Multi-Grain Boule

Have you ever been so in awe by the beauty of something you've baked that you're hesitant to eat it because you'd rather display it as a work of art on your coffee table or fireplace mantle?

That's how I felt about this bread. If your breath is not taken away by the sight of a perfectly baked loaf of bread then of course you have no idea what I'm talking about, but there's just something about having something homemade turn out so perfectly that I temporarily committed one of those seven deadly sins: PRIDE. I quickly repented however, because I was hungry, and cut into my masterpiece to make certain that it was as perfect on the inside as it was on the outside. And it was. This hearty multi-grain bread is filled with healthy goodness and is perfect for sandwiches or served alongside a steaming bowl of soup or stew.

Multi-Grain Boule (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 cup (8 ounces) boiling water
1 cup (5 ounces) Harvest Grains Blend
2 cups (16 ounces) sourdough starter
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 TBSP olive oil

Topping:

1 TBSP sesame seeds, artisan bread topping, or your favorite blend of seeds. I used "Everything Bread and Bagel Topping."

In bowl of standup mixer place the harvest grains blend and pour the boiling water over it. Let cool to lukewarm and then add the sourdough starter and the remaining dough ingredients. Using dough hook, mix and knead until you've made a soft dough, 8-10 minutes, adding additional flour or water if needed. (I had to add a couple of tablespoons of additional water.) Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and transfer dough to bowl, rolling dough to cover all sides of the dough ball with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until it's almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Prepare a banneton by dusting heavily with flour or line a large mixing bowl with a linen towel and dust heavily with flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and gently fold it a few times to deflate it. Shape it into a large round. Place the round upside down into prepared banneton or bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise until it's very puffy, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray paper with cooking spray and dust lightly with corn meal. Gently turn the dough over onto the baking sheet. Spray with water and sprinkle dough with seeds. Using a lame or a very sharp knife, make four slashes across the top of the loaf, in a cross hatch pattern.

Bake the bread in preheated oven for 38-45 minutes until loaf is golden brown and instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees. I rotated my loaf half way through the baking cycle and tented it with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning.

Remove bread from oven and transfer loaf to cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. While bread is cooling, feel free to display it on your coffee table or fireplace mantle.