Whole Wheat Boule and Baguette

So as many of you know I am crazy about this bread baking technique that was introduced in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  Basically you mix up the dough (or get your 4 year old to do it for you - it's that hard).  Let it rise, put it in the fridge and lop off a hunk whenever you want to bake some bread, make a pizza, calzone, anything you can make out of bread.  This year the amazing authors of that book came out with a new book. .  Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day.  This was my first attempt at making the master recipe. This link is to the recipe, just scroll down on the page and when they stop talking about releasing the new book you'll get what you want.

Click on this link to see how others are using this recipe.  Michelle at Big Black Dog is hosting our Healthy Bread in Five bake along.

I dragged out my flour mill and tried to figure out which barrel in the basement had which kind of wheat in it. . . I think I used white wheat.  You definitely don't have to mill your own wheat to make this bread, but like I said I had buckets of the stuff pining away in my basement. . . Then I dumped everything into the bucket.  This new book gives weights, and since home-milled flour is often not as packed as store bought, I threw the bucket on the scale and weighed my ingredients.  That was pretty much the first time I had ever done that.  I would definitely do that again, very easy. My 4 year old mixed up the dough.  This dough has a "batter-y" feel to it when it's mixed up.  I am assuming that's because whole wheat absorbs more water than white flour, many whole wheat doughs are slacker than their white counterparts.

 I shaped the dough into a boule, then got all motivated and dug out my old banneton (which is just a willow basket) that hadn't been used in a year or so, floured it up and dumped the dough in.  Then I made a baguette just to have a little more bread on hand. 

Well a little later all the kids at my house demolished the baguette in about 5 minutes. . . This was good.  The bread was not at all dense or heavy, and had a fresh clean flavor.  Really good.  We're having the boule with dinner tonight.  I'm sensing my grain mill might get used a little more now. . .

This Is the wheat. . . unlike Little Red Hen,

 there were far too many people willing to help me

This is one of them, he's mixing up the dough

Finished dough (that's a dough whisk, in case you're

 wondering.  No, you don't need it, but it's fun and pretty)

see how "batter-y" the finished dough it? 

You couldn't knead this if you tried. . . good thing you don't have to.

It rises so high

look at all the beautiful air

dump the flour in the banneton (or just shape the dough into a ball

and let it rise on parchment on the counter. . .

once again it's fun and pretty.. . I'm sensing a theme with me)

Press the flour into the creases or it will never come out.

It still won't want to come out and you might panic for

a minute. . . but don't worry it will all turn out alright

dump the dough boule inside

You can also go this route: a shaped baguette. .

. kind of like using playdough,but gentler please or you'll have no air

Freshly baked baguette

Inside yummy crumb. . . quickly disappearing baguette

inside the boule. . . and of course the salad I can't stop eating