Soy-lin bread

Soy and linseed (flaxseed) bread is very popular in Australia now, partly because of how good it tastes, but mostly because of its benefits for women.  This is a light and fluffy loaf, adapted from a friend’s recipe, and it will still be light and fluffy even if you replace the bread flour with wholemeal flour (many cooks despair that they can’t produce a light and fluffy wholemeal loaf at home).  Furthermore, it’s got more of what’s good for you:  soy, and linseeds.  After eating a slice of this loaf, you are satisfied and at peace in the world… and will never want to go back to commercial soy-lin bread ever again!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

2 cups wholemeal (wholewheat) flour

2 tsp. instant yeast (or 4 tsp. regular dry yeast)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. citric acid

1/2 cup okara, firmly packed

1/2 cup linseed (flaxseed)

2 cups warm buttermilk

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

2 tbsp. oil

cooking spray

Method:

1. Combine flours, yeast, salt, and citric acid until well mixed.  Add okara and linseed.  Whisk together buttermilk, honey, egg and oil, and add to dry ingredients, beating well.

2. Knead dough 8 minutes by hand in the bowl or 5 minutes with the dough hook on your mixer.  Be patient!  This is a VERY gooey dough.  Do not be tempted to add more flour – the high moisture level is what makes the resulting bread so fluffy.

3. Squirt the dough with cooking spray, cover with plastic, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled.  Gently knock dough down and divide in two.  Place into greased loaf pans with wet or oiled hands.  Cover loaves, and allow to prove until they are 3/4 of the way to doubled.

4. Brush proved loaves with milk and place in a COLD oven.  Turn oven on to 180oC.  Bake loaves 40-45 min., until golden and cooked through (loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the base).  Turn out to wire racks to cool.