Wild Rice and Onion Bread

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Published: November 5, 2009

Start to finish: About 18 hours

(20 minutes active)

Makes 2 large loaves or many rolls

6 cups unbleached bread flour

2¼ teaspoons table salt, or 3½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons instant yeast

1 cup cooked wild rice or another cooked grain

¼ cup brown sugar

1½ cups lukewarm water (about 95 degrees)

½ cup lukewarm buttermilk or any other milk (about 95 degrees)

¼ cup minced or chopped dried onions, or 2 cups diced fresh yellow onion (about 1 large onion)

1 egg white, for egg wash (optional)

1 tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)

→In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except egg white and 1 tablespoon water for the egg wash. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute. The dough should be sticky, coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

→Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 4 minutes, adding flour or water as needed to keep the dough ball together. The dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky.

→Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will still be soft and slightly sticky but will hold together to form a soft, supple ball.

→Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)

→When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake.

→Shape the dough into one or more sandwich loaves or into freestanding loaves of any size, which you can shape as batards, baguettes or boules, or into rolls.

→When shaping, use only as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. For sandwich loaves, let the dough rise in greased loaf pans. For freestanding loaves and rolls, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and let the dough rise on the pan.

→Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours, until increased to about 1½ times its original size. In loaf pans, the dough should dome at least 1 inch above the rim.

→To make the rolls shinier, whisk the egg white and water together, then brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash before baking.

→About 15 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 350 degrees, or 300 degrees for a convection oven. Bake the loaves for 10 to 15 minutes, then rotate the pan; rotate rolls after 8 minutes. The total baking time is 45 to 55 minutes for loaves, and 20 to 25 minutes for rolls.

→The bread is done when it has a rich golden color, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature is above 185 degrees at the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes for rolls or 1 hour for loaves before slicing.

→Source: Peter Reinhart’s "Artisan Breads Every Day.”

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