barley and poppy seed kefir bread

When my son was very young, we’d burrow beneath the quilts of his bed and read our favorite poems together. “A poppy’s red in its barley bed,” we’d repeat from Christina Rossetti’s poem “What is Pink?” The image of a poppy, tall, red, and strong against the fields of waving yellow grain, remained with me. Kefir, like sourdough starter, is a rich source of beneficial bacteria and yeast. While its yeast content varies depending on the individual complement of microbes in each household’s kefir grains, the hearty strains of yeast typically offer enough strength to give bread its rise; however, if you’re concerned that your kefir is not strong and yeasty enough to make bread rise, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon baker’s yeast to the kefir and honey when you stir them into the flour prior to the bread’s first rise.

MAKES: 1 LOAF

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups high-extraction wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough
• 2 cups barley flour
• 2 teaspoons finely ground unrefined sea salt
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2½ cups milk kefir
• 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing

GLAZE

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour the flours into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt and poppy seeds.
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the kefir, honey, and melted butter.
3. Stir until the mixture is loosely combined. Flour a work surface and turn out the dough onto the surface. Knead for 5 minutes, incorporating more flour if necessary to maintain the dough’s elasticity without reducing its stickiness. Form the dough into a ball.
4. Grease a large mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit in a warm spot in your kitchen for at least 18 and up to 24 hours.
5. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with a bit of olive oil.
6. Flour your work surface once more, then turn the dough out onto the surface. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in the prepared loaf pan.
7. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 3 to 4 hours, until it increases in volume.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
9. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg, honey, and water. Uncover the dough, brush it lightly with glaze, and sprinkle it with the poppy seeds. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until browned. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack, then turn it out of the pan, slice, and serve.