I just made the best loaf of bread I've ever baked in my entire life*. The whole process took 24 hours, but the actual hands-on time was around 15 minutes, making it less a matter of time commitment and more a manner of planning.
Bratzels and Messanas, I'm looking directly at you when I say this: You must make this bread. It is heavenly. The crust is crispy and crackly and the insides are moist and perfect. It is the ideal bread for eating. The loaf is kinda flat, so it's less good for sandwiches, but dipped in olive oil or topped with thick pats of butter, it's outrageously good.
*I actually made two loaves, one exactly by the recipe and one tinkered with: 100% whole wheat with half-again as much yeast and a dab of honey to get it going, plus flax and sesame seed for flavor. The untinkered loaf was ideal, like something off the shelf at Zingerman's; the tinkered loaf was shallower, with less of a crust and smaller yeast-holes, but still really really tasty; a superior whole wheat loaf altogether. Next time I'll double the yeast and add even a bit more honey, maybe a full teaspoon, to see if I can get it leavened higher like its white-flour brother loaf.
I can't wait to try it! Of course the last thing my rear needs is more carbs..... Thanks!
I've been doing bread lately too.
The Heart of Winter loaf at King Arthur was a big hit. Whole wheat, oat, flax, sesame seeds. I've been serving it at soup meals.
If you try to make it, be aware that it is really sticky. I actually ended up giving their experts a call as my first batch was more the consistency of thick pancake batter. They told me I could add up to 1/2 cup more flour, which I did. I used flax meal and ground oatmeal the first time, the second time I had milled oat flour. It's very willing to go past the rise time and fine with another rise.
It's flat to be sure. I'm going to try throwing the next batch into a loaf plan to keep the spread during the final rise down a bit.