Wheat Bread with Kefir

Soft, airy bread with kefir, baked at home, will successfully replace store counterparts. It is better to bake such bread by increasing the number of ingredients – it literally disappears from the table!

Cook: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• Wheat flour – 330 g
• Kefir – 200 ml
• Vegetable oil – 15 g (1 tablespoon)
• Pressed yeast – 15 g
• or dry yeast – 5 g
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Salt – 1 teaspoon

To grease the loaf:

• Vegetable oil (or milk) – 1-2 tbsp

For sprinkling the loaf (optional):

• Peeled sunflower seeds – 1 tbsp
• Sesame seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Flax seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Directions

1. Warm the kefir slightly (to a temperature of 30-40 degrees) and crush the yeast into it. Add sugar, stir until yeast is completely dissolved, and leave for about 5-10 minutes. After the indicated time, the mixture should take on a small “cap” – this is a sign that the yeast has activated and is working.

   

2. Add salt and 1 tablespoon to the dough. a spoonful of vegetable oil. Add a little wheat flour, knead the dough. As soon as the dough starts to gather in a lump, transfer it to the table – it is better to finish the kneading on a flat surface. For good kneading, knead the dough about 200 times.
3. The dough for homemade bread should be non-sticky, soft, and smooth. The ball of dough will be slightly blurred and will dent from a light touch.
4. Place the ball of dough in a deep bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for about 40-45 minutes. When the dough has increased in volume by 2-3 times, crumple it and gently stretch it to the sides, forming a loaf.
5. Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil or cover with parchment. Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet and brush the surface with vegetable oil or milk. Turn on the oven to preheat to 190 degrees.
6. Sprinkle flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds on top of the bread. Cover the loaf gently with a towel so that the cloth does not touch the surface of the dough. Leave the bread to proof for another 20 minutes.
7. The loaf should increase in size by about 1.5-2 times. Using a sharp knife, carefully make several oblique shallow cuts to create a pattern characteristic of the loaf. Bake the bread in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for about 30 minutes.

   

8. Then cool the finished loaf with seeds, cut it into slices, and serve. Soft, porous, fragrant, snow-white crumb and a ruddy, crispy crust – this homemade bread on kefir is perfect for sandwiches or a bowl of soup.

Bon Appetit!