Multigrain Campfire Bread

I spent the weekend camping with friends north of Napa, CA and was psyched when dinner time came around to see the picnic table loaded with wild salmon, fresh winter greens, hearty sausage and red curry.  No franks and beans at this camp out and more than a few excited faces when I unpacked my new dutch oven (flea market find) and hearty multigrain bread dough.  

This bread is no-knead, highly adaptable to whatever ingredients you have and the tastiest of any bread I've made.  It's also super easy and will make a bread baker out of anyone.  Baked in a dutch oven over campfire, this bread has a place in my heart forever.    

Hearty Multi-Grain Bread

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup multi-grain flour or any other whole grain flour you have

1/4 cup gluten flour (to compensate for the less gluteny whole wheat flours)

1/4 cup flax seed

1/4 cup 7 grain cereal (or ground bugler wheat or Kamut, or oats or cooked rice)

2 T chia seeds (or poppy or sesame or other small seed)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1.5 t sea salt

1 t active dry yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

* make any substitutions you'd like as long as you maintain the dry:wet ingredient ratio

1. Mix all dry ingredients except for yeast

2. Mix yeast with lukewarm water

3. Mix dry and wet ingredients until all dry ingredients are incorporated in a ball

4. Rest dough for 12-18 hours in large bowl, covered with a towel until the dough has doubled in size.  The longer the dough rests the tastier the bread will be, but much longer than 18 hours and the dough may collapse

5. Fit dough into an oiled loaf pan, 7 inch casserole dish or in the center of a well oiled dutch oven and rest for 1 more hour

6. Brush top with egg whites and sprinkle additional seeds on top (optional)

7. Oven: bake at 400 F for 30 to 45 minutes until hollow sounding when knocked.

    Campfire: This is more of an art thana  science, but place dutch oven in campfire ring atop hot stones or coals as close to the flames as possible without being surrounded in flames.  (see photo, and adjust based on size of fire)  Use potholders to rotate the dutch oven 1/4 turn every 15 minutes to cook evenly.  After 30 minutes, crack the lid slightly so the steam can escape and form a crust. Cooking time will vary but may take up to 2 hours.