It's been a while since I've done any new Laurel's Kitchen recipes. I've mostly been doing sourdough lately to maintain the starter. But I was in the mood for something different this time, so I figured I'd crack Laurel's back open and see what looked good.

This would be just your basic, everyday whole wheat bread with a few buckwheat groats mixed in. Except for the fact that the liquid -- rather than being water or even milk -- is a raisin purée! It makes the bread a bit denser and moister than it would otherwise be. Between that and the kasha, I found it a bit tricky to get the hydration levels and baking times just right, but I'm decently happy with how it came out in the end.

Kasha Bread

From the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. raisins
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 122g kasha (buckwheat groats)
• 14g coarse sea salt
• 830g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbsp. oil

Directions

1. Combine the raisins with the water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until raisins are very soft.
2. Purée raisins with their cooking liquid and add enough cold water to bring the total volume to 2 1/2 c. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the kasha, salt, and flour, mix, and make a well in the centre.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the yeast and warm water. Set aside for ~5 minutes.
5. Once raisin mixture has sufficiently cooled (to ~40°C), pour it into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients along with the yeast mixture.
6. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, working from the centre outward.
7. Knead for 5-10 minutes, then begin working in the oil.
8. Once all of the oil has been worked in, knead for 10-15 minutes more, adjusting hydration of dough as necessary.
9. Cover and ferment at room temperature for ~90 minutes.
10. Use finger poke test to determine when dough is ready to knock back.
11. Once ready, knock it back and knead it a few strokes.
12. Divide dough into two equal portions, cover, and rest for 10-15 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, grease two loaf pans.
14. Shape loaves and drop them into the pans.
15. Cover and proof at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.
16. Use finger poke test to determine when dough is done rising.
17. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
18. Carefully slash loaves.
19. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes.
20. Reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 40 minutes.
21. Transfer to wire rack to cool.