Bluebird Grain Farms

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Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Bread Cookbook, 1963

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients

1 Packaged (1 tbsp.) dry yeast

1/4 Cup Water

2 1/2 Cups Hot Water

1/2 Cup Honey

3 Teaspoons Salt

1/4 Cup Butter

*Whole Wheat Bread Flour (Bluebird’s Methow Hard Red Wheat or Pasayten Hard White Wheat Flour)

*Sunflower, Pumpkin, Sesame, and Poppy seeds, Flaxseed Meal

*Whole Wheat White Pastry Flour (Einka Flour)

 

Method

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup of water.  Combine hot water, honey, salt, and butter.  Add enough bread flour and seeds to make a batter like cake batter.  Add yeast. Beat with electric mixer.  Let rise in mixer bowl until bubbly (makes a sponge).

Turn mixer on, add enough white whole wheat pastry flour so that it doesn’t stick to the side of the bowl (if you have a mixer that will handle this). Otherwise, add enough flour so your hands won’t get sticky.  Knead with a mixer if you can.   If you do not have a mixer turn onto an unfloured counter and only add as much flour as you have to in order to knead without sticking.  Place dough in oiled bowl and turn over to oil the top. Cover with a damp cloth.

Let rise until approximately double in size.

Turn dough onto an unfloured counter.  Divide into 2 loaves and shape into 2 balls. Let rise about 10 minutes covered and then make into loaves.  Press them into a rectangle and fold over 2 ways, smashing it flat each time, and then roll it out approximately 10″ x 15″ or so with a rolling pin and roll it up.  Place in greased bread pans, cover, and let rise until it reaches the top of the pan or doubles in size.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for about 35-45 minutes.  The bread should sound hollow when you thump it.  Turn out onto a rack to cool.

*I never measure the flours or seeds and have found that what matters most is giving time for the sponge to rise and beating the sponge a lot.  The amount of flour does vary with the weather.