Esalen Cookbook Read Online Free PDF Page B

mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, 1/2 cup water, sourdough starter, and soft rye berries. Stir until well blended. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and leave at room temperature for 12 hours. The dough should get spongy and will raise about another quarter in size. Divide the dough and place into two oiled bread pans. Smooth the top of the dough with a spatula. This is a sticky dough to the touch.
     
    Cover and place in a draft-free, warm spot to raise for another hour. Bake in an oven preheated to 275 degrees F for 2 to 2½ hours or until the internal temperature of the dough measures 210 degrees F. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.
     
    This bread is best after it has matured, or set for 12 hours after it is baked. It will keep for days. It should be sliced thin when served.

     
    Sourdough Rye Bread
     

SPELT SOURDOUGH RAISIN BREAD
     
    Spelt is an ancient grain that migrated from the Middle East into Central Europe, where it was widely cultivated until it was replaced by wheat. True spelt has a very low gluten content. The spelt found in the United States is a hybrid cross between true spelt and wheat. This cross was done to increase the yield per acre because the main drawback with true spelt is its low yield per acre. There has been a small but strong resurgence to cultivate true spelt in Europe. True spelt has a small kernel, resembling short-grain brown rice, with a brown honey color. The marrying of the sourness of the bread and the sweetness of the raisins in this recipe makes a tasty contrast that many people love.
     
    Makes one 9-inch loaf
    ⅓ cup sourdough starter (see page 23)
2 cups lukewarm water
2 cups unbleached bread flour
2½ cups spelt flour
1½ tablespoons sea salt
1 cup raisins
¼ cup chopped walnuts
     
    In a mixing bowl, whisk the starter and water together, and then whisk in the unbleached bread flour. Place in a warm, draft-free spot for about 10 minutes. Then knead the spelt flour and salt into the dough for 8 minutes. Add the raisins and walnuts and knead for a few minutes to incorporate. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for 6 to 12 hours in a warm, draft-free spot. The longer you let the bread raise, the more sour the bread will be.
     
    Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead it for 2 minutes. Put the dough into an oiled 9-inch bread pan, cover, and place in a warm, draft-free spot for another 2 to 3 hours. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes. There are two methods to test if the bread is done: One method is to place a thermometer in the bread—doneness is 190 degrees F interior temperature. The other method is to take the bread out of the pan and thump it with your fingers. The bread should have a hollow sound. When the bread is finished baking, remove it from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
     
    If you have visited the bread bar at the Esalen dining lodge, you have probably come across this basic whole wheat bread. It is one of our staples, and every baker will use this recipe or a variation of it.
     
    Makes 2 loaves
    2½ cups warm water
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dry powdered milk
1 tablespoon sea salt
6-8 cups whole wheat flour
     
    Place the warm water in a mixing bowl; it should be barely warm to the touch. Pour in the honey and gently whisk in the yeast until both the honey and yeast have dissolved. Put bowl in a warm, draft-free spot until the yeast “blooms,” or forms a thick foam on the surface.
     
    Mix in the oil, powdered milk, and salt. Stir in the flour, a cup at a time, until the dough becomes too stiff to stir, and then work the dough with your hands. Keep mixing in the flour with your hands until the dough starts to hold together in a ball and does not have a sticky feel when you touch it. Place the remaining flour on a kneading surface and drop the dough onto the kneading surface. Let the dough rest for 5