Title: Chile bread pt 1
 Categories: None
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
MMMMM---------------------------SPONGE--------------------------------
    1/2 c  Sourdough starter (whatever
           -yours happens to be)
    1/2 c  Water
      1 c  Whole wheat flour

MMMMM---------------------------DOUGH--------------------------------
  1 1/4 c  Water
      2 ts Honey
      1 ts Yeast (NOT fast-acting
           -yeast)

MMMMM-------------------REMAINING INGREDIENTS------------------------
      1 c  Bread flour
      1 c  All-purpose flour
    1/2 c  Corn meal (preferably
           -coarsely ground)
      1 ts Cumin seed, crushed or
           -ground (preferably toasted
           -first)
      1 tb Freshly ground dried chiles
           -of your choice (i used
           -guajillos), about
    1/4 ts Ground cayenne
    1/4 ts Ground dried habanero
    1/2 ts Ground dried oregano
      2 ts Commercial chile powder
           -(mostly for color)
      2 ts Salt
    1/2 c  Pumpkin seeds, roasted

MMMMM--------------------NONSOURDOUGH VERSION-------------------------
    3/4 c  Warmish water
      1 ts Yeast (NOT fast-acting
           -yeast, which defeats the
           -purpose here)
      1 c  Whole wheat flour
    1/2 c  Unbleached bread flour
 
  i just munched a thick, toasted slice of this for breakfast while
  reading the breakfast thread in the digest....
  
  this is an adaptation of the whole wheat chile bread in mark miller's
  *flavored breads* (pp. 50-1). i converted the recipe to one for
  sourdough (if you're not a devotee of sourdough, there's a
  nonsourdough version below***) and tinkered with the seasonings. this
  isn't the final version, but since this list is filled with other
  tinkerers, i'll go ahead and toss this out as a point of departure
  for others. despite appearances, this really is not a complicated
  recipe and can be adapted to a variety of breadmaking approaches. for
  those who'd like to toss everything in a bread machine and be done
  with it, check miller's book for instructions. i don't truck w/ BMs
  in my kitchen, for reasons explained below.=A0
  
  a preliminary note: in breadmaking, time equals flavor, and you have
  several opportunities in making this bread to slow things down and
  increase the flavor: using cool or cold water and decreasing or
  eliminating the use of commercial yeast (but be sure to use sourdough
  if you eliminate it entirely!) will result in longer proofing
  (rising) times and much better flavor. e.g., if you make the
  nonsourdough version using 1/4 t. yeast dissolved in cold water, the
  sponge might need to develop overnight but will contribute much
  better flavor to the finished bread than if you used a full teaspoon
  of yeast in warm water and proofed the sponge for 2 hours. and unless
  you absolutely have to have bread ASAP, DON'T set the dough to rise
  in a warm place--it's not necessary for the action of the yeast, and
  it diminishes flavor by speeding things up. it might seem that a
  bread containing as many additional flavoring ingredients as this one
  could get by just fine on fast-acting yeast and a bread machine--and
  it can: get by, that is. that's why so many bread machine recipes
  rely on additional ingredients: to contribute the flavor that the
  bread itself is lacking. but flavorful ingredients don't really make
  up for tasteless bread, while flavorful bread catalyzes and
  intensifies the flavors of whatever you add to it. you really should
  taste what happens when all the added flavors in this recipe combine
  with those of a well-developed, flavorful-in-itself bread dough--the
  rounded complexity of flavors is complete and deeply satisfying.
  
  to make the sponge, mix the water into the starter then stir in the
  flour. if your flour has a high water absorption rate, you might end
  up with a dough you can knead; if your starter is fairly liquid, the
  mixture might be sticky. either way is fine. (see below*** for the
  nonsourdough version--after this step, both versions are the same.)
  cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until risen
  and puffy. this can take anywhere from an hour or two to half a day,
  depending on the liveliness of your starter. the nonsourdough version
  will probably go faster, unless you reduce the amount of yeast--see
  above).
  
  NOTE: for sourdough purists, omit the yeast and allow more time for
  the finished dough to rise.
  
  DOUGH: stir the honey into the water, then sprinkle the yeast over the
  surface and let stand for a minute or so. stir to dissolve. add this
  mixture to the sponge and stir or squish together with your hand to
  combine. then
  
  continued in part 2