They say practice makes perfect, right? Well, I’ve been practicing the HBinFive Whole Wheat Wreath Bread. I made it three times. It’s still not perfect, but I ran out of dough. So this is what you get.
During the month of January in the HBinFive Baking Group, we’ve been making breads using the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes master dough. The Whole Wheat Wreath Bread is the second bread I made using the master dough. The first bread was the Hearty Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf.
Whole Wheat Wreath Bread
About the HBinFive Baking Group
The HBinFive Baking Group, started by Michelle of Big Black Dogs, is baking through all of the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book. For more information on the new HBinFive baking group, check out Michelle’s blog.
Once the dough is made and stored in the refrigerator, it’s pretty easy to bake bread on any given day. This is the whole idea behind the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes method. That’s what I like about the method.
Shaping the Bread
To make this bread, all you have to do is take the amount of dough you need out of the refrigerator (1/2 pound) and shape it.
Shape the dough into a ball (boule). I placed the boule on parchment paper so it would be easier to slide onto the peel without messing up the shape.
Next, poke your thumbs through the middle of the dough to form the shape of a couronne. Refer to this post for more info on shaping a couronne.
The first time I tried this, the dough was so wet it kept tearing during this step. I added more flour on subsequent attempts which made it much easier to shape.
Stretch it with your hands so that it’s about triple the width of the size of the wall of the ring. The first and second time I made this bread, I stretched it more.
The third time I tried this, I didn’t stretch it quite so much. I thought it might look better with a smaller ring.
I’m still working on getting the cuts right. My third attempt worked better, but I still think I could use some more practice. I’m sure I’ll be making this bread again sometime soon.
Before baking, I spritzed the loaf with a little bit of water, then sprinkled it with sesame seeds. Then I slid the loaf onto the baking stone using a pizza peel.
Next, to create steam, I poured 1 cup of hot tap water into the steam pan and quickly closed the door. Then, I baked the bread for 25 minutes. About halfway through the baking cycle, I removed the parchment paper so that the bread would heat evenly on the bottom.
On my first and second attempts, the bread didn’t rise very much.
The third time, it had nice oven spring, but lost some of it’s shape.
Once the bread was evenly browned and firm, I let it cool on a wire rack.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Cristie says
Only a true bread maker would try three times to make such a beautiful loaf. It is interesting how they look different all coming from the same batch. Amazing how science in the kitchen works!
Michelle says
Your wreath looks so cute with the jam jar right in the middle. I’ve got to try making a wreath!
Kim says
Your wreath is perfect! Thanks so much for all the pictures and tutorial. I was somewhat scared of both the wreath and the epi, but I will use your posts as a guideline and give them a try next time! Great job!
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Thanks ladies! This one was a bit of a challenge, but I’m glad I tried it.
Ezzie says
Now I’ll have to try the wreath shape…I love it with the jar of jam in the center. Great!
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Thanks Ezzie!
Danielle says
I haven’t tried the epi yet and i was thinking about doing it in a wreath fashion. thats my project for today. It’ll be fun to game day tomorrow. thanks for the demo pics. the wreaths turned out beautifully.
teresa says
i’m really impressed that you did the wreath, it’s the first one i’ve seen and it came out beautifully! i especially love the jam in the middle, how inviting!
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Thanks Danielle and Teresa!
Judy's Bakery & Test Kitchen says
Great wreath! It would be easier than braiding, and then joining the ends.
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Thanks Judy! I still like to braid bread, and form a wreath from the braid, but the joined ends don’t always stay put. This is definitely a neat way alternative.
Judy says
I love the pic of the jam in the center of the wreath. Is that one of those foldable peals? I want one!!
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Yes, that is a foldable peel! I love it! It’s big enough so I don’t burn myself and folds for easy storage. I sound like a commercial.