Daniel Coffey's Half Wholemeal Loaf

Method

1. [Optional] I started by pre-soaking the Wakelyns wholemeal flour overnight in the majority of the water to help the bran soften but this is optional.Combine the Wakelyns flour and 270 ml water in a medium bowl, cover and leave on a worktop overnight. It will make a sloppy batter due to the fact that it has most of the water from the complete recipe.
2. In the morning, put the strong white flour (I used Shipton Mill Bakers No. 1 but any strong whiteflour for bread-making will do) in the bowl of your dough mixer and add the salt.
3. If you are using fresh yeast, it will need to be rehydrated with the rest of the water for five minutes.
   If you are using the very fine instant yeast sachets then just add the instant yeast and warm water to the strong white flour above.
   Once the yeast has woken up and is properly dissolved in the water, add it to the bowl of your dough mixer.
4. [Optional] At this point you can add a little light olive oil or melted butter for a softer "sandwich-style" loaf.
5. Add the soaked Wakelyns flour to the mixer and combine thoroughly using the dough hook. You may need to scrape it down a couple of times to make sure it is well combined. Remember to check underneath the dough for any stray un-mixed flour that has not been combined yet.
6. Once you are happy that the flour is well incorporated, leave it mixing for a good 10 to 15 minutes until it is smooth. At this stage it is acceptable to adjust the consistency with either a little more white flour if it is too wet or a tiny bit more warm water if it is too dry. All flours vary according to their age and how they have been stored so don't be concerned about having to adjust the recipe.
7. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl. Leave it in a warm place (c. 27C) until it has doubled in size. This should take anything up to an hour.
8. Scrape the dough back down into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured worktop. At this point you can decide if it will be better as a tin loaf or as a ball in a basket. I use floured wooden bannetons for bread proofing but a tin is fine.
9. Form the dough into either a ball or slightly elongated shape and pop it in your floured banneton or tin. You do not need to grease the tin unless it is of poor quality and previous loaves have stuck.
10. Pre-heat your oven to 200 to 210C (adjust for fan-assisted ovens).
11. Cover the dough again and return it to its warm place. This time allow it to rise until almost doubled in size. Do not let it over-rise as it will collapse easily.
12. If using a banneton, turn the loaf out onto a baking tray and slash the top briskly with a sharp knife. Slide the tray gently into the oven. If using a tin, just put it straight into the oven.
13. Cook the loaf at 200 to 210C for between 50 and 55 minutes, depending on the type of crust you prefer. For a thinner crust, use 200C and 50 minutes. For a darker, thicker crust, use 210C and 55 minutes.
14. Once cooked, take out the loaf, tap it out of your loaf tin if you used one and place on a wire rack to cool.
15. Enjoy your Wakelyns loaf.