wild rice bread

I'm a fan of hearty grains like spelt, quinoa, bulgar, and farro. But having grown up in the Midwest, wild rice will always hold a special place in my heart.

Yield: 2 large loaves
1,625 calories per loaf
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 7 hours

ingredients

1/2 cup sourdough starter

1¼ cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons agave nectar 
1 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons garlic salt

4 cups high gluten flour

2 cups cooked wild rice

2 ounces blue cheese

2 teaspoons yeast 

preparation
1. Mix together the sourdough starter, lukewarm water, agave nectar, wheat flour, and yeast in a glass bowl.

2. Mix until very smooth, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until very bubbly, about 2 hours.

3. Add the sponge, high gluten flour, and salt to your stand mixer bowl.

4. With the dough hook attached, knead stiff dough begins to form, about 5 minutes. 

5. Knead in the wild rice and cheese until incorporated, about 2 minutes. I like to buy larger blocks of cheese, cut them into ounce servings, and freeze them. Working with frozen cheese is much easier because it doesn't fall apart as quickly and can better handle being kneaded.

6. Shape the dough into a ball, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

7. Turn the dough out onto your counter top, divide in half, shape into loaves, place in a parchment or silpat lined loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. 

8. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn your oven down to 375 degrees, continuing to bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Original recipe found here.