Bread with spices à la Grandma Emmi

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 100 g rye flour, type 997
• 650 g wheat flour, type 550 or 1050
• 1 handful of flax seeds, approx.
• 1 handful of sunflower seeds, approx.
• 1 packet of dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 300 ml espresso, lukewarm
• 200 ml water, lukewarm
• 1 ½ tbsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp bread spice mix (for example cumin, coriander and caraway) preferably freshly crushed with a mortar
• Milk or water for brushing the bread in the oven

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

based on an Austrian spiced bread

Mix the yeast in the lukewarm espresso, add the sugar, and let stand for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, weigh the flour, grind the spices in a mortar and add them to the flour, then add the salt, oil, and flaxseed and/or sunflower seeds. Add the yeast mixture and the lukewarm water and knead everything into a dough (or have it kneaded by a machine). Let the dough rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, until it has roughly doubled in size. The dough is relatively soft and not suitable for forming a loaf. It won’t rise as well with less water. It’s best to use a baking pan (grease it first) to pour the dough into. I use a so-called proving basket, let the dough rise for another hour, and then turn the bread out onto the baking sheet just before baking. The oven should be preheated to 220°C; after 10 minutes, you can then reduce the temperature to 190°C. The bread takes about 45 minutes in total, but you should stay with it and brush it with water or milk every 10 minutes and again at the end. When it sounds hollow when tapped, it’s done. After removing it from the oven and applying the final coat of water or milk, wrap it in a kitchen towel and let it cool on a wire rack.