3 1/2teaspoonsactive dry or regular instant yeast, not quick or rapid rise yeast
2 1/4cups(540ml)lukewarm water, about 105F.
1/4cup(60ml)honey, or maple syrup, agave or molasses
2 1/4cups(280g)whole wheat flour
2Tablespoonscornmeal, optional
2Tablespoonspoppy seeds
2Tablespoonssesame seeds
2Tablespoonsflax seeds, or milled flax seed
1 1/2teaspoonfine salt
2 1/2 - 3cups(325-375g)all purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
For glaze before baking:
1largeegg, beaten
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Instructions
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the lukewarm water and sprinkle the yeast over-top. Stir, then let stand 5 minutes. Add the honey and the whole wheat flour. Add the cornmeal, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and salt. Stir to combine.
Add 1 cup of the all purpose flour and mix in. Add the second cup of all purpose flour, a bit at a time, and knead in. Start adding more all purpose flour, in small increments, as needed, until the dough wraps around the kneading hook and cleans the bowl in spots. Dough will probably look sticky, but that's fine.
Remove dough to a floured surface and knead, adding a little more flour if dough is sticking to your hands at all. Form into a ball. Place into a greased bowl round side down, then flip it over, so the round side is up. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Divide dough into 2 equal-sized pieces (I like to weigh them out). Form into 2 balls and cover with a clean tea towel to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Prepare two 8x4-inch loaf pans by greasing or spraying well. Set aside.
Take one ball of the dough and pat into a rough oval, about 8-inches long and 6-inches wide. Roll up from the long side and pinch the seam underneath. Place into greased pan, seam side down. Repeat with the other ball of dough.
Spray a piece of plastic wrap and place over loaves in the pan, greased side down. let rise until the dough crests the pan about 1-inch in the centre, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F (not fan assisted).
Remove the plastic wrap. Beat the egg and very gently (you don't want to deflate your bread!), brush the egg onto the top of the loaf. Make sure your cover all the top and sides lightly, but thoroughly, as any spots you miss will be pale-coloured once baked.
Bake loaves in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last part of baking if needed, to prevent over-browning. If you have a thermometer, you want to aim for 205-210F internal temperature.
Remove loaves from oven and immediately remove from loaf pans to a cooling rack. Allow the loaves to cool completely before slicing, to prevent a gummy texture to your bread.
Notes
You can switch up the seeds to your liking or add more of one and less of another, etc. Just aim for the total of about 6 Tbsp seeds.If you don't have any cornmeal on hand, you can omit.Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe.