Roasted Apple Rye

It's been a while since I shared a loaf of bread with everyone. Not that I haven't been making it, mind you - but I've been making a ton of other stuff (read: cookies!) too and figured that right before Christmas was a better time to share those than after the holidays when everyone is trying to work them off! This bread, though, is definitely not something you'll regret having on your table!

If you're a fan of sourdough rye, hearty, grain and seed filled dough or fruity, spicy bread, you will love this Dutch-oven baked masterpiece. With 12 grain, dark rye and whole wheat bread flour, it's packed with nutrition that's compounded by the (blood pressure-lowering) calcium, magnesium and potassium in the figs, the energy boosting riboflavin and iron in the pumpkin seeds, and the polyphenols and vitamin C in the apples. The dough itself isn't a sweet one, either, unlike many other fruited breads, but it's packed with spice notes from cinnamon, cardamom and ginger and just a hint of bittersweet flavour from rich, dark maple syrup.

Sound like a winner to you? I thought so! The only price you pay for all this delicious, healthy bread is time. And I mean a lot of time - easily three days. I know, I know. But it takes three long, cold rises to develop that flavour and texture, and believe me, the lack of hands-on time plus the end result more than makes up for the wait! I adapted the recipe from King Arthur Flour and definitely enjoyed the result - it disappeared within the week and was soft inside and crusty outside the entire time!

Shared with YeastSpotting

Roasted Apple Rye
Serves 24
2 gigantic or 3 medium apples (I used honey crisp), peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp raw sugar
1 cup 12 grain flour
1 cup rye flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 cup room temperature water
3/4 cup room temperature low fat milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
5 dried figs, diced and soaked in hot water (drained)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. Toss the apples with the melted butter and sugar and spread in one layer in the casserole.
3. Bake 20 minutes, until caramelized-looking and tender, but not until mushy! Set aside to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large bowl), whisk together the flours, spices, salt, and yeast.
5. Pour in the water, milk and maple syrup, beating well.
6. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours.
7. Stir down, then knead in the apples, seeds and figs.
8. Re-cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
9. Deflate the dough, shape into a round and place into a deep, covered Dutch oven that has been greased.
10. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
11. Put the cold pot of bread in a cold oven and turn the temperature to 425°F.
12. Bake the bread for 55 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes.
13. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely before slicing.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 91.1
Total Fat: 1.3 g
Cholesterol: 1.7 mg
Sodium: 15.2 mg
Total Carbs: 19.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
Protein: 2.7 g