacote de farinha integral moída lá. Com a farinha veio uma fotocópia da receita que transcrevo em baixo. Já a fiz umas vezes (não propriamente à letra... não segui o método mas usei quase todos os ingredientes descritos) e acho que vale a pena experimentá-la.

I don't like eating the exact same bread every day so I'm always trying new alternatives: white, half-wholemeal-half-white, with seeds... Some weeks ago we visited Stainsby Mill and bought a packet of their wholemeal flour. Along with it came a photocopy of the recipe I'm sharing below. I've tried it a few times (I didn't exactly followed the instructions but used most of the ingredients it suggests) and I think it's worth giving it a try.

Lady Hilaria's Wholemeal Loaf

Cotehele Mill, which produces its own wholemeal flour, nestles on the edge of the Tamar, a mile away from the Cotehele estate, home to the Edgcumbe family for centuries. This is the recipe still used by Lady Hilaria, the daughter of the 6th Earl.

275g stoneground wholemeal flour

175g organic strong white flour

25g butter

5g salt

10mg fast-acting dried yeast

15ml oat bran

5ml dark brown sugar

5ml black treacle

345ml warm water

10mg sesame seeds

Mix all dry ingredients (except sugar and yeast) in a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter and then mix in the dry yeast.

Stir the treacle and sugar into warm water Make a well in the middle of the bowl of ingredients and pour in the liquid. Knead for at least 10 minutes.

Place the elasticated, smooth dough on to a floured board. Pummel out the air, shape and divide. Place into greased loaf tin(s), cover and put in a warm place till double their size (about an hour). Ten minutes before the end of this process, sprinkle on the sesame seeds and brush with milk.

Cook in a preheated oven for approximately 35-40 minutes: the bottom of the leaf should sound hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

(image: Constança Cabral)