Harvest Wheaten Bread

 

I love to make this at lammas harvest as an offering, as it looks beautiful, but make two…would be a shame not to get your share of the bounty! bb mandyxxx

 

 Ingredients

 

140g Wholemeal bread flour

350g wholemeal flour

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons caster sugar (optional)

60g butter

450ml buttermilk

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

100 g grated cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp chopped chives

 

 Method

 

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (gas mark 6).

Then lightly flour a baking tray.

Sift together the flours, salt, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a large bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour mixture.

Add the grated cheese and chives and stir to combine.

Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the oil and buttermilk.

Stir with a spatula or your hands until dry mixture is completely moistened.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough for no more than 1 minute.

Shape into a round and place the dough on a baking tray.

Cut the top of the loaf deeply into eight sections to represent the wheel of the year.

I like to press 8 ears of corn into each section to imprint a corn patten on the finished loaf.

Brush the top of the loaf with milk or buttermilk.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Then reduce heat to 180 degrees C (gas 4); rotate the baking sheet and bake another 30 minutes