Black Flag: Rise Above

I thought about making everything from soufflé to muffins for this post, but when it came down to it, any kind of sweet extravagance just didn’t feel right in the face of the mighty Henry Rollins.

They may be pioneers of hardcore, but an immeasurable importance in that scene and a heavy-metal influenced sound has made Black Flag a mainstay in my record collection, and Henry Rollins’ books a constant on my shelves.    

This four-seed wholemeal bread, just like Henry, is hearty, heavy and made with healthy good intentions. A few slices of this before one of his legendary shows would see you right the way through to dinner time.

We are born with a chance...

Rise above we're gonna rise above!

Rise Above

(Makes 1 medium loaf)

• brown bread flour  200g
• granary bread flour  200g
• white bread flour  100g
• salt  1½ tsp
• caster sugar 1 tsp
• fast-action dried yeast  2 tsp
• pumpkin seeds, golden linseeds, caraway seeds and poppy seeds  6 tbsp
• olive oil  1 tbsp
• egg  1, beaten 
• poppy seeds  to decorate

1. Mix the flours, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl, then stir in the seeds. Make a well in the centre of the flours and pour in 300ml lukewarm water with the olive oil. Mix together then knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes, adding more white flour if the dough is a little sticky.
2. Put into a clean, oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour, or until double the size. 

3. Knock the dough back a little then shape to make an oval. 
Leave to rise again for about 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C/gas 6.
4. Brush the surface with beaten egg, then decorate with poppy seeds (I cut a Black Flag logo stencil, held it over the bread then sprinkled over the seeds). Bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes or until golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.