Except of course when it comes to baking. There's just no way around it... I can't be lazy when baking. The science of just the right amount of ingredients for the desired chemical reactions has always mystified me. Then again - like I just said, I'm lazy and haven't studied either!
So long story short, I have to break all three rules here because I'm so... well... disgusted with store bought bread! It took about 3 times to perfect this, but this is what my welsh husband would call a 'stodgy' bread. In other words, you know you've had a piece of bread when you've had one. Great for sandwiches, awesome for toast, fantastic with soups or stews.
1 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup barley flour (Yay Alaska Flour Company!)
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat bread flour (I just used regular 'ol whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Place all ingredients into your bread machine in the sequence recommended by your manufacturer. Select the cycle on your machine for dough.
When the dough cycle is complete, remove the bread to a floured surface and punch it down. Shape it to fit into an oiled loaf pan.
Let it rise for 45 minutes. Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F - 90°F. Living in Alaska my house is always a tad chilly, but I'm lucky and have a proof cycle on my convection oven. A pan filled with 1" of boiling water put into a cold oven works well I've heard.
Slit the crust and dust with flour. Let it rest 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 400ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes. I've never had to adjust the time but check by tapping the bread. It should sound hollow.
Let cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling and have butter nearby!
This recipe was adapted from about four recipes, mostly from Barry Farm's version at: http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/flours/barleyflour.html
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