- 1 cup whole wheat flour (plus a little more for kneading)
- 1 cup white unbleached white flour (not self-rising)
(alternatively, use 2 cups of a 50/50 blend of the above, where available) - 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 7-Grain Cereal (can be found in
most grocery stores) - 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 pkg. Rapid Rise Yeast (“proofed” in the water/honey
mix)see below. I use
bulk so need 2 1/4 tsp. - 1/4 cup flax seed
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup oatmeal
- 4 tsp. Vital Gluten (found next to the flours on the grocery
store shelf in a small box; refrigerate after opening) - 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey, molasses, sorghum, or your favorite syrup (add more if you
like your bread sweeter) - Butter Flavor Crisco (or real butter)for coating after kneading before
allowing to rise
- Warm up the water and honey in a mug or measuring cup in the microwave
so they mix together. - Open the yeast package.
- When you can stick two fingers
in the water mixture for a full three seconds (one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two,
one-thousand-three) without discomfort, stir in the yeast until it dissolves. - Set the mug or cup aside and wait for the yeast mixture to foam up,(maybe
20 mins.) like the head on a warm beer.(If it doesn’t foam up, either the
yeast has been killed or it is out-of-date. Start over with fresh yeast,
water and honey, and wait for the water to cool off a little more than
before to make sure the water is not too hot before adding the yeast. Always
check for the expiration date on the yeast before you buy it or use it.). - In the meantime, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add the “proofed” yeast and water mixture to the dry ingredients
and thoroughly blend together. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead
about 24 times, adding a little more flour as needed to keep from sticking.
The kneading activates the vital gluten and the white flour’s gluten to
assist with rising the dough. - When done kneading, form dough
into a ball and coat with the Crisco or butter all around. - Place the dough
in your baking dish (or dutch oven), cover and let rise. It should double
in bulk. DO NOT PUNCH DOWN!! - When dough has doubled, pre-heat oven to 450
degrees F., cover bread and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until to desired
brown color. - Remove and allow to cool slightly before slicing and
enjoying!! (Always bake with a lid on your pot) I always sprinkle a bit
of flour on the bottom of my pot so the bread does not stick.
NOTE: The
whole wheat flour has almost no gluten in it. The gluten is what makes the
flour create the little air pockets and hold the CO-2 gas which is the by-product
of the yeast’s growth. By using the 50/50 blend and the vital gluten and kneading
the dough to activate the gluten, you greatly lighten this bread and improve
its flavor. Also, because the bread is lighter and has more air trapped in
it.
If for some reason you cannot bake after your dough ball has doubled,
you can place it overnight in the fridge, loosely cover w/saran wrap. When
ready to bake, take from fridge, allow to come up to room temp, you can
even punch it down and allow to rise again, then bake.
Denny, courtesy of Jeff Hines and Art Peck.
Originally published September 21, 2009 on Fly Anglers Online by Denny Conrad September 21, 2009.