Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread

Last week, it was our rendezvous with nature. A five day stay in the border town of Munsiari in the upper Himalayas was an experience of a lifetime. Situated at an altitude of 2,298mtrs above the sea level, Munsiari  offers amazing vistas of snow clad peaks in the backdrop of deep blue sky, dense forests of Rhododendron, Cedar, Oak and Pine, waterfalls spouting forth from dizzy heights, rare birds, butterflies, wildflowers and simple folks whose simplicity, humility, selflessness, purity and innocence makes one contemplate if the fast-paced city life that is bereft of most of these virtues, is to be called “civilization” in the true sense, where demands of everyday living are minimal and man’s dependence on nature does not harm or scar it.

A Rainbow 

Birthi Falls

A glimpse of the Himalayas

A te`te-a` te`te with our hostess over a cup of steaming peppermint tea in the balmy autumn Sun by the side of a stream that runs through her field revealed that in their culture, the community is more important than the self. People grow their own food, rear cattle, and weave at home.

Life is simple, beautiful and absolutely in tune with nature.

Out for grazing

A butterfly near a stream

Coming to today’s post, here is the recipe of Whole wheat buttermilk bread that we took along for this trip. Original recipe of the Buttermilk Bread is from the George Greenstein’s book “Secrets of a Jewish Baker”; I have adapted the recipe from here and made a few changes.

This is how I made Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread-

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons honey

2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup warm water

Method

Add honey to warm water. Dissolve yeast and cover for fifteen minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour with salt. Add olive oil and mix well.

Add water honey and yeast mix to buttermilk (use less than ¾ cup buttermilk to begin with. Add remaining buttermilk later while kneading. This ensures that the dough is not too wet to handle)

Add the liquid ingredients to the flour, mix well with a spoon. Let this shaggy mix rest for 15 minutes.

Knead for about 6 to 8 minutes till the dough becomes soft and elastic.

Grease a bowl and let the dough rise in it for an hour or till it doubles.

Transfer the dough to the counter, knead for another 5 minutes.

Grease a loaf tin if you want a simple loaf; shape the dough into a loaf by folding and pinching the seams. Place the loaf in the tin with seam side down. Or, give the dough an oval shape tapering in the edges the way I have done. I made two small loaves this way.

Cover and let it rise for another 40 minutes to 1 hour till it doubles in size.

Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C for 35 to 40 minutes till the bread turns golden brown.

Cool in the rack. Slice when cold.