A few weeks ago I bought a bag of ground flax, which you probably know has a short shelf life if kept at room temperature. I put mine in the freezer, but still feel like I'm in a race to use it before it starts to deteriorate. So Wheat and Flax Bread was just the result of a "breads with flax" search. Exciting? Not really, but the bread is excellent and will be replacing my old wheat bread recipe.
Flax Bread Notes
The source of this recipe is Betty Crocker, but I've made a few changes. I used quick rising yeast, thus the mixing technique changed. Plus I used a mixture of honey and maple, which made the bread slightly less sweet than the original all-honey version. And finally, I used more flax.
This is a high rising flax bread, and I think you'll love its shape and flavor. It has a tiny bit of sweetness, but is versatile enough to be used as a base for peanut butter or garlic toast.
Update: Flour Type
This recipe calls for a combination of bread flour & whole wheat. If you want a fluffier, softer bread, try omitting the whole wheat and using only bread or all-purpose.
Recipe
Wheat and Flax Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups bread flour all-purpose okay (210 to 250 grams)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour 125 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons fast rising or SAF yeast
- ¼ cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed (30 grams)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or a mixture of both
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 ½ cups of the all-purpose flour, the wheat flour, salt, yeast, oats and flax. Stir well.
- In a 2 cup microwave-safe glass measure or in a saucepan, heat the water and milk together until very hot (about 130 degrees). Add the butter and stir until it is soft (it doesn't have to be completely melted), then pour water mixture and honey (or maple syrup) into the bowl with the flour. Stir by hand to make a soft dough, and add just enough of the remaining half cup of flour to make a dough that is neither too sticky nor too dry.
- Set the bowl on a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for about 8 minutes.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, then cover and let rise for an hour. Punch down dough and fit into a greased 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch or 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover loosely and let rise for another 45 minutes or so.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. If desired, brush top of loaf with egg white and sprinkle with more oats. I did not use egg whites and the oats kept falling off!
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow. Let the loaf cool completely (at least 2 hours).
Anna
Thanks for the comments, Sue and Sonya.
This really was a good recipe and I'll definitely make it again soon. I was very happy with how versatile it was in terms of sweetness level.
Sonya
Wow, that's a great rise!
Sue
It makes a very attractive loaf!