The Bread Baking Babes bake bran bread.  Say that three times fast or better yet, make it three times like I did to get it right.

Lien challenged us to go healthy this month with bran bread.  She chose a recipe by the Simili sisters (sorelle Simili), the famous cooking and baking twins from Italy.  We were supposed to use anywhere from 50 – 100 grams of extra bran and try not to make a chipboard. Ha!

When I reviewed the recipe, I noticed that powdered milk was an optional ingredient. That got my creative juices going.  I decided that using kefir milk to soften the bran would be a great idea. I also thought it would keep the bread from being too dry.  I was right on both accounts; however, I forgot to adjust for the extra moistness from the soaked raisins.  As a result, the first two times I made this loaf, it was too moist.  I used whole grain spelt flour and oat bran that I had sifted from oat flour.  I really liked the color of the loaves, but not the texture.

2nd Loaf: Kefir Milk Spelt Oat Bran Bread a wee bit too moist

For the third loaf, I wanted to stick with the kefir milk to ferment the flour, but I decided to omit the raisins.  I didn’t have enough oat bran so I sifted some whole grain emmer and included the emmer bran and a little bit of oat bran.  And since I was in an experimental state of mind, I also incorporated some sprouted spelt.  I liked the third version much better, but I forgot to add the honey.  This bread tastes good and makes great toast; however, I think the honey would provide the bit of sweetness it’s missing.  Maybe it’s just my sweet tooth that misses it, but I did enjoy this bread grilled with cheese.

3rd Loaf: Kefir Milk Spelt Bread with Emmer and Oat Bran

The original recipe comes from the book Pane e Roba Dolce from the Italian sisters Margherita and Valeria Simili, and was chosen by Lien of Notitie van Lien.

Kefir Milk Spelt Bran Bread

(1 large loaf)

Overnight soaker:

• 330 grams whole grain spelt flour
• 170 grams sprouted spelt flour
• 380 grams kefir milk + 70 grams water

*My kefir milk was pretty thick so I added a little extra water.

In a large mixing bowl, add the whole grain and sprouted spelt flours and pour in the kefir milk.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day remove the kefir milk soaker from the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit while the bran is soaking.

Bran Soaker:

• 50 grams bran or up to 100 grams (I used 35 grams emmer and 15 grams oat bran)
• 75 – 100 grams water

In a small bowl add the bran and cover it with the water. Let it soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

Final Dough:

• all of the kefir flour soaker
• all of the bran soaker
• 30 grams butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 9 grams/1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 200 grams nuts, coarsely chopped (or use raisins instead or ½-½) **

**I was out of nuts so I didn’t use any, but I think they would be a great addition to this bread.  I also omitted the raisins.

Add the soaked bran on top of the kefir flour soaker. Then add the butter, honey, yeast and salt.  Start mixing using a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk, then incorporate any dry bits using wet hands. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Scrape down the bowl with a spatula or dough scraper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and press or roll it out flat in a big oval.  Shape the dough into a log or envelope-style and place it in a greased, parchment-lined baking pan.

Cover with lightly greased plastic plastic. Let it rise for about 45 minutes to an hour in a warm and draft free spot. Check if it’s ready to bake by pressing a floured finger in the dough, it the dent springs back, leave it to rise longer, if the dent doesn’t disappear, it’s ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I baked the first loaf at 400 degrees F. as the recipe suggested, but it got browned too quickly. Each time I made this bread, I turned the oven down an additional 25 degrees. I found that preheating to 375 then turning down to 350 seemed to work the best. 

Make a score straight down the middle of the dough and put the loaf in the oven. Bake for about 40-55 minutes. Check the temperature of the bread with an instant read thermometer (200ºF) to be sure it is cooked. If the top gets too dark before the bread is done, cover with tin foil. Take the loaves out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

 

You’re invited to bake along with us as a Bread Baking Buddy!  Lien is the host kitchen. Check out her post for the details on how to participate.

 

Check out the Bran Bread the other Babes made.  You’re sure to learn some creative ideas.

Bake My Day – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Bread Experience – Cathy
Feeding my Enthusiasms – Elle
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien
Thyme for Cooking – Katie (Bitchin’ Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire)
A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
Happy Baking!

Cathy