Fair Time

Kat's Whole Wheat Bread, banana bread and oatmeal raisin cookies baked on Tuesday

August!  Time for harvest; time for county fairs.  Our county fair is one of the last--doesn't start till September 1; coincides with the Oregon State Fair.  My post for today is a recipe worthy of any county fair.  I got this recipe about ten years ago when I had plans to enter a bread contest at our county fair sponsored by Bob's Red Mill.  The main rule was to use Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour in the recipe.  I usually grind my own flour but off to the store I went for a sack of Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour.  I had the best of intentions, but did not get the bread baked for the fair.  Since I needed to use the purchased flour before it went bad, I decided to use the recipe on the back of the package.  Always on the lookout for great bread recipes:D  Well, let me tell you, it was the best whole wheat bread I had ever tasted and my family agreed.  Well, ten years down the road and a few "improvements" bring me to the recipe I am sharing with you today (Sorry, Bob, I went back to my stone ground flour).  This bread makes up well in a bread machine but I bake mine in Pampered Chef Stoneware Loaf pans.  It's the next best thing to a stone oven:)

Kat's Whole Wheat Bread


Makes large 1 1/2 pound loaf

1 1/2 cups warm (not hot) water
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed meal
2 Tbsp dry milk (I use soy or rice milk powder)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tbsp soy lecithin granules
2 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
2 Tbsp sugar (I use sucanat; omit molasses)
1 1/2 Tbsp gluten flour
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp active dry yeast

I use a bread mixer to mix and knead the bread so put water, dry milk, salt, lecithin granules, oil, sugar, molasses and active dry yeast in mixing bowl. Mix slightly.  Add gluten flour, flax seed meal and whole wheat flour. If using mixer, add flour slowly till dough cleans the sides of the bowl.  If mixing by hand, add flour just till dough is not sticky.  Knead for 10 minutes by machine or by hand.  Place dough in oiled bowl, cover and let rise till double.  Punch dough down and let rise again till double.  Punch dough down; form into loaf and place in well-oiled large loaf pan.  Let rise till nice loaf is formed--about double.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.  For a soft crust, quickly run the loaf under cold water then let cool on rack covered with a flour sack dish towel. As hard as it is, let loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

If using a bread machine, add all ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual and process on the basic bread cycle.

This fall I will be experimenting with Pugliese Bread recipes so check back to find out how I do.

Let me know how your bread turns out!  Bon Apetit!  Kat

www.bobsredmill.com
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