Chia & Sesame Seed Loaf

I've never been a big fan of a sliced loaf you buy in a supermarket that magically lasts 2 weeks - as handy as they are, they're not as wholesome as a home baked loaf, and certainly not as tasty. I understand a lot of folk don't have the time to bake from scratch, but a simple loaf baked over the weekend is a great thing to have during the week. It'll make a slice of toast or a homemade sandwich all the more exciting because that delicious bread was made with your own two hands. This one is healthy too, so double plus. 

This recipe makes a relatively small loaf - seeing as it's just me and my girlfriend in the house, a large homemade loaf is never finished before the mould sets in. So if there's not many of you, I recommend the following measurements - but they're easily doubled if you want more. 

Ingredients

• 250g strong wholemeal flour
• 2 x teaspoons of sesame seeds
• 2 x teaspoons of chia seeds
• 1 x sachet fast action yeast
• 1 x tablespoon of Scottish heather honey
• 1 x tablespoon of rapeseed oil
• 150ml warm water
• 1 x teaspoon of salt
• 1 x tablespoon of semi-skimmed milk 

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, pour the flour, salt and yeast - make sure to keep the yeast and salt separate for now. In a small cup or ramekin, measure out your chia seeds and soak in a tablespoon of water, stir and leave for five minutes. This allows the chia seeds to soften and release their jelly-like substance. 
2. Now pour in the oil, honey and pre-soaked chia seeds into the flour mixture and slowly add the warm water while stirring the soon-to-be dough with a wooden spoon. After it's relatively well mixed, get in there with your hands - this is how you get a proper feel of the texture of the dough, not through a hook attached to a bread machine. 
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes - the dough should be relatively moist and elastic. Once done, shape into a rough rectangle and place into a greased (with a drop of rapeseed oil) 1lb bread tin and cover with a tea towel or loosely with cling film. Allow it to double in size - about one hour. Whilst you wait, pre-heat your oven to 180C (this is with a fan oven, pop it up to 200C otherwise). 
4. Once your bread has risen and is springy - get a sharp knife and make four slashes across the dough. Brush lightly with the milk and sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly on top. The milk does two things - it adds a bit of colour to the loaf during its time in the oven and it makes the sesame seeds stay put. You could always use egg wash as an alternative, or just water. 
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes until risen and browned. Remove from the tin immediately and allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 45 minutes. 
6. Wait impatiently before you tuck in. 

When you slice into this loaf, you'll find it has quite a tight crumb - which means its absolutely perfect for toast. The heather honey will give it an ever so slight floral undertone, which makes it quite a complexly flavoured bread. I only used two types of seeds but you can certainly make substitutes - I bet a few walnuts through it would work perfectly.  It's a delicious loaf, and it should last 3-4 days if kept in an air tight container. 

So, if you have the time, ditch the usual supermarket loaf and give this recipe a go - you'll never look back.