Oma's Sourdough No Knead Bread Recipe

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This sourdough, whole grain, no knead bread recipe, aka Sauerteigbrot,  is so delicious and so healthy. Add things like flax seeds, flax meal, oats, sunflower seeds, psyllium, bran, or almost anything you can think of. It's important for you to read ALL the notes at the bottom of this recipe ... before you start to make it though! It's a dough like no other.

Baking healthy bread recipes is the way to go. And, that's what this no knead bread is all about! Healthy deliciousness!

Oma's Sour Dough No Knead Bread Recipe

Sourdough Starter:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm 'potato water' (from boiling potatoes - no salt added!)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

Instructions:

• Dissolve the 2 Tbsp yeast in the lukewarm potato water.
• Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and stir.
• Let stand, covered lightly, at least 6 hours or overnight at room temperature.

Bread:

Ingredients:

• 4 - 5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat berries if desired
• 1½ tsp salt
• ¼ to ½ cup molasses
• about 1 cup of each of the following additions (to a total of about 6 cups) (see above comments) flax seeds, flax meal, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, bran, wheat germ, etc.

Instructions:

• To the Sourdough Starter (above), add 2 cups lukewarm water and 2 cups whole wheat flour. Let stand, covered at room temperature, about 2 - 4 hours.
• If using whole wheat berries to bread, put 1 cup berries into 2 cup measuring cup. Add hot water to cover and let stand till needed.
• After the 2 - 4 hour, remove 1 cup dough to use as starter for next time. Cover and refrigerate. If keeping for longer than 1 week, add a bit of flour to keep it healthy and alive.
• Using a LARGE bowl, to remaining dough, add the wheat berries with their soaking water.
• If wheat berries were added, add an additional 2 cups lukewarm water. If no wheat berries were added, add 3 cups lukewarm water.
• Add salt, molasses. Stir.
• Add the "additions", stirring well.
• Add 2 - 3 cups whole wheat flour at the end, stirring until the right consistency. It'll look like wet cement and it will be difficult to stir in any more flour.
• Spoon into 2 greased bread pans. Pans can be filled at least ¾ full.
• Cover and let rise about 1 to 1½ hours in a draft-free, warm place.
• Bake in a 375°F. preheated oven for about 1 hour.
• Remove immediately from pans. Should sound 'hollow' when bottom is tapped.
• Let cool on rack.

Hints:

• What else have I added over the years to this "No Knead Bread" recipe? Pumpkin seeds, psyllium husks, hemp seeds, spelt flakes, -- almost anything I can find that is healthy. This really is a whole grain bread recipe with that "whole" lot extra!
  

Read this before making the no knead bread recipe!

• To make this sourdough no knead bread recipe, you'll have to do some planning. However, you can always stop the process if needed by just putting things into the fridge which will slow the yeast growth.
• I've stopped it at every stage over the years and never had a problem with restarting where I left off, after first allowing the starter, or dough, or unbaked bread to come to room temperature.
• You'll see by the recipe that the addition of things like flax seeds, flax meal, oats, sunflower seeds, bran, or almost anything you can think of, will allow you to change up the final result.
• Add some of each, none, or more of one or the other. You choose. The final addition of the 2 - 3 cups of whole wheat flour will provide the right consistency.

Now, that consistency -- what can I say?

It's sort of like a thick, wet cement.

Granular from all the seeds and grains, but holding together somewhat. Unfortunately, it's something you'll learn by trial and error.

I've found that if I overdo the dry ingredients, the bread still turns out, just not as moist as usual. Everyone I've given the recipe to over the years quickly figures out the 'right feel'.

This bread is best eaten slightly warm from the oven. Let it cool so that you can cut it, though. We normally eat half the loaf this way. YUMMY! Once it's cold, it literally becomes a different kind of bread. The kind you can cut into good slices and make sandwiches from. It tastes different than when warm, but different in a good way.

The 'potato water' used to make the sourdough starter comes from boiling potatoes for dinner the night before. Keep the drained water BUT make sure you do not add salt to these potatoes. Salt will kill the yeast!

More German Breads ...

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