Narsai’s Wheat Berry and Flax Bread
Narsai David, a San Francisco Bay Area radio personality and former restaurateur, joined us at the Workshop for many years as a sort of camp counselor. He would lead the chefs in their brainstorming sessions, and while the chefs worked feverishly on their courses, he would co-opt one quiet corner of the kitchen to make bread. Narsai surprised us every year with imaginative loaves that almost always incorporated whole grains, like the brown rice from California’s Lundberg Family Farms, or this three-seeded bread that he devised after sampling a similar bread in Australia.
Recipe information
Yield
makes two loaves, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the wheat berries in a small saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and let cool.
Step 2
Toast the flax seeds in a small dry skillet over moderately high heat, shaking constantly, until the seeds darken and develop a toasty aroma. Be careful; they jump like popcorn when they get hot.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast, and salt. Mix to blend. Stir in the wheat berries and flax seeds, then add the water, oil, and molasses. Stir until the dough comes together, then turn it out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding all-purpose flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
Step 4
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Step 5
Put the sesame seeds in a bowl. Turn the dough out on a floured board, punch it down, and divide it in half. Shape each half into a round. Moisten the surface with a wet towel or a spray bottle of water, then dip the surface of the bread in the sesame seeds.
Step 6
Place the loaves on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaves with a dish towel and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
Step 8
With a razor blade, cut 4 deep gashes in the shape of a large square on the surface of each loaf. Cover the loaves again and let rise for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 9
Place the loaves in the oven and mist them well with water from a spray bottle. Repeat the misting two more times at 10-minute intervals. Bake until the surface is well browned, the crust is firm, and the loaves sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckle, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
