Pumpkin Seed Bread

From the "Village Baker" by John Ortiz
the Breads of Germany section

In the cookbook I have written on 10/14/07: "2nd try, second success. Let it rise the full 1 1/2 hours. It becomes a beautiful, hearty bread- major success. Non left at the end of party”. I guess that should say it all. This is Paula Peterson's favorite bread that I make and it may also be one of my favorites- it is certainly one of the most beautiful in that "old world" sort of way. The seed mixture is exquisite. As always, make sure the sour is given a nice warm place to rest overnight. If you forget to grind the seed mixture before you add it to the dough, don't worry. I have added all the seeds whole by mistake a couple of times and it works just fine.




MAKES 2 oval loaves

SEED MIXTURE

1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 cup of pumpkin seeds


THE RYE SOUR

I package (2 1/2 teaspoons; 11.4 ounce) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups organic rye flour
1 cup organic, unbleached white (or all-purpose) flour


THEDOUGH

All of the rye sour from the previous step
2 1/2 cups organic unbleached white (or all-purpose) flour
2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
All of the reserved seed mixture
Glaze: I whole egg whisked together with 1 TB of milk


TO PREPARE THE SEED MIXTURE, mix the withsesame seeds and soy sauce together
in a bowl, place them on a cookie sheet, and toast them for between 15 and 20
minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Toss the seeds 2 or 3 times while they are roasting to
ensure that they crisp evenly.

Roast the pumpkin seeds on a separate cookie sheet for between 10 and 15
minutes until they are just browned. (Some will be a little darker than others.)

Take half of the sesame seed mixture and one-third of the pumpkin seeds
and grind them together in a mortar with a pestle (or in a food processor, pulsing
4 or 5 times) until they have been reduced to a medium fin powder. Combine
the remaining half of the sesame seed and soy mixture and the remaining two thirds
of the whole pumpkin seeds with the seed powder and set the mixture aside.


TO MAKE THE RYE SOUR (SPONGE). Proof the yeast in half a cup of the warm
water. When the mixture is creamy, mix in the rest of the warm water and
slowly add all of the rye flour and the white flour by handfuls, stirring the mixture
with a wooden spoon. Set the batter aside in a large bowl, covered with a
dish towel in a warm place, for between 10 and 12 hours or overnight.


TO MAKE THE DOUGH, transfer the rye sour to a medium bowl, start adding
the remaining 2 1/2 cups white flour, a handful at a time, and stir vigorously with
a wooden spoon. After each addition of flour, mix the dough with the spoon for
a minute or so before adding the next. After all but 1 cup of the flour has been
added (this will take about 10 minutes), sprinkle the salt over the dough and
knead it on your worktable for another 2 or 3 minutes while you add the rest of
the flour. The dough should be moist and sticky .

Flatten the dough out on the worktable. Set aside. 1/4 cup of the seed mixture
and·sprinkle the rest over the dough. Incorporate the seed mixture by kneading
and folding it into the dough.

Set the dough aside, covered, to rise for 1 hour. If it is a cold day or the
dough itself is cold (70°F or below when measured with a dough thermometer),
let it rise in a very warm place.

When it has doubled in volume, flatten the dough and shape into an oval loaf by folding it
over onto itself several times and sealing the join each time with the heel of your hand.
The loaf is best proofed in a banneton and then baked on a stone in the oven.

But it can also be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet. However you
choose to let it rise the second time, give the loaf between 1 and 1 1/2 hours in a
warm place. It will be sufficiently risen when the indentation made by the touch
of a finger fails to bounce back.

Slash the loaf diagonally 3 or4 times with a razor. Glaze the top and then
sprinkle the glaze with the reserved 1/4 cup of seed mixture. Bake the loaf in a preheated 35O°F oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown(It usually takes a bit longer than 35 minutes for me).