Brick Bread (Faux-Vollkornbrot)

Inspired by Seitan is my Motor

Starter:

3/4 Cup Hard Red Wheat Berries

3/4 Cup Water

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Second Addition:

3/4 Cup Steel-Cut Oat Groats

3/4 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Yeast

Final Dough:

1/3 Cup Sprouted Adzuki Beans

2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

It's a somewhat long process to make this bread, so above all else, you must have an ample supply of patience on hand! I highly recommend reading the recipe all the way though so you know what kind of process is involved.

First, mix together the ingredients for the starter in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for a full 24 hours.

Once that time has elapsed, add in the "second addition" ingredients, mix well, and let sit for another 3 hours before proceeding.

Finally, you can add in everything called for in the "final dough." This is where my bread greatly diverges from traditional recipes. I use flour to hold everything together, because it seemed like that mass of grains would never create a solid loaf otherwise. Mix well, and kneed for 10 - 15 minutes to activate the gluten. Once smooth and elastic, roll the dough into a log and gently place it into a lightly greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Let rise for about 1 hour before preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crust is evenly amber brown. If it seems to be browning too quickly, you can tent a piece of foil over the top of the loaf pan. Let cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.

Makes 1 Loaf