My recipe for bread using hay (with a warning)

I am proposing the use of oat hay because it is roughage, very high in fibre and offers a light and interesting texture to the bread I make. I bought a bale of hay from a horse supplier and it was extra-ordinarily cheap. I understand the hay I bought has been cleaned of dust and dirt and is for the use of horses .
The internet shows that hay can contain aspergillas - a fungus, and mites and an assortment of bacteria
I take the view that I am cooking my bread and that should deal with that - also I examine the hay before I put it in the coffee grinder to make it into a mixable fluff to see that it looks clean.
I understand that storing of hay under some conditions can cause it to ignite spontaneously and cause a fire. I do not know the allergy issues which relate to hay.

Like many I can afford bread from any shop, boutique or bog standard white gunge. However both have the problem of high gluten and starch, and low and most insoluble fibre with the added worry that many have a burnt crust rich in cancer promoting acrylamides. For these reasons I propose you try the following:-

This is a modestly leavened bread using two modes for this - a small amount of yeast to react with its low rye flour content and bicarbonate to assist in aiding a raise in the psyllium in the mix.The rye is the only gluten containing  component and represents about 0.7% by weight of the finished product

The bread tastes good in it’s own right but is just super if very lightly toasted. The texture is chewy and invites the keeping of it in the mouth for some time with the attendant benefit of saliva for digestion. It slices really well..

The following is one of many attempts to solve these problems from a home made bread with the minimum of effort and cost.

Using a microwave with safe glass moulds produces a pleasant crust which is not burnt and therefore eliminated the acrylamides issue. A pyrex mould is good for this, tough as old boots and cheap to buy. I think silicone rubber bread moulds are pretty safe but I’m not dead sure on this, silicon derivatives usually being very stable and un-reactive - they certainly work well!

There is no kneading involved and the recipe makes three really hefty loaves.

After decanting the mix into the moulds they are put in a warm oven or place to rise.

I cook one in the microwave then and there and put the other two ‘gently’ into the freezer for later  when they can be thawed and microwaved straight off.

I carefully slice the cooked loaf as soon as it is cooled and freeze most of it. This frees up fridge space and ensures that it doesn’t dry out. Popping a frozen slice or two in the toaster defrosts it and then I can give it a light toasting if that’s what I want.

I am unable physically to handle or stir a large mix so I use a machine mixer  friends lent me for this - a fit person perhaps will find this unnecessary but you will need a really big bowl. I repeat - there is no need to knead.

The mixer they lent me is an ancient  Kenwood Chef Food Mixer which I think is a typical household mixer.

I checked on the internet and these second hand can be bought for a fraction of the new cost.

I make three loaves but naturally just divide quantities to suit the mixer you have.

1.

Thoroughly mix the following dry in the bowl of your miixer do this very slowly at first so it doesn’t spiral into the air and cause a mess.

1 kg of jumbo oats

200 gm of Rye flour

100 gm of oat bran

30 gm of oat hay ( this is optional but needs to be refined somewhat using a coffee grinder or such till it becomes fluff like ie no stalks to choke on! - the point of using it is to offer the loaf lightness and roughage)

3 heaped dessertspoons of psyllium

A sachet of dry yeast granules (around 60gm)

3 heaped teaspoons of salt ( I use 2 of lo salt and one of common salt - lo salt is very high in potassium)

3 heaped teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda

Any herbs or spice of your choice - rosemary is good, dried basil is good too and very inexpensive.

2.

Add 1400 ml of warm water bit by biggish bit and mix .

3.

Decant into  greased glass or silicone rubber fmoulds leave to rise for half and hour

4.

Cook at full power in the microwave

for 10 mins where the oven is rated 1000 watts

for 12 mins where the oven is rated  850 watts

--- if you choose to use a conventional oven I'd reckon about half an hour in a preheated oven at 200 or 160 fan assisted.