Dear Bread

By Aila Kiiskinen (Klaukkala)

This bread is created out of love for nature and love for the soil and people. The Malmgård emmer wheat flour recommended in the recipe gets the root started in just one day.

Kranni Farm’s Kunkku oat flakes and 00 pizza flour add structure and durability to the bread. Finely grated carrot grits add colour and flavour, but disappear in the final bread.

Coarsely grated apple, on the other hand, softens the bread and moistens the inside. Hemp seeds add flavour, protein, good fats and vitamins to the bread. Honey enhances the flavour of the vegetables, and you can vary the amount of salt to suit your taste. Yeast adds fluffiness to the finished bread and rapeseed oil adds soft fats.

Aila Kiiskinen and Dear Bread.
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.

Ingredients

250 g water (24°C)
200 g emmer flour (organic, Malmgård)
160 g wholemeal oatmeal (organic, Krannin Kunkku)
450 g boiling water

450 g sourdough starter (water and emmer flour)
610 g oatmeal (water and oatmeal)
1,130 g wheat flour (00 flour, organic, Kranni)
170 g coarsely grated apple (organic domestic or self-grown)
170 g finely grated carrot (organic, domestic or self-grown)
90 g hulled hemp seeds (organic, HamppuFarmi)
30 g honey (Häntälä honey)
20 g rapeseed oil (domestic)
24 g salt
11 g dry yeast

Method

Begin by preparing the pre-ferment. Mix 250 g water (at 24°C) with 200 g emmer flour and let it rest at room temperature for 1-2 days. For the oatmeal, combine 160 g wholemeal oatmeal with 450 g boiling water and simmer for about 1 hour.

Once both mixtures are ready, mix the pre-ferment, oatmeal, and the remaining dough ingredients—wheat flour, grated apple and carrot, hulled hemp seeds, honey, rapeseed oil, salt, and dry yeast—by hand or with a machine. Knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into eight portions. Shape each into a ball, then form teardrop shapes. Pair two teardrops together to create four heart-shaped loaves. Place two loaves per baking sheet. Cover the loaves with a cloth and let them rise at room temperature for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Dust with flour and use stencils to decorate, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Bake for 10-15 minutes at this temperature, then reduce to 180°C and continue baking for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

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